Project Summary
California’s expiring affordable housing covenants pose a barrier to not only its affordable housing supply, but also its greenhouse gas reduction goals. Working with the Southern California Association of Governments, this study would address the following research questions to assist policymakers preserve the affordability of housing with expiring covenants, particularly near transit. First, which developments are important to prioritize, based on covenant expiry timing, public transit access, and other factors? Second, what strategies are most effective at preserving affordable housing with expiring covenants, and how might a regional entity best facilitate this process? Using datasets on affordability covenants, high-frequency transit access, job accessibility, and opportunity maps, this research will first determine the order in which developments should be targeted. By analyzing the developments that have been converted to market-rate in the past, we will identify the building, neighborhood, and market factors that best predict building conversion. Interviews with affordable housing intermediaries will help identify the optimum timing for outreach in order to prevent conversion. After a review of local and regional strategies to preserve affordable housing, this research will develop a framework for affordable housing preservation at the regional and local scales.
