Santa Clarita Issues Report on Housing

Santa Clarita will be unable to provide enough lower-cost housing to meet the demand during the next four years, but the city can take steps to preserve what it has, according to a city report released this week.

About 4,372 households, 12% of those in the city, pay too high a percentage of their incomes for housing, according to the report, which was prepared by the city for the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The report does not estimate how many households will fall in that category by 1996. But it concluded that cutbacks in government subsidies and other constraints will hinder the city’s efforts to provide lower-cost housing.

But there are several ways the city can encourage construction of new lower-cost housing units, including issuing tax-free bonds to builders and creating a redevelopment district in east Newhall, where most of the poor households are concentrated, according to the report.

The report also recommends that Santa Clarita consider innovative ways to encourage cheaper housing, including approving units with shared kitchens and other facilities to save building costs.

It also recommends that the city study the possibility of allowing developers to build housing units atop commercial parking garages.

The city can at least take steps to prevent the deterioration of existing lower-cost housing units, according to the report.

For instance, Santa Clarita can continue using federal funds to provide free home repairs to very low-income households and disabled residents, the report states.

The city plans to spend about $550,000 during the next four years to help 275 low-income households fix leaky roofs, broken windows and make other minor repairs.

The city will hold a public hearing April 28 at City Hall before submitting its report to the federal government.