Caltrans Selling Property to Tenants, Agencies

More than two years after vowing to sell off surplus state-owned homes no longer in the path of the proposed Long Beach Freeway extension, Caltrans has finally got its sale into high gear.

Of the 62 properties, 57 houses, duplexes and apartment buildings in South Pasadena and Pasadena are being sold to tenants and affordable housing agencies, said Richard Marquis, an official with the state Department of Transportation. The remaining properties are vacant land.

The agency has sold four homes to renters and is in escrow on an additional 29 houses, he said. Under state law, all the homes are being sold at below-market prices.

This month, escrow will close on the sale of 11 houses to Pasadena Neighborhood Services as rentals for low-income families, Marquis said. The sale was opposed by South Pasadena, which said the deal would cluster too many low-income homes in one area. This week, the agency will select which affordable housing agencies will purchase an additional seven single-family homes in South Pasadena and four multiple dwellings, he said.