Caltrans Sells 11 Surplus Homes to Housing Charity

Caltrans has closed escrow on 11 homes being sold to a Pasadena housing charity that were once in the path of the proposed Long Beach Freeway extension, despite legal opposition from the city of South Pasadena and some of its residents.

The South Pasadena City Council has directed its lawyers to pursue legal action that will reverse the sale to Pasadena Neighborhood Services, which plans to turn the homes into rental property for low- to moderate-income people. A judge last year refused to issue a temporary restraining order to prevent the sale but other legal issues are still pending.

South Pasadena Assistant City Manager Anne McIntosh said it is the city’s position that surplus Caltrans homes along the route should be sold to individual families. The city is currently attempting to fund a plan to purchase many of the surplus homes and resell them to individual families.

A total of 54 houses along the freeway route in South Pasadena and Pasadena have been declared surplus by Caltrans. Twelve homes have been sold to tenants.