Governor Newsom creates new housing and transportation using nearly $1 billion paid by big polluters 

San Francisco, CA — This building will create 187 affordable senior homes​ that will prioritize LGBTQ+ elders, long-term HIV/AIDS survivors, formerly homeless individuals, and veterans earning 30-60% of the area median income.

Thousands of new homes and needed infrastructure.

This round of Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities will build healthier communities and protect the environment by supporting the creation of 2,393 new rent-restricted homes, with almost two-thirds of those units dedicated to extremely or very low-Income households. Not only will these projects build much-needed affordable housing, but they create needed sustainable infrastructure:

• Over 30 new zero-emission public transit vehicles
• Approximately 150 new bus shelters
• 45 miles of bikeways
• 20 miles of safe, accessible walkways.

The impact of these projects will be equivalent to 209,410 gas-powered car trips removed from the road annually. Projects are located throughout the state in the Central Coast, Coastal Southern California, Inland Southern California, the North State and Sierras, the Sacramento area, the San Diego area, the San Francisco Bay Area, and the San Joaquin Valley.

“California continues to build affordable homes that strengthen our climate resilience,” said Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency Secretary Tomiquia Moss. “With more than $4.8 billion invested to date, we are creating healthier, more connected neighborhoods where all Californians can thrive. Our state and our Governor are all in when it comes to supporting safe and livable communities.”

Protecting agricultural lands

AHSC’s subprogram, Sustainable Agricultural Lands Conservation (SALC), works to balance building with conservation. The two programs work together to ensure that California is building affordable new homes quickly, in the right places, while protecting open spaces and working agricultural lands at risk of development. The SALC Capacity Grants support early-stage planning, partnerships, and technical efforts that protect farmland, reduce sprawl and keep climate-beneficial agriculture in production.

Through the program, 60 acquisition projects have been developed for SALC acquisition applications and 41,837 acres protected. To date, SGC has awarded $613 million in SALC grants to 245 easement projects, 15 fee acquisition projects, 42 planning projects and 39 capacity projects.

“California’s farms and ranches help to feed America and are the lifeblood of rural communities across our state,” said California Natural Resources Agency Secretary Wade Crowfoot. “State funding through this program protects these working lands from urban sprawl and helps to steer new development into existing communities where jobs and infrastructure already exist. Conserving these agricultural lands also protects food production, limits traffic and pollution in our rural areas, and protects open space across our state.”