[Ord. No. 4754, 1-5-2023[1]]
A.
The
Dollar Home Program is established to allow the City to purchase substandard
housing units and offer them for sale in the City at a depressed market
price. The purpose of this program is to rehabilitate substandard
housing units which are having an adverse impact upon our residential
neighborhoods and to resell the units to owner-occupants providing
an increase in new affordable housing stock that will address the
housing and neighborhood stabilization recommendation of the comprehensive
plan.
B.
The
City of Berkeley Dollar Home Program will positively impact the community
by enabling the City to repurpose and utilize its land assets to progressively
build a resilient and sustainable community through home ownership.
In order to increase home ownership, facilitate family self-sufficiency
through asset building and establish permanency and pride within the
City, it is necessary to stabilize neighborhoods through the rehabilitation
of single-family houses and to develop infill lots with newly constructed
homes. The City will have increased affordable housing stock through
the improvement of residential structures or the construction of new
homes on vacant lots.
[Ord. No. 4754, 1-5-2023]
The Dollar Home Program will be implemented by the City of Berkeley
as a local housing program offered through the Economic Development
Office. The City of Berkeley will maintain a catalogue of properties
located in the City that are eligible for the program.
[Ord. No. 4754, 1-5-2023]
A.
The
program will be available under the following guidelines:
1.
All properties are to be offered in "as is" condition.
2.
Present verifiable proof of funding guarantee (financing) that will
cover the cost of the home purchase, renovations and repairs that
will bring the home to required livable standards established by the
City's Housing Maintenance Code.
3.
The Dollar Home Program will first be offered as an incentive to
Berkeley residents to improve lots adjacent to their own homes.
4.
If interest is shown in a lot or derelict home immediately adjacent
to an owner-occupied home in the City, the property owners will be
notified. Precedence will be given to the owners of those adjacent
properties to acquire the abandoned lot. Should the adjacent homeowner
have interest, the lots will be offered to them first under the following
conditions:
a.
Applicants must have paid all real estate taxes on all properties
that they own in the City.
b.
Applicants must have no outstanding violations on their property.
c.
The lots must be re-platted to become a single lot (the City will
provide platting services); or
d.
Building permits on new construction (not just demolition) must be
initiated within one hundred twenty (120) days of property transfer
or the property reverts to City ownership.
e.
Should those conditions be met, the lot(s) will be sold for one dollar
($1.00) to the new owner.
5.
Next, the Dollar Home Program will be offered as an incentive to
Berkeley residents to improve lots in the community.
[Ord. No. 4754, 1-5-2023]
