The Yucca Valley Town Council upped the ante in their attempt to get grants for senior housing last night. They also told staff to meet with those residents opposing some rezoning. Managing Editor Tami Roleff was at that meeting and files this report…
The Town of Yucca Valley got some bad news at its meeting last night about its attempts to secure funding for the affordable senior housing project on Dumosa Avenue. Town Manager Mark Nuaimi told the Council that the Town did not receive the $14 million in tax credits it was hoping for from the state that would pay for 75 percent of the project’s cost. The state allocates tax credits to municipalities, which then sell them on the open market to corporations who use them to reduce their tax liabilities. Nuaimi said the application for tax credits is very competitive, and the Town lost out during the “tie-breaker” round, in which the amount of money the Town contributes toward the project plays a crucial role. A second round of applications is being taken, with the deadline next week. In order to make the Town more competitive, the Council voted unanimously to nearly double the amount of money it is contributing toward the project, from $1.577 million to $2.925 million. In other business, the Town Council and Planning Commission spent two hours discussing the General Plan Land Use review. Overall, the Council and Commission agreed to accept the suggested changes in zoning in a few areas throughout the Town, although in a couple cases it requested Staff to meet with property owners to see if objections to the changes could be worked out.
