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Pre-Commitment of $920,000 in Affordable Housing Funds for Habitat for Humanity of <br />Orange County <br />July 1, 2025 <br />Page 3 <br />5 <br />1 <br />5 <br />7 <br />conditions and requirements that must be met before a full commitment can be issued <br />in the form of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The purpose of the pre- <br />commitment letter is to award these program funds to the developer in compliance with <br />the City’s adopted Affordable Housing Funds Policies and Procedures last amended by <br />City Council on August 18, 2020. The letter states the maximum amount of program <br />funds reserved for the project and lists all of the additional conditions, documents, and <br />steps that must be taken before staff will return to City Council with the MOU. <br />Specifically, this project involves the conversion of an existing nine-unit apartment <br />building into condominiums, which will be made available for homeownership to Low <br />and Moderate-Income households earning less than 120% of the AMI. Habitat for <br />Humanity currently owns the apartment building and purchased it after the building was <br />rehabilitated in May 2024. The building includes one two-bedroom unit and eight one- <br />bedroom units, each with a single bathroom. Unit sizes range from 420 to 846 square <br />feet and are move-in ready. The building recently underwent over $1 million in <br />renovations, which included new flooring, electrical upgrades (new outlets and fixtures), <br />updated kitchen cabinets, and complete bathroom remodels. Doors, windows, shutters, <br />garage doors, stairways, and railings were restored or replaced as needed to meet code <br />compliance. <br />Current residents of the property with household incomes of less than 120% AMI and <br />that qualify to purchase a unit within the Property will be given the right of first refusal to <br />purchase a unit at an affordable purchase price (eight of the nine units are currently <br />occupied). KMA estimates the moderate income affordable sales prices at $310,400 for <br />the eight (8) one-bedroom units and $350,500 for the one (1) two-bedroom unit. The <br />allocation of $720,000 to the City’s Down Payment Assistance Program will be available <br />for down payment assistance to individual households to purchase a unit, structured as <br />a silent mortgage based on homebuyer eligibility. Homebuyers must meet the eligibility <br />requirements for Habitat for Humanity’s Affordable Homeownership Program with a <br />residency preference for local workers and residents of Santa Ana in accordance with <br />Santa Ana Municipal Code Section 8-3500. The conditional award of up to $200,000 for <br />eligible relocation costs will be available upon a determination by the City that the <br />Project is subject to relocation benefits under California Government Code §§7260 or <br />66300.6. The specific amounts utilized for relocation benefits will be based on actual <br />amounts determined immediately prior to the relocation of existing tenants. <br />The City and Habitat for Humanity will enter into a Memorandum of Understanding <br />("MOU") that sets forth the terms under which the City will provide the homebuyer Down <br />Payment Assistance and conditional relocation award. The MOU will specify that the <br />project is not undertaken by the City and is not in furtherance of a City program. Rather, <br />the MOU is a response to Habitat for Humanity’s request for financial assistance to <br />enhance affordability for qualified homebuyers by providing homebuyer Down Payment <br />Assistance through an existing City program. The MOU will require that Habitat for <br />Humanity execute an affordable housing covenant to offer the nine (9) affordable units <br />  <br />  <br />City Council 9 – 3 7/1/2025