Title
Approval of Tenant and Community Opportunity to Purchase Recommendations
Recommended Action
Committee Recommendation:
Not referred to a committee.
City Manager Recommendation:
Move to approve recommended actions regarding tenant and community opportunity to purchase.
Report
Issue:
Whether to approve recommended Tenant and Community Opportunity to Purchase actions.
Staff Contact:
Christa Lenssen, Senior Housing Program Specialist, Community Development, 360.570.3762
Presenter(s):
Christa Lenssen, Senior Housing Program Specialist, Community Development
Background and Analysis:
Tenant Opportunity to Purchase (TOPO) policies establish a process that notifies tenants when a property is being sold and provides them an opportunity to purchase it, sometimes including the right to match offers from other buyers. These policies may also extend purchasing rights to nonprofit affordable housing organizations, local governments, or public housing authorities (known as Community Opportunity to Purchase or COPO). They can apply to various housing types, including single-family homes and multifamily properties, and may help preserve long-term affordability through models such as limited-equity cooperatives.
TOPO and COPO policies can help tenants compete with investors, stabilize housing costs, preserve affordable housing, and prevent displacement. The City’s Housing Action Plan and Comprehensive Plan direct City Council to consider TOPO as a tool to preserve manufactured home communities and multifamily rental housing, particularly existing affordable housing.
These policies carry potential legal risks, including challenges related to unconstitutional takings or substantive due process violations. However, statewide advocates have successfully navigated similar legal concerns through the enactment of legislation establishing an opportunity to compete to purchase manufactured home communities.
Staff Recommendations
Staff is participating in statewide discus...
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