The federal government will provide Rancho Palos Verdes with $42 million in buyout funds for homeowners most affected by ongoing landslides in the Portuguese Bend area, ultimately putting these properties at risk. It is planned to be converted into a low-rise open space.
This program is part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Hazard Mitigation Assistance Grants and will provide one of the first long-term solutions for residents in areas affected by landslides. Land movement has been increasing in this region for decades, but at a tremendous scale and speed. The movements of recent months have been unprecedented.
Officials project they have enough money to buy out 20 property owners in the Portuguese Bend area, the majority of whom are facing increased property damage from land displacement and indefinite utility shutdowns. facing. Applications for acquisition are voluntary. No one will be forced to sell their home to the city.
Homeowners could receive offers equal to 75% of their property’s pre-disaster fair market value before heavy rains following the winter set in motion new forms of the area’s old landslide complex. You can expect it. In an effort to minimize future disasters and associated losses, the city then planned to demolish the homes and prevent future development.
“This acquisition program provides a viable pathway for our most vulnerable community members, providing them with the opportunity to relocate and rebuild with meaningful compensation,” Rancho Palos Verdes Mayor John Cruikshank said in a statement. ” he said. He said dozens of residents had endured unimaginable losses due to recent land transfers, with “some facing the very real prospect of losing their homes completely”.
The announcement comes several years after residents sought state and federal aid as land displacement escalates, homes fall into disrepair, roads require near-constant repair and utilities are forced to retreat. It took place a month later. However, only a fraction of the damaged and endangered properties in the region are approved for acquisition. Approximately 260 homes in three neighborhoods in Rancho Palos Verdes have been affected by landslides in recent months.
Mike Hong, who designed and built a Portuguese Bend home on land he purchased in 2014, hopes the deal will be successful for him and his wife.
Hong, 65, said that “what they are providing is a lifesaver for most people and for us as well,” but she is concerned about the amount of money. spoke. “It’s a bittersweet story. You were given a chance to save your family’s finances, only to see your labor of love destroyed.”
Hong estimates that his home would have been worth about $3.6 million two years ago, but since it’s relatively new, it’s probably on the higher end of real estate values in the neighborhood, but he’ll wait and see if he gets an offer. He said he intended to do so.
The announcement of the acquisition program comes after the first positive news regarding the landslide in months. City officials reported this month that the rate of land movement slowed by as much as 80% in some places compared to the previous month, largely due to new deep dewatering wells the city installed between August and October. That’s what it means. The wells are pumping millions of gallons of groundwater, causing landslides in the area.
Hong said the slowdown in land movements (so his home was one of about 20 to have power recently restored) was welcome news, even if he wasn’t accepted into the buyout program. That’s what he said.
“There’s still a chance we can get through it, and even if it doesn’t work out, we can take a chance,” Hong said. “In any case, we will proceed with the application.”
But not everyone jumped at the opportunity. Sally Reeves and her husband, who have lived in their Portugal Bend home since 1982, decided not to apply.
“We are committed to staying,” said Reeves, 81. “We’re pretty comfortable financially right now.”
It’s been weeks since major renovation work began after cracks separated rooms in a house. Like several others in the area, they built the house on steel beams and adjustable posts, which she believes will withstand future land moves.
But Ms. Reeves said she understands why some people, especially those with young children, are ready to accept a reasonable offer to quit and start over.
“There are people here who feel trapped,” she says. “I’m excited for the people who can take advantage of it.”
Marianne Hunter, 75, echoed Reeves, but said fortunately her home suffered far less damage. But cracks keep appearing along her walls, floors and outdoor patio.
Still, she and her husband don’t plan on going anywhere, especially now that they’ve installed solar power, a major investment.
“We couldn’t afford to move anywhere comparable to this,” Hunter said. “You can’t find a property that’s quieter when it’s not moving. We love our community and we love our home.”
And for those planning to stay or whose acquisitions were not approved, city officials said the program will not affect ongoing landslide mitigation or winterization work.
“The City Council does not want anyone to feel that this program that is being proposed to you is a sign that the city is moving away from winterization and stabilization efforts,” Rancho Palos Verdes City Manager , said Ara Mihranian. The city has approved more than $13 million in recent weeks to install 10 new drainage wells to prepare roads, drainage systems and other infrastructure for the rainy season.
For the buyout program, the city will prioritize eight homes with red or yellow tags that are officially deemed unsafe or uninhabitable, respectively. Next on the priority list are properties with significant damage that authorities believe may soon require the evacuation of residents. According to city officials, a review will then be conducted of the approximately 250 additional homes that remain without power.
If selected, the city will sell the property for 75% of what the appraiser determines is the fair market value of the land and improvements as of December 1, 2022, less transaction costs and a portion of demolition costs. I will buy it.
The buyout program has historically been available to property owners in flood-prone areas, but FEMA, the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services and the city worked together to customize the program for this landslide situation. Mikranian said.
According to FEMA’s website, hazard mitigation funds are available for landslide or mudslide areas, but the program’s focus is on debris flow hazards, particularly those that occur after a fire. The agency also lists grants as an option in the event of an earthquake, hurricane, drought, or other emergency to “fund eligible long-term solutions that reduce the impact of future disasters.” .
Officials say the property acquired by the city will be converted into open space. The city will be responsible for demolition of any structures and improvements on the property, including driveways.
“They all have to be removed and re-evaluated, and that would permanently limit open space rights,” Mikranian said.
Interested property owners have until Nov. 4 to apply to the city for a property inspection.
FEMA and California OES will check to make sure the homes being purchased meet all eligibility criteria, including some special considerations for many people in the landslide area. . That is, the structure must still exist on legally permitted premises. It wasn’t immediately clear how many homes would lose eligibility because they were pushed out of their original locations by hundreds of feet of movement in recent years.
Another point of confusion for some residents is that if the purchase is approved, the property owner would have to release the city and all other agencies from liability. This is a problem for many people who are suing or planning to sue for losses related to land transfers.
City officials are pleased that FEMA and the state have supported the new acquisition program, but the city of Rancho Palos Verdes remains in the federal disaster zone for Los Angeles County after a series of devastating atmospheric river storms in February. Approved through declaration. They will pay for increasingly costly efforts to stabilize landslides.
Mifranian said at City Hall this week that the city is short on funds, and that FEMA recently denied most of its $61.4 million reimbursement claim for storm and landslide-related costs. This fiscal year alone, the city expects to spend $32 million on landslide-related projects, far more than it spent in the past two years combined.
Mifranian said the city plans to appeal FEMA’s decision and continues to explore other funding sources.
