Redevelopment Agencies in California: History, Benefits, Excesses, and Closure

Effective February 1, 2012, the State of California ceased operating local redevelopment agencies (RDAs), which had operated since the end of World War II. In recent times, these agencies served as an important component of the affordable housing development landscape in California. This paper, developed by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD’s) Office of Policy Development and Research (PD&R), examines the history of California’s RDAs, describes their successes and failures, and addresses the anticipated effects of their shut down on the future of affordable housing development in California.

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