Ombudsman proposes using shuttered schools to address housing shortage

Citizens’ Ombudsman Edwin García Feliciano

Senator notes that the idea is

contained in a bill she co-introduced

By THE STAR STAFF

The shortage of affordable housing, particularly for young professionals and female heads of household, could be addressed if the government utilized the land on which closed schools are situated to promote the construction of new homes, Citizens’ Ombudsman Edwin García Feliciano suggested.

García Feliciano said housing availability for sale or rent is one of the most critical issues that Gov. Jenniffer González Colón’s administration should tackle. It is particularly significant, he said, as many young people are relocating to the United States in search of a better quality of life.

“The situation is so dire that some people who have received FEMA grants to purchase a home have found it impossible to do so,” he noted. “The prices of these homes have skyrocketed, further complicating the process.”

The ombudsman emphasized that housing construction is flourishing in other segments, including investments in renovating existing infrastructure, construction taxes for municipalities, and support for local businesses such as hardware stores, concrete mixers, and suppliers of doors and windows. Those activities create both temporary and permanent jobs, positively impacting the local economy, he said.

In that context, García Feliciano proposes that the land where closed schools are situated could be offered to developers as an incentive. In return, the value of that land could be used to provide subsidies to first-time homebuyers.

“This could be achieved in two primary ways: either by selling the properties and allocating the proceeds for subsidies, or by establishing agreements where the equivalent value of the land is deducted from the sale price for first-time buyers,” he said.

García Feliciano pointed out that there are more than 760 closed schools across Puerto Rico, with some 500 lacking a defined use. The situation has resulted in many of those properties falling into a state of abandonment or neglect.

“There are 500 schools that nobody has proposed for any specific project or with any form of viability,” the ombudsman insisted. “Although the total number of these lots is unknown, we believe they could provide opportunities for a segment of the population longing for their first homes.”

García Feliciano expanded on the idea that if each of the school properties contained at least half a cuerda, or slightly less than a half-acre, of land, “we would be looking at a total of around 250 cuerdas [243 acres] of land that is essentially unused, despite the island’s pressing need for affordable housing.”

“We could consider constructing walk-up housing or other types of non-traditional housing that don’t require large tracts of land and may be more appealing to young couples,” he noted.

Sen. Ada Álvarez Conde issued a press release on Monday in which she pointed out that the idea of transforming abandoned schools into “affordable housing projects” “is already reflected in Senate Bill 483, which I introduced, along with Senator Jamie Barlucea of ​​the Ponce district, who also serves as chair of the Senate Committee on Housing.”

“This only underscores the urgent need for this legislation, and we urge everyone to join us in calling for its passage,” Álvarez Conde said. “We must certainly repurpose these abandoned spaces to provide housing for our people.”

The ombudsman, meanwhile, also highlighted that the island government should allocate between $5 and $10 million for the maintenance of closed schools, which is currently not being done.

Due to the neglect of this public resource, García Feliciano remarked, it is becoming an eyesore and a nuisance for surrounding neighborhoods, diminishing property values and posing health and safety risks for local communities.

“The concept of the subsidy is not new; it was implemented during the administrations of former governors Pedro Rosselló and Sila Calderón,” he stated.

More recently, subsidies of up to $55,000 have been awarded using funds provided to Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria.