National CORE leaders joined more than 200 federal, state and local officials and industry professionals for a “first-of-its-kind” Housing Attainability Conference on July 31, outlining innovative approaches to the housing crisis.
Titled “Moving Beyond the Crisis,” the summit was held at the Ontario Convention Center and co-sponsored by National CORE and the Building Industry Association of Southern California.
National CORE was represented by Jeff Burum, co-founder and chairman, and Alexa Washburn, chief development officer. Speakers and panelists included State Treasurer Fiona Ma, U.S. Rep Norma. Torres, state Sen. Bob Archuleta and state Sen. Kelly Seyarto.
Washburn moderated a panel about successful builder/city partnerships. Key topics included cutting red tape, the use of modular design to speed up construction, changes to environmental conservation codes to boost housing developments and using artificial intelligence.
Tom Grable, former California Building Industry Association chair, noted that some of the best solutions for home building and protection come from difficult situations, including innovations driven by California’s wildfires.
“Crises promote innovation and other solutions,” Grable said. “We’re building some of the most resilient fire-resistant products to have ever been built. However, there are new technologies that are coming and we’re testing it and, if it’s viable, it’s a gamechanger.”
Torres said bipartisan cooperation across all forms of government is crucial to solving the housing and affordability crises. She said the housing conference was an important step in building political and professional bridges.
“It was critically important to come to this conference and to continue to work with nonprofit organizations, including National CORE,” Torres said. “It was also important to have not only federal officials but also state and locals as well – so that we can also work together, because no one governmental body have the answer to the housing crisis.”
Ma said cooperation is the best tool at California’s disposal.
“For attainable housing, it really depends on a robust public-private partnership, and you all are the best place to do business,” Ma said. “You have a can-do attitude and you work together. I always say that working together is the shining star that’s going to get us out of any recession is the Inland Empire.”
Burum spoke about Opportunity Zones 2.0, a federal program created to spur private investment in economically distressed communities. Burum said the zones can create pipelines for housing and new businesses, which will in turn boost the economy for future generations.
“I encourage everyone to use these Opportunity Zones as an investment tool… It’s going to change the dynamics of investing in this world over the next 20 to 30 years,” Burum said. “We are now able to invest in targeted areas where we can create new businesses. The best opportunities – the ones that take care of our communities and help build jobs for the youth to help inspire others – will become more attainable through this program.”
Recent Comments