Housing officials administer Windsor Park home exchanges and relocation support

The Housing Division administers exchanges of Windsor Park homes for newly built homes and exchanges of certain vacant lots for other vacant lots. The program covers single-family homeowners and certain vacant-lot owners in the defined Windsor Park neighborhood, including qualifying descendants of former homeowners. A homeowner must own the home on August 1, 2025, and a qualifying vacant-lot owner must own the lot on that date. A vacant-lot owner or qualifying descendant must first be offered an available lot in the Cibola Park area when the stated local agreements allow it. A home must be at least as large as the exchanged home, and a replacement lot must be at least as large as the exchanged lot. Mortgages and other liens that block an exchange must be paid off, transferred, or otherwise handled, subject to the program's assistance limits. A home exchange may occur after the replacement home receives a certificate of occupancy. A repayment lien generally applies for five years after it is recorded.

The Housing Division pays eligible relocation expenses and may pay to rehabilitate replacement homes in Cibola Park. Homeowners who owned a Windsor Park home on August 1, 2025, and move into a replacement home may receive up to $50,000 for actual relocation costs. Tenants who must move because of the program may also receive relocation payments. Payments may cover listed moving-related costs, but federal grant money may be used only for expenses allowed by federal law. The Housing Division may pay expenses in advance based on documentation such as quotes. If available money is insufficient, required payments are reduced proportionally. Rehabilitation payments for replacement homes may not exceed $10,000 per home. A homeowner must move from Windsor Park to the acquired replacement home. Tenant eligibility applies when the tenant lived in the home on August 1, 2025, and must move because of the program.

The Housing Division must adopt program regulations, apply for available federal grants, and report on the program at least quarterly. The duties cover the Windsor Park program and require reports to the Interim Finance Committee. The state provides $25 million from the General Fund for the program. Money left from that appropriation cannot be committed after June 30, 2028, or spent after September 15, 2028. The Housing Division must use Community Development Block Grant money only for purposes allowed by federal law. The act takes effect upon passage and approval. The appropriation's spending deadlines are June 30, 2028, for new commitments and September 15, 2028, for spending and returning any remaining money.

Exchanged Windsor Park property is used for a free public memorial park, while certain replacement-home transfers receive tax and fee protections. The park covers property exchanged through the program. Tax protections cover qualifying replacement-home transfers and homes acquired through the program. The City must maintain the park for schools and churches serving Windsor Park without charging them to use it. The Housing Division may require escrow and title insurance, and it pays transaction fees from program money. A replacement home receives the stated property-tax exemption through July 1, 2057, and qualifying transfers are exempt from real property transfer taxes. A lien secures repayment of specified costs if the replacement property is sold or transferred within five years, subject to the stated exceptions and limits. Park construction follows demolition of exchanged residences. The property-tax exemption lasts until July 1, 2057, and the repayment lien generally covers transfers within five years after recording.