Pub. L. 83-560, tit. VIII, sec. 805

Sec. 805. The Act entitled “An Act to expedite the provision of housing in connection with national defense, and for other purposes”, approved October 14, 1940, as amended, is hereby amended— (1) by adding the following at the end of section 605 (a): “In any city in which, on March 1, 1953, there were more than ten thousand temporary housing units held by the United States of America, or in any two contiguous cities in one of which there were on such date more than ten thousand temporary housing units so held, the Administrator may acquire, by purchase or condemnation, a fee simple title to any lands in which the Administrator holds a leasehold interest, or other interest less than a fee simple, acquired by the Federal Government for national defense or war housing or for veterans’ housing where (1) the Administrator finds that the acquisition by him of a fee simple title in the land will expedite the disposal or removal of temporary housing under his jurisdiction by facilitating the availability of improved sites for privately owned housing needed to replace such temporary housing, (2) the city or a local public agency has, in accordance with authority under State law, entered into a firm agreement to purchase the land so acquired at a price determined by the Administrator to be fair, but in no event less than the estimated cost to the Federal Government of acquiring the fee simple title (including an estimated amount to cover legal and overhead expenses of such acquisition) as determined by the Administrator, (3) the city or local public agency has furnished evidence satisfactory to the Administrator that it has or will have funds available to make all agreed-upon payments to the Federal Government and to protect the Federal Government against any loss resulting from the acquisition of fee simple title, (4) the city or local public agency has furnished assurances satisfactory to the Administrator that the land will be made available to private enterprise for development, in accordance with local zoning and other laws, for predominantly residential uses, and (5) the city or local public agency has furnished assurances satisfactory to the Administrator that no individual who is employed by, or is an official of, the government of the city in which the land is located, or any agency thereof, shall be permitted, directly or indirectly, to have any financial interest in the purchase or redevelopment of such land: Provided, That such acquisitions by the Administrator pursuant to this sentence shall be limited to not exceeding four hundred and twenty-five acres of land in the general area in which approximately one thousand five hundred units of temporary housing held by the United States of America were unoccupied on said date.”; (2) by adding the following new subsection at the end of section 607: “(g) The Administrator may dispose of any permanent war housing without regard to the preferences in subsections (b) and (c) of this 68 Stat. 645 section when he determines that (1) such housing, because of design or lack of amenities, is unsuitable for family dwelling use, or (2) it is being used at the time of disposition for other than dwelling purposes, or (3) it was offered, with preferences substantially similar to those provided in the Housing Act of 1950 ( 64 Stat. 48), to veterans and occupants prior to enactment of said Act.”; and (3) by adding the following new section at the end of title VI: “Sec. 613. Upon a certification by the Secretary of the Interior that any surplus housing, classified by the Administrator as demountable, in the area of San Diego, California, is needed to provide dwelling accommodations for members of a tribe of Indians in Riverside County or San Diego County or Imperial County, California, the Administrator is hereby authorized, notwithstanding any other provision of law, to transfer and convey such housing without consideration to such tribe, the members thereof, or the Secretary of the Interior in trust therefor, as the Secretary may prescribe: Provided, That the term housing as used in this section shall not include land.”