Eddie Charbonier, chair of the Puerto Rico House Ways and Means Committee (Comisión de Hacienda) and Representative for San Juan's District #1, announced a new evaluation of unused properties, including land, held by the University of Puerto Rico (UPR). Puerto Rico's housing crisis includes a deficit exceeding 60,000 units, while an estimated more than 300,000 properties sit vacant or abandoned.
Charbonier said UPR's Real Estate Property and Investment Office holds a portfolio of properties, many unused, that could be sold through an expedited process to generate resources for the university system, particularly structures classified as housing units. He also wants to study how many acres ('cuerdas') of unused land UPR holds across the island that could generate funds to improve infrastructure and services.
He plans to request an updated property registry, the protocols/regulations used for selling these assets, and how proceeds are funneled to the UPR fund, noting that since 1930 properties without heirs or a will have been transferred to the university. This is not the first such effort: in 2024, Representative José 'Che' Pérez announced plans to meet with the Secretary of Housing to develop a rehabilitation program for these structures aimed at creating affordable housing, though no results were reported.