Last Wednesday, RSG collaborated with law firm Rutan and Tucker, LLP to host a workshop ambitiously titled “Everything You Need to Know about Housing Now.” The event quickly sold out, illustrating just how eager city and county staff are to learn more about recent housing legislation and how it affects their communities. Held in RSG’s Irvine office, the event was attended by city and county staff from the counties of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Diego, and Ventura.
The workshop presenters were attorneys Bill Ihrke and Kathy Jenson and RSG principals Tara Matthews and Hitta Mosesman, which allowed workshop attendees to hear about both the legal and practical implications of recent housing bills:
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Bill delved into the nuances of several pieces of legislation, focusing primarily on Senate Bill (SB) 35, which streamlines the approval process for infill developments in local communities that failed to meet their Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA).
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Hitta provided several case studies of cities that have already received applications for projects from developers looking to take advantage of the streamlined approval process allowed by SB 35.
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Kathy explained how recent housing legislation and the California Coastal Commission’s new focus on “no net loss” affects coastal communities.
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Tara guided attendees through strategic steps to take to ensure compliance with the new housing legislation, including getting involved early in the RHNA process, updating local planning and zoning policies as needed, applying for SB 2 technical assistance grants by the November 30th deadline, maintaining a current inventory of existing affordable units and staying up to date on compliance monitoring, and filing the required annual reports.
In light of California’s housing crisis and the need for 100,000 new housing units each year, State legislators are looking to hold communities responsible for doing their part in creating more housing in California. For better or for worse, the recent Legislative Housing Package created several new requirements and implications for every California community. If you’re interested in learning more about how your community is impacted, please contact us at RSG today. We’re happy to help!