California 2018 Legislative Update

Housing Laws.jpg
Housing Laws.jpg

Streamlining

AB 2162 – Supportive Housing by Right

  • Streamlined ministerial approval for projects that include supportive housing

  • CEQA not required for supportive housing projects that comply with local requirements, are 100% lower income and 25% of units are supportive.

AB 3194 – Housing Accountability Act

  • Limits local government determination of project inconsistency with zoning ordinance if the zoning doesn’t allow the maximum residential use, density or intensity in general plan.

  • Requires finding of a significant, quantifiable, direct, and unavoidable impact to disapprove or condition approval of projects if compliance with applicable, objective general plan, zoning, and subdivision standards and criteria.

SB 765 – SB 35 Clean Up

  • 100% affordable projects are exempt from the “skilled and trained workforce” labor requirement.

  • Only objective standards may be applied, including those related to subdivisions.

  • All local agency approvals for project are exempt from CEQA.

Density Bonus

AB 2753– Density Bonus Application

  • Jurisdictions must notify density bonus applicants in writing w/in 30 calendar days of application of completeness.

  • Local government must notify applicant of re-submitted density.

  • Bonus application in writing w/in 10 business days of resubmittal.

  • Local government has 60 days from complete application to approve or disapprove a density bonus.

  • Application deemed completed and density bonus granted if deadlines not met.

SB 1227 – Density Bonus for Student Housing

  • Requires up 35% density bonus projects with at least 20% of the total rental beds for very low income students enrolled in higher education at accredited institutions.

 Density Bonus (continued)

AB 2372 – Floor Area Ratio Bonus for Affordable Housing

  • Allows local government to adopt ordinance to grant floor area ratio (FAR) bonus in lieu of a density bonus. Project requirements include:

  • Multifamily development of 5+ units.

  • Located in urban infill site within transit priority area or within ½ mile of major transit stop.

  • Zoned for 20 units per acre.

  • Either 11% of affordable units for Very Low Income or 20 of affordable units for Low Income.

AB 1771 & SB 828 – RHNA

  • Requires modifications of regional RHNA allocation methodologies

  • RHNA must account for overcrowded housing units and cost burdened households, units lost related to a state of emergency

  • Gives HCD oversight authority over RHNA allocations

Fair Housing

AB 686– Housing Discrimination

  • Codifies recent HUD rules on jurisdictions’ obligation to further fair housing.

  • Housing elements and other planning documents must analyze how zoning programs/development approvals address/ reverse historical segregation patterns caused by past zoning practices.

CEQA Exemptions

AB 1804 – Infill Exemption for Counties

  • CEQA exemption applicable to unincorporated areas of counties.

  • Developments have minimum density and location requirements (must be urbanized area.)

AB 2341– Limited Aesthetic Impact Exemption

  • CEQA exemption for rehabilitation or replacement of existing, vacant structure (within building envelope) with residential development.

Charter Cities

AB 1333 – Charter Cities

  • Government Code provisions now apply to Charter Cities.

  • Consistency requirement applicable to general plan, specific plans and zoning.

  • No Net Loss” requirements apply to housing element inventory sites.

  • Specific findings required for growth control measures.

 Maps and Permits

AB 2913– Extension of building permits

  • Extends residential building permits from six months to one year.

  • One or more extensions of 180 days can be granted if justifiable cause

AB 2973– Subdivision map extensions (Central Valley)

  • 2 years for tentative subdivision maps in certain Central Valley jurisdictions 1771