A recent editorial in the Los Angeles Times about the passage of CA Senate Bill 423, which proponents say will further affordable housing in the state, is being met with resistance from the NIMBY (Not in my backyard) crowd.
What’s expected to be the most contentious housing bill before California lawmakers this year shouldn’t be controversial at all. It’s an extension of a proven model that has helped put affordable housing in some of the state’s most Not In My Backyard communities.
The gist of Senate Bill 423 is this: If a city hasn’t built enough housing, it must streamline approval of apartments, condos and townhouses that comply with zoning and design rules and include affordable units. The bill wouldn’t override local zoning or control. It simply compels cities to follow their own land-use plans without putting projects through additional environmental reviews or city council votes that can be used to kill or whittle down housing developments.
And it works. Legislators enacted this fast-track approval process in 2017 when they passed SB 35 by Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco). Between 2018 and 2021, developers statewide proposed nearly 18,000 units using the law. About 75% of the units have been affordable for low- and very low-income households, according to a preliminary analysis by UC Berkeley’s Terner Center for Housing Innovation. The projects get the green light in about six months, shaving months or years off the usual approval timeline.
CLICK HERE to read the entire Los Angeles Times editorial
Gary Fleisher, the Modcoach
