Report 2020-108 Recommendation Responses
Report 2020-108: California's Housing Agencies: The State Must Overhaul Its Approach to Affordable Housing Development to Help Relieve Millions of Californians' Burdensome Housing Costs (Release Date: November 2020)
Recommendation for Legislative Action
To help ensure that all local jurisdictions mitigate key barriers to affordable housing in the near term, the Legislature should amend state law to do the following:
- Increase the existing default densities for affordable housing, currently set at up to 30 units per acre, to a level that ensures that local jurisdictions make every reasonable effort to accommodate needed affordable housing units on sites they identify in their housing plans. Because other standards, such as maximum building height, can also limit density, the Legislature should also require that local jurisdictions' development standards allow developers to build the densities that jurisdictions specify for each potential affordable housing site in their housing plans.
- Require that local jurisdictions allow a streamlined review process with limited discretionary action for affordable housing projects on a site that a local jurisdiction has identified in its housing plan to accommodate affordable housing units.
Description of Legislative Action
As of November 17, 2021, the Legislature has not taken action to address this specific recommendation.
- Legislative Action Current As-of: November 2021
California State Auditor's Assessment of 1-Year Status: No Action Taken
Description of Legislative Action
SB 6 (Caballero) would, in part, increase the sites available to be developed for residential uses to include those currently zoned or otherwise designated in a city or county's general plan only for commercial uses. The bill would require the density for a housing development under these provisions to meet or exceed the density deemed appropriate to accommodate housing for lower income households according to the type of local jurisdiction, including a density of a certain number of units per acre for a suburban jurisdiction.
- Legislative Action Current As-of: May 2021
California State Auditor's Assessment of 6-Month Status: Legislation Introduced
Description of Legislative Action
AB 68 (Salas) states legislative intent to implement the recommendations in the audit.
- Legislative Action Current As-of: January 2021