Photo courtesy of Josh Hild on Unsplash.
Abundant Housing Applauds Governor Newsom’s Signature of Housing Legislation Including AB 2011 and SB 6, Legalizing New Housing in Commercial Zones, and SB 886, Allowing Student Housing
The new laws will make new housing more affordable, easier to build, and more environmentally friendly while creating good jobs.
LOS ANGELES, CA—Today, Governor Newsom made history by signing a suite of Abundant Housing-endorsed statewide zoning reform bills, including major legislation allowing for housing on under-used commercial parcels.
Asm. Buffy Wicks’ AB 2011 allows mixed-income and affordable housing to be built “by-right” on commercially-zoned parcels, subject to certain environmental and labor standards. One analysis found that it could lead to the construction of 2.4 million new homes.
SB 6 is a variation on the commercial-zone housing theme, permitting dense housing on commercial parcels, subject to slightly different approvals and labor standards.
“These bills represent major progress toward addressing California’s housing shortage,” said Abundant Housing executive director Leonora Camner. “We look forward to seeing strip malls, parking lots, and other under-utilized commercial properties in LA redeveloped as high-quality new housing at all affordability levels.”
State senator Scott Wiener’s SB 886 addresses the ongoing student homelessness crisis by streamlining the CEQA review process for union-built, environmentally-friendly housing on UC- or CSU-owned land within ½ mile of campus.
AB 682 applies the State Density Bonus to co-living buildings, allowing additional density and relief from development standards in exchange for providing affordable housing.
SB 679 creates the Los Angeles County Affordable Housing Solutions Agency (LACAHSA, say “la-casa”), which would coordinate efforts to build new affordable housing, preserve existing affordable housing, and offer emergency rental assistance and legal counsel across the county.
“We are extremely pleased to hear that Governor Newsom has signed these important bills, which will make our communities more sustainable by making it easier to build dense new housing in transit-served neighborhoods,” said Abundant Housing policy director David Barboza.
Abundant Housing LA is a pro-housing nonprofit advocacy organization that is working to help solve Southern California’s housing crisis by supporting more housing at all levels of affordability, as well as reforms to land use and zoning codes. To maintain our independence, we do not accept financial support from housing developers or their consultants.
