Name: California housing shortage: More duplexes, apartments in lawmakers’ plan
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California housing shortage: More duplexes, apartments in lawmakers’ plan

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SACRAMENTO — The state Senate leader endorsed five bills Wednesday to address California’s housing shortage by boosting construction of duplexes, small apartments and affordable units, even as an economic downturn caused by the coronavirus pandemic has dried up public funding for new projects.The legislative package was developed by a working group of Senate Democrats, formed in the wake of the high-profile failure of SB50, San Francisco Democratic Sen. Scott Wiener’s contentious proposal to allow and in wealthy suburbs.Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins, D-San Diego, backed Wiener’s measure. After it , Atkins committed to passing legislation this year that would ramp up housing production in California, which experts estimate has millions of homes fewer than needed.Atkins said Wednesday that she had worked for months with both supporters and opponents of SB50 to come up with legislation that struck a better balance between streamlining the approval process for housing projects and maintaining local control so communities could decide for themselves how they develop.Though a has taken away the ability to provide financial incentives, Atkins said the bill package would create substantial tools to spur new construction by reducing planning costs.“Time is money when you’re trying to build a project,” Atkins said. “When the capital markets come back, we should be able to hit the ground running.”Coronavirus PandemicTwo of the bills are Atkins’ own. would let smaller mixed-use and affordable housing projects use a shorter environmental review process, which was created a decade ago to speed the approval of major developments that would not increase greenhouse gas emissions.aims to build up existing residential neighborhoods, which are largely zoned for single-family housing, by making it easier to split lots and convert homes into duplexes. Projects that meet local zoning and design standards, do not require demolition of occupied housing, and fall outside historic and environmentally sensitive districts would go through a streamlined approval process.A similar effort in SB50 to push multifamily housing into sparked major opposition from local government officials and homeowners, who worried that the new rules could radically change the look and feel of their communities. Atkins said her approach would be more palatable for cities because it would increase housing stock while respecting neighborhood character.“It’s very much a local control, but it still pushes for densification and development,” she said.The League of California Cities, a leading opponent of SB50, said it was still reviewing the new bills.The package also includes Wiener’s , which he introduced in March to revive some aspects of SB50. The bill would allow cities to rezone residential parcels for apartment or condominium projects of up to 10 units without having to go through the formal environmental review that Wiener says can add five to 10 years to the process. Cities could adopt the change for neighborhoods near public transit and in high-income areas with access to jobs and good schools, but would not be required to.An , which would have essentially eliminated single-family zoning across the state by allowing multiunit housing in nearly all residential neighborhoods, has been removed.About Our NewsroomThe two other bills are , by Sen. Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, which would give housing developers additional incentives, such as the ability to increase the size of a project, for including more affordable units; and , by Sen. Anna Caballero, D-Salinas, which would open properties zoned for office and commercial buildings to housing developments, particularly in areas where the land has sat empty for years.Some advocates expressed disappointment that the package backed away from the broad zoning changes in SB50. Matthew Lewis, spokesman for California YIMBY, which lobbies to build more housing, said the proposals put forward by Atkins must be strengthened by the Legislature.“We would like to see a more transformative outcome and recognize that everyone’s working under dire conditions. But we’re here to solve the housing crisis, and that means doing whatever it takes,” he said.Wiener acknowledged that the legislation was “not the grand slam, hit-it-out-of-the-park housing victory for all ages,” but he said it would take tangible steps toward additional construction. He said he was optimistic that the bills would be able to navigate the complex politics that sank SB50, which also faced concerns from affordable-housing advocates that it would accelerate gentrification by promoting luxury development.“Nothing is overnight with housing,” Wiener said. “We’re planting the seed for a brighter housing future.”Alexei Koseff is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: Twitter:About Our Newsroom

SACRAMENTO — The state Senate leader endorsed five bills Wednesday to address California’s housing shortage by boosting construction of duplexes, small apartments and affordable units, even as an economic downturn caused by the coronavirus pandemic has dried up public funding for new projects.The legislative package was developed by a working group of Senate Democrats, formed in the wake of the high-profile failure of SB50, San Francisco Democratic Sen. Scott Wiener’s contentious proposal to allow and in wealthy suburbs.Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins, D-San Diego, backed Wiener’s...

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Alexei Koseff

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California housing shortage: More duplexes, apartments in lawmakers’ plan

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