California Advances Zoning Bills To Promote Scarce Housing

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP/CBS13) — California lawmakers connected Thursday precocious the 2nd of 2 measures designed to chopped done section zoning ordinances, spurred by a shortage of affordable housing, rising location prices and an expanding stateless population.

The measurement promoted by Senate person Toni Atkins and supported by Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, some Democrats, would marque it easier to physique smaller 2nd units connected what are present single-family properties. That could see up to 4 units, specified arsenic duplexes oregon homes with attached surviving units, if the batch is divided into 2 adjacent parcels nether the bill.

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The extremity is “opening the doorway for much families to prosecute their mentation of the California Dream,” said Atkins, “whether that means gathering a location for an aged genitor to unrecorded in, creating a caller root of income, buying that archetypal house, oregon being welcomed into a caller neighborhood.”

The measure largely skirts section approval, though Atkins earlier added ways for section governments to artifact operation that mightiness imperil nationalist information oregon nationalist wellness oregon is done by lodging speculators. Those applying for the batch splits would person to curse that they mean to inhabit 1 of the lodging units arsenic their main residence for a minimum of 3 years.

It cleared the 80-member Assembly connected a bipartisan 45-19 vote.

The measure “will accelerate duplexes and batch splits successful areas zoned for single-family housing,” objected Republican Assemblywoman Janet Nguyen, who said she would person voted nary but is quarantined aft investigating affirmative for the coronavirus.

The Assembly connected Monday passed a related measure by Sen. Scott Wiener that would marque it easier for section governments to rezone neighborhoods adjacent wide transit for up to 10 lodging units.

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That bill squeaked retired connected a 41-9 vote, with nary votes to spare, contempt supporters noting it was precocious amended to marque it optional for section governments.

“Legalizing tiny flat buildings adjacent transit and successful municipality infill areas reduces biology impacts and slashes clime pollution,” Brian Hanlon, main enforcement of the advocacy radical California YIMBY, said successful a statement.

The advocacy radical California Community Builders argued the measures volition constrictive an “ever-growing radical wealthiness spread successful California,” wherever much than 60% of whites ain their homes compared to 35% of Blacks and astir 40% of Latinos.

But respective Sacramento vicinity groups said the bills “encourage ample fiscal organizations ownership of residential property, with an expanding percent of lower- and middle-class citizens becoming perpetual renters.”

The measures undermine some section power and biology protections, they contend.

Both bills caput backmost to the Senate for last votes earlier the Legislature adjourns for the twelvemonth connected Sept. 10.

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Sacramento’s City Council is moving to marque the superior metropolis 1 of the nation’s archetypal to destruct accepted single-family zoning. The cities of Portland, Oregon, and Minneapolis person passed akin ordinances successful caller years. The authorities of Oregon passed a instrumentality eliminating accepted single-family zoning statewide.