Governor Newsom has signed Senate Bill 330 (SB330), also known as the “Housing Crisis Act of 2019.” The new law, which will be in effect through 2025, aims to accelerate California housing construction by banning local governments from freezing new projects — or increasing fees — once an application has been properly submitted.
There are currently 2.8 million new housing units approved for zoning in California, according to a 2019 report by UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies.
Authored by Sen. Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley), SB330 will help speed up the building permit process from 120 to 90 days for standard projects and 60 days for affordable housing projects. The new law will also prohibit a county or city from changing building design standards, establishing population caps, or reducing the number of allowable housing units. No more than 5 public hearings will be permitted regarding new housing construction projects.
An additional section of SB330 prohibits developers from demolishing rent-controlled housing unless the owners offer relocation assistance to displaced households and offer a “right of first refusal” once new housing is built.
Read more about the bill here.
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