New CA bill “a hopeful sign” that strict zoning codes are becoming artifacts of the past

AB 2011, going into effect on July 1st, is expected to boost affordable housing commerical-to-residential conversions by fast-tracking approval and eliminating the potential for CEQA lawsuits. The LA Times' editorial board dissects AB 2011 and two other CA'n bills designed to make repurposing office space a more feasible project.

Most cities in California don’t allow residential development in commercial zones, or they make land conversions so time-consuming and expensive that few developers bother. That’s finally changing, and it will unlock property that has been off limits to housing.

Perhaps the biggest reform will come July 1 when Assembly Bill 2011 takes effect. The law, written by Assemblymember Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland), will fast-track approval to build 100% affordable housing on most properties zoned for retail, office or parking. The law also gives expedited approval to projects with a mix of market-rate and affordable housing when they are located on four- to eight-lane commercial corridors. One analysis suggested underutilized commercial properties in Los Angeles County could accommodate 1.6 million housing units.

Jimmy Silverwood, president of Affirmed Housing, is planning to use AB 2011 to develop up to 200 affordable units on a 5-acre vacant commercial lot outside Sacramento. His firm, which specializes in building homes for low-income families, veterans and formerly homeless people, is also looking to acquire empty shopping centers surrounded by sprawling parking lots for development. The law, he said, is especially helpful because it exempts projects from the California Environmental Quality Act, giving developers certainty that they won’t be held up by the threat of CEQA lawsuits.

This article originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times. Read the whole thing here.

Read UCLA city planner Nolan Gray’s analysis of why local zoning codes create unaffordable, inequitable housing markets here.

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