News: Affordable housing
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California’s new governor is taking a multi-pronged approach to the state’s housing crisis that would remove barriers to construction, add financial incentives for cities and counties to build, and bring heftier penalties to those that don’t build their fair share.
In total, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposed budget includes $7.7 billion across multiple departments and programs to address housing and homelessness issues across the state.
Tagged: Affordable housingLegislature
Long Beach is crafting a proposal that would require all new residential developments to include a certain percentage of affordable housing.
The city will seek public comment on the inclusionary housing proposal during meetings scheduled for Dec. 5 and Dec. 8.
These meetings result from council direction earlier this year to boost the inventory of units dedicated to low-income individuals and families. CAA encourages members interested in this subject to attend the upcoming meetings and provide feedback. To view a flier on the community meetings, click here.
California voters in Tuesday’s election approved Propositions 1 and 2, CAA-supported bond measures that together are expected to raise $6 billion, add much-needed affordable housing and help address the state’s homelessness crisis.
With 100 percent of precincts reporting, Proposition 1 had garnered 54.1 percent of the vote, while Proposition 2 had secured 61.1 percent.
Proposition 1 will authorize $4 billion in general obligation bonds for housing-related programs, loans, grants and projects, as well as housing loans for veterans.
Tagged: Affordable housingElections
To jumpstart affordable housing construction, the Sacramento City Council this week voted to waive development impact fees on new projects, a move supported by the California Apartment Association and other business organizations.
The fee waivers will reduce, for example, the cost of a 200-unit multifamily housing development by as much as $2.6 million, an amount that helps cover the funding lost when redevelopment agencies, a primary source of financing for affordable housing, were eliminated during the recession.
“Increasing the supply of affordable housing is the single best approach to solving our housing crisis,” said CAA senior vice president Jim Lofgren.… Read More
Gov. Jerry Brown on Wednesday signed a bill that will streamline the approval of certain affordable housing projects with units for the homeless.
The California Apartment Association supported the bill, AB 2162 by Assemblyman David Chiu, D-San Francisco, and coauthored by Assemblyman Tom Daly, D-Anaheim. The legislation will expedite the approval of affordable housing developments with a certain percentage of “supportive housing.”
Supportive housing means housing with no limit on length of stay, that is occupied by persons with low incomes who have one or more disabilities, including mental illness, HIV or AIDS, substance abuse, or other chronic health condition.… Read More
In the November election, Santa Rosa voters have an opportunity to boost affordable housing while speeding the city’s recovery from last year’s devastating wildfires.
Last fall, the fires in Northern California’s Wine Country eviscerated 6,000 homes in Santa Rosa alone.
“Couple that with a statewide housing crisis of epic proportions, and Santa Rosa finds itself in dire need of additional housing supply,” said Alex Khalfin, CAA’s vice president of public affairs for the North Bay region. “While we can debate how this problem should or shouldn’t be solved, one fact remains clear — something must be done.”
Enter Measure N… Read More
The Sacramento City Council on Tuesday, Aug. 14, will convene a special workshop focused on finding ways to increase the supply of affordable housing.
Council members at the session will examine possible funding sources that could bolster the city’s Housing Trust Fund, which now has just $2.5 million, or enough to subsidize about 15 units. Staff will also present ideas for how to speed the construction of more affordable housing by reducing parking requirements, expediting project reviews, waiving fees, and other steps.
California lawmakers returned from their summer recess this week and are now in the home stretch of the 2017-2018 legislative session.
Before they adjourn Aug. 31, however, the California Apartment Association is urging them to approve a number of bills that would help alleviate the state’s ongoing housing shortage.