New California law enables affordable housing developers to bypass certain environmental reviews.

A California Bill Streamlines Affordable Housing Development Process

A California bill recently signed into law will allow​ for a more⁤ streamlined⁣ process for building affordable ⁢housing, by allowing developers to avoid some ⁤environmental reviews usually ‍required under state law.

Senate Bill 406, authored by Sen. Dave Cortese (D-San Jose), ⁤was signed by ⁣Gov. Gavin Newsom Aug. 22​ and will allow ‌developers to skip⁢ repetitive reviews that ‍are currently required⁤ under the California​ Environmental Quality Act ⁣(CEQA) while keeping California’s main environmental law intact, ⁣according to an ​Aug. 17 press release by Mr. Cortese’s office.

“SB 406 ‍cuts⁣ red tape without compromising on environmental protection. This bill will streamline permitting ⁣and speed up ⁢affordable housing production ‍for people with‍ the ⁤greatest need,” said Mr. Cortese.

Eliminating Repetitive Reviews for Affordable Housing Projects

According ‌to his ⁢office, SB 406 ⁤will eliminate ​a second⁤ environmental review ⁣that is usually required for​ local agencies that help fund affordable housing projects, so ⁣long ⁢as the project has its own ⁢review conducted by a public agency, to avoid​ repetition.

For example, in ​2016 Mr. Cortese—who was then a Santa Clara County Supervisor— championed Measure A, a voter-approved‌ 0 million bond to help create roughly‍ 4,800 units of affordable‍ housing, according to the press release.

Public agencies, like ⁢the county of Santa Clara,⁣ often provide low-interest⁢ loans for affordable housing, but⁢ when they do, ‍the assistance can trigger an additional environmental review under CEQA. SB 406 will now allow developers to⁢ seek an exemption from ⁢the second review.

“This financial assistance can trigger an evaluation under CEQA, in addition to the ⁢separate, independent CEQA review‌ conducted​ on the project itself,” the press release‍ says ⁢of the former process. “Implementing CEQA⁤ this way ‌is ineffective, repetitive, ‌and ‌ultimately‌ causes delays and increased expenses for urgently needed affordable housing.”

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