California Globe: On Monday, a bill that would have allowed multi-family duplexes to be built on land zoned for single family units failed at the last minute despite a rally and quick voting in the Assembly by Democrats.
SB 1120 and the overriding of local single-family housing laws
Senate Bill 1120, authored by Senate President Toni Atkins (D-San Diego), would have allowed the building of duplexes or two separate single family houses on single-family zoned land without local reviews or hearings if the rental price of units was affordable for people with moderate, low, and very low incomes. While there were a few other caveats, such as limiting demolition to current buildings for the addition of a duplex and not building in historical neighborhoods or areas, the bill would have largely overridden local laws across the state.
The bill would have also allowed land owners to split land in two, allowing up to four houses be built on land that originally had been zoned for one.
Senator Atkins had written the bill due to a massive affordable housing shortage in California as a way to increase housing and bring more affordable units into residential areas. She had also written SB 1120 in response to the failure of SB 50 earlier this year and other similar housing bills that had failed to pass either house.
“SB 1120 is a good way to help meet California’s affordable housing goals while respecting local flexibility,” said Senator Atkins in May. “SB 1120 makes small-scale infill development more achievable, and it helps build equity for individual homeowners, not large-scale corporations. SB 1120 also builds on our incredibly successful approach to Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), which has led to a quadrupling of applications for ADUs in most metropolitan areas since we changed the law for these units.”
“SB 1120 would have been a disaster for most neighborhoods”
The bill easily passed a Senate floor vote in June 39-0, but soon amendments over some of the wording popped up in subsequent months. Local concerns over the affects of SB 1120 also began compounding. Many resident groups in Los Angeles and the Bay Area called out that this could lead to gentrification of many neighborhoods. African-Americans groups specifically protested against the fact that this would undue decades of progress for black families to move into neighborhoods and undue redlining, with many affluent suburbs and cities also giving outcry over what it could mean for cities not designed to incorporate so much housing.
This means that massive multi family projects will be built in the thousands by May of 2021…this was a minor set back that will be corrected.
Under the current conditions, who would want to live in that state anyway?
Traffic will be wonderful; I don’t expect CA population to increase, but it will become denser in certain areas.
Should be called what it is, a multifamily multilingual duplex bill.
Even on days where living in Yuma feels like the surface of the sun, I have noticed an increase of U-HAUL truck with vehicles with Calif plates in tow. Wonder it that’s a sign of the times?
Don’t they have some abandoned tunnels from the rail system that was never finished?
Gee, I wonder why there is a shortage of “affordable housing” in Cali. It couldn’t possibly be caused by the overbearing regulations put in place by the commies, could it?
Here is a thought. If you want to have more affordable houses, cut regulation and taxes.