CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2023–2024 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill
No. 2243


Introduced by Assembly Member Wicks

February 08, 2024


An act to amend Section 65912.121 of the Government Code, relating to housing.


LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


AB 2243, as introduced, Wicks. Affordable housing developments.
Existing law, the Affordable Housing and High Road Jobs Act of 2022, until January 1, 2033, establishes a streamlined development process for affordable housing developments that meet specified objective standards, affordability, and site criteria. Existing law, with respect to mixed-income housing developments along commercial corridors, prohibits a development project from being subject to the streamlined, ministerial review process unless it meets all of specified criteria, including being located in a zone where office, retail, or parking are principally permitted uses.
This bill would make nonsubstantive changes to those provisions.
Vote: MAJORITY   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: NO   Local Program: NO  

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:


SECTION 1.

 Section 65912.121 of the Government Code is amended to read:

65912.121.
 A development project shall not be subject to the streamlined, ministerial review process provided by Section 65912.124 unless the development project is on a site that satisfies all of the following criteria:
(a) It is located within a zone where office, retail, or parking are principally permitted use.
(b) It is located on a legal parcel or parcels parcel, or parcels, that meet either of the following:
(1) It is within a city where the city boundaries include some portion of either an urbanized area or urban cluster, as designated by the United States Census Bureau.
(2) It is in an unincorporated area, and the legal parcel or parcels parcel, or parcels, are wholly within the boundaries of an urbanized area or urban cluster, as designated by the United States Census Bureau.
(c) The project site abuts a commercial corridor and has a frontage along the commercial corridor of a minimum of 50 feet.
(d) The site is not greater than 20 acres.
(e) At least 75 percent of the perimeter of the site adjoins parcels that are developed with urban uses. For purposes of this subdivision, parcels that are only separated by a street or highway shall be considered to be adjoined.
(f) (1) It is not on a site or adjoined to any site where more than one-third of the square footage on the site is dedicated to industrial use.
(2) For purposes of this subdivision, parcels only separated by a street or highway shall be considered to be adjoined.
(3) For purposes of this subdivision, “dedicated to industrial use” means any of the following:
(A) The square footage is currently being used as an industrial use.
(B) The most recently permitted use of the square footage is an industrial use.
(C) The site was designated for industrial use in the latest version of a local government’s general plan adopted before January 1, 2022.
(g) It satisfies the requirements specified in subparagraphs (B) to (K), inclusive, of paragraph (6) of subdivision (a) of Section 65913.4.
(h) The development is not located on a site where any of the following apply:
(1) The development would require the demolition of the following types of housing:
(A) Housing that is subject to a recorded covenant, ordinance, or law that restricts rents to levels affordable to persons and families of moderate, low, or very low income.
(B) Housing that is subject to any form of rent or price control through a public entity’s valid exercise of its police power.
(C) Housing that has been occupied by tenants within the past 10 years, excluding any manager’s units.
(2) The site was previously used for permanent housing that was occupied by tenants, excluding any manager’s units, that was demolished within 10 years before the development proponent submits an application under this article.
(3) The development would require the demolition of a historic structure that was placed on a national, state, or local historic register.
(4) The property contains one to four dwelling units.
(5) The property is vacant and zoned for housing but not for multifamily residential use.
(6) The existing parcel of land or site is governed under the Mobilehome Residency Law (Chapter 2.5 (commencing with Section 798) of Title 2 of Part 2 of Division 2 of the Civil Code), the Recreational Vehicle Park Occupancy Law (Chapter 2.6 (commencing with Section 799.20) of Title 2 of Part 2 of Division 2 of the Civil Code), the Mobilehome Parks Act (Part 2.1 (commencing with Section 18200) of Division 13 of the Health and Safety Code), or the Special Occupancy Parks Act (Part 2.3 (commencing with Section 18860) of Division 13 of the Health and Safety Code).
(i) For a site within a neighborhood plan area, the site satisfies either of the following conditions:
(1) As of January 1, 2022, there was a neighborhood plan applicable to the site that permitted multifamily housing development on the site.
(2) As of January 1, 2024, there was a neighborhood plan applicable to the site that permitted multifamily housing development on the site and all of the following occurred:
(A) A notice of preparation for the neighborhood plan was issued before January 1, 2022, pursuant to the requirements of Sections 21080.4 and 21092 of the Public Resources Code.
(B) The neighborhood plan was adopted on or after January 1, 2022, and before January 1, 2024.
(C) The environmental review for the neighborhood plan was completed before January 1, 2024.
(j) For a vacant site, the site satisfies both of the following:
(1) It does not contain tribal cultural resources, as defined by Section 21074 of the Public Resources Code, that could be affected by the development that were found pursuant to a consultation as described by Section 21080.3.1 of the Public Resources Code and the effects of which cannot be mitigated pursuant to the process described in Section 21080.3.2 of the Public Resources Code.
(2) It is not within a very high fire hazard severity zone, as indicated on maps adopted by the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection pursuant to Section 4202 of the Public Resources Code or as designated pursuant to subdivisions (a) and (b) of Section 51179.