COVID concerns a big challenge for housing proposals
Potential for smaller legislative fixes aimed at aiding development
Amid recent legislative defeats and pandemic restraints, housing advocates have lowered expectations for state lawmakers to enact sweeping reforms to boost development and knock back California’s housing shortage.
Instead, advocates expect small legislative fixes: streamlined conversions of empty strip malls and abandoned big-box stores turned into affordable homes and apartments. Easy approval of homeowners’ plans to cut big suburban lots in half and develop
by the pandemic and intrafailed to advance this year: ing their headquarters out It turned out to be a year of for the homeless populaparty political disputes. allowing taller apartment of Silicon Valley. “This is near misses and an emertion, he said.
“T he theme hea ded buildings around transit, a deeply resilient region,” gency pivot to manage the But Livable California into 2021 is, ‘Let’s try this quicker redevelopment of Wiener said. “But we have spiraling health crisis. Wieplans to fight efforts to alone more time,’ ” said Davacant big-box stores, and to get our housing act toner’s unsuccessful effort, SB low apartment buildings new homes on their propvid Garcia, policy director easing of environmental regether.” 50, would have overhauled in established residential erties. Allowing small mulat the UC Berkeley Terner views on certain projects. Another key measure for local zoning, encouraged neighborhoods. “It’s a bait tiplexes to pop up in Bay Center for Housing InnoSen. Scott Wiener, D-San the Bay Area is SB 7, an exdense housing around rail and switch to those who Area neighborhoods now vation. Francisco, expects lawmaktension of a streamlined and bus lines, diminished bought in a single-family populated by single-famDemocratic leaders in ers to be able to address process for environmental local control over develophome neighborhood,” said ily homes. the Senate and Assembly the housing shortage while review of large projects. Miment and cut red tape. Gurnee, a retired city plan
But housing experts sayner.sayaddressingthestate’smanagingthelegislativechaelLane,SanJosedirec-Lawmakersendedup the new legislative session, high housing costs and logistics and demands imtor of the regional think passing an eleventh-hour rian Hanlon, CEO of with lawmakers due to reits shortage of homes and posed by the pandemic. “I tank SPUR, said the meaeviction moratorium to the pro-housing California convene Jan. 11, will lack apartments, estimated to don’t think it changes anysure could speed the conkeep roofs over the heads of YIMBY, said the increase in big plans for a grand overbe at least 1.8 million units, thing about our profound struction of complex demillions of struggling Calwildfires will also influence haul of development rules remains a priority. Findhousing needs,” said Wievelopments like Google’s ifornians. housing policy debates this that were defeated last sesing shelter for the growing ner, author of several proproposed Downtown West The new proposals for year. Lawmakers should ension. homeless population is also housing bills and chair of in San Jose. City leaders 2021 could have a loncourage more development
New proposals, including high on the agenda. the housing committee. pleaded in September for ger-lasting impact on the in urban areas, creating a an initial slate of six bills T he threat of wideWiener is bringing back lawmakers to convene a state’s housing crisis. smaller environmental imsubmitted by Senate leadspread evictions early next a proposal that would make special session to pass the Keith Gurnee, board pact and less fire risk. ers this month, would make year due to pandemic-reit easier for cities to rezone measure to keep the masmember of the slow-growth The package of bills preit easier to build homes and lated job losses has pushed for small apartment comsive project on track. Livable California, sees the sented is solid, he said, smaller apartments, and to Assembly member David plexes near job centers and Last year, housing advonew measures as a mix of though not on the scale of subdivide large residential Chiu, D- San Francisco, to transit lines, or in existing cates’ expectations soared good, bad and ugly. The previous years. “The houslots into two parcels. Many quickly introduce a bill to urban centers. with a slate of ambitious group favors efforts to reing crisis is still here,” Hanof the bills are reintroducextend the state’s eviction Lawmakers will also bills and the backing of develop fading commercial lon said, “regardless of the tions of measures that won moratorium through the have to acknowledge that Gov. Gavin Newsom. sites with new homes and pandemic.” support during the last sesend of 2021. soaring housing costs have Newsom and top lawapartments. It also wants sion, but got stalled in a legThe new slate of senate played a role in companies makers billed 2020 as the more funding for low-inislative calendar shortened bills includes proposals that like Oracle and HPE mov- year of housing production. come housing and shelter