Local planning: housing element: inventory of land for residential development.

Existing law, the Planning and Zoning Law, requires a city or county to adopt a comprehensive, long-term general plan for the physical development of the city or the county and of any land outside its boundaries that bears relation to its planning. That law requires the general plan to contain specified mandatory elements, including a housing element. Existing law requires the housing element to contain an inventory of land suitable for residential development, as defined, and requires that inventory to be used to identify sites that can be developed for housing within the planning period and that are sufficient to provide for the jurisdiction's share of the regional housing need for all income levels. This bill would revise the definition of land suitable for residential development to include the airspace above sites owned or leased by a city, county, or city and county. By imposing new duties upon local agencies with respect to the housing element of the general plan, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would require the department to provide guidance to local governments to properly survey, detail, and account for sites listed within the local governments inventory of land suitable for residential development. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.