Planning and zoning: affordable housing: single application.

The Planning and Zoning Law requires a city or county to adopt a general plan for land use development within its boundaries that includes, among other things, a housing element. Existing law provides for various reforms and incentives intended to facilitate and expedite the construction of affordable housing. Existing law requires the Department of Housing and Community Development, in consultation with each council of governments, to determine existing and projected needs for housing for each region and requires each council of governments or, for cities and counties without a council of governments, the department to adopt a final regional housing need plan that allocates a share of the regional housing need to each city, county, or city and county and is consistent with specified objectives. This bill would establish in each city, county, and city and county in the state an affordable housing zoning board and procedures by which a public agency or nonprofit organization proposing to build affordable housing units, as defined, or a developer proposing to build a housing project that meets specified affordability criteria, could submit to that board a single application for a comprehensive conditional use or other discretionary permit. The bill would require the board to conduct a public hearing, as provided, and issue a decision approving, approving with conditions, or denying the application and to issue a comprehensive permit if the application is approved or approved with conditions. The bill would require the board to consider the general plan and zoning ordinances of the affected local agency, the share of the regional housing needs of the affected local agency, whether the applicant has made specified certifications relating to the payment of prevailing wages and employment of a skilled and trained workforce, as provided, on the affordable housing units or housing project development, documents or other evidence presented at the hearing, and the recommendations of experts or consultants, if any, retained by the board. The bill would provide that the comprehensive permit would have the same force and effect as a conditional use or other discretionary permit issued by an affected local agency, but would prohibit the board from abrogating a provision of the general plan or zoning ordinances of the affected local agency except to grant a density bonus, as provided. The bill would make findings that encouraging and streamlining the development of affordable housing throughout the state is a matter of vital statewide concern and declare that its provisions would apply to all cities and counties, including charter cities. By imposing new duties on local agencies with respect to the issuance of comprehensive permits for affordable housing developments, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. 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, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.