Planning and zoning: housing development: streamlined approval.

Existing law, until January 1, 2026, authorizes a development proponent to submit an application for a multifamily housing development, which satisfies specified objective planning standards, that is subject to a streamlined, ministerial approval process, as provided, and not subject to a conditional use permit. Under existing law, those objective planning standards include that the development proponent must certify both (1) that the development is either a public work, for purposes of specified law, or that all construction workers employed in the execution of the development will be paid at least the general prevailing rate of per diem wages for the type of work and geographic area and (2) that if the development meets certain conditions, a skilled and trained workforce, as defined, will be used to complete the development if the application is approved, as provided. Existing law exempts from any requirement to pay prevailing wages or use a skilled and trained workforce a project that includes 10 or fewer units and is not a public work. This bill would delete the requirement that a skilled and trained workforce be employed on any project subject to these provisions. The bill would also limit the requirement that prevailing wages be paid on a development that is not a public work to work on market rate units within the development and revise the exemption from this requirement to instead require that the project either: (1) include 10 or fewer units and be a wholly affordable project or (2) not be a public work. The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requires a lead agency, as defined, to prepare, or cause to be prepared, and certify the completion of, an environmental impact report on a project that it proposes to carry out or approve that may have a significant effect on the environment or to adopt a negative declaration if it finds that the project will not have that effect. CEQA does not apply to the ministerial approval of projects. This bill, by expanding the scope of developments eligible for streamlined, ministerial approval, as described above, would expand the exemption for the ministerial approval of projects under CEQA.