What Is in Store for Housing Development in 2024

I have written extensively over the past several years regarding the efforts by the State Legislature and Governor to impose zoning laws on local government which made it easier to build housing, especially if it contained some affordable housing and included the ability to convert commercial properties to residential uses under certain circumstances.

It is still too early to know the impact of these various laws, especially with the residual impacts of COVID restrictions and the high interest rates which have stifled some development. However, that has not kept the State Legislature from exploring additional measures and local governments like the City of Santa Clarita proceed pro-actively on creating mixed use development which can keep them more in charge of their future.

In the Legislature there is a new Chair of the Assemblyman Housing Committee, Assemblyman Chris Ward, who is striving to bring conservation groups and proponents of more housing together. Assemblyman Ward is a former San Diego city councilmember. Last year he proposed AB 68 with the support of the Nature Conservancy and some housing groups to limit housing in environmentally sensitive and sever wildfire areas. These measures were combined with zoning urban and residential areas for denser development. While AB 68 failed in Committee last year, Assemblyman Ward is now the Committee chair and these types of proposals may have a more sympathetic treatment. However, the current anticipated state budget deficit of $78 billion will put funding for housing and climate policy at risk.

One of the methods to increase local housing has been for planning staff to declare that a development project, including housing, can use the CEQA exemption that it meets the critical of the local general plan which had previously had CEQA certification. A recent unanimous Court of Appeal decision overtured a County of San Diego decision which required further CEQA analysis. If this decision is either affirmed, or not overruled, by the Supreme Court some analysists have written that it could end the practice of project opponents being able to us CEQA to stop a project which conform with existing general plans. (Hilltop Group, Inc. v. County of Sand Diego 2/16/2024 D08124)

Locally in the City of Santa Clarita there are several development updates which should be of interest to you. The first is that the massive apartment plans for several properties in Newhall which were submitted in August 2023 under the state’s builders remedy law would not be going forward due to the fact that the applicant failed to follow up within six months which state law required. Since these pre applications the City’s new housing element has been approved by the State’s Housing and Community Development Department and so the builders remedy can no longer be used in Santa Clarita.

In addition, the City is finalizing its Town Center Specific Plan which encompasses the current mall, a portion of Town Center and the businesses and LA County properties to the east of the mall. The Draft EIR and the Specific Plan will be considered at the April 16 Planning Commission Meeting. One of the purposes of this Plan is to streamline the approval process for new residential, retail and commercial development as long as it fits within the provisions of the Specific Plan. It is currently anticipated that the Specific Plan will be considered by the City Council in June. The Draft EIR is on the City’s website and the specific plan should be released prior to the April 16 Planning Commission meeting. If adopted, this Specific Plan will keep the City in control of its land use destiny.