California Department of Housing and Community Development

Silicon Valley

New Plans for Palo Alto: Updated Zoning and 6,000 Housing Units

The city of Palo Alto, a city central to the geographic and economic might of Silicon Valley, is planning a significant overhaul to its plans for the future, making space for over 6,000 new housing units in the next eight years.

July 18, 2023 - Palo Alto Weekly

San Francisco Residential Neighborhoods

San Francisco Plans for 82,000 New Housing Units

California housing regulators have granted preliminary approval for the city of San Francisco’s housing element as mandated by the state’s Regional Housing Needs Allocation process.

January 24, 2023 - San Francisco Chronicle

Santa Monica Bay

How the 'Builder's Remedy' Is Disrupting Planning and Development in California

The state of California has long looked the other way while cities blocked growth. With the state now enforcing growth plans, more and more cities are faced with losing local control of zoning. Introducing the “Builder's Remedy."

October 25, 2022 - Los Angeles Times

Central Los Angeles

L.A.'s Housing Element, Considered Among California's Most Ambitious, Rejected by State Regulators

The California Housing Department gave credit to Los Angeles for targeting so much growth before telling the city it needed to do more.

February 25, 2022 - Los Angeles Times

Banc of California Stadium

Sports Stadiums as a Battleground for Affordable Housing

Thanks to new enforcement powers, California's Department of Housing and Community Development can now cite cities for failing to meet affordable housing requirements in stadium redevelopment projects.

September 13, 2021 - CALmatters

City by the Bay

State Audit Faults California's Affordable Housing Development Processes

The California State Auditor's office is proposing an overhaul of the state's approach to affordable housing development, citing the cost burdens of the housing market as proof of the necessity for change.

November 18, 2020 - Auditor of the State of California

Pacific Coast

Housing Litigation by California Attorney General Yields Results

A landmark state lawsuit will be settled if the Huntington Beach City Council approves an amended specific plan that increases housing. The lawsuit was enabled by 2017 legislation strengthening California's 50-year-old housing element law.

January 27, 2020 - Los Angeles Daily News

California

Torrent of Pro-Housing Policies Could Overwhelm California's Planners

Ben Metcalf recently stepped down as director of the California Department of Housing and Community Development. His tenure coincided with adoption of aggressive new statewide policies. But are they too much of a good thing?

November 10, 2019 - California Planning & Development Report

Surplus State-Owned Land

Where State-Owned Properties Could Make Way for Affordable Housing in California

A recently published mapping project is the first step toward California leveraging some of it surplus land for the purposes of developing affordable housing.

August 30, 2019 - California Department of General Services

Housing Construction

Report: Impact Fees Add 18 Percent to the Cost of Housing in California

Development impact fees in California triple the national average. A bill in the State Legislature would reform the state's development fees, as one measure in an effort to build more housing in the state.

August 11, 2019 - The Mercury News

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