Land Use and Planning

Glendora plans to convert an assisted living facility into either permanent low-income housing or a mix of transitional and permanent housing. The city, which has spent $5 million thus far, needs to raise another $40-$50 million to make it a reality. 

Most neighborhoods used to have a mix of single-family homes and houses with multiple units. But today, many cities struggle to provide that same level of choice. Daniel Parolek says that’s because the systems needed to deliver those choices have disappeared.

La Mesa has made climate action attractive for residents and developers alike. “La Mesa is a small city and not a wealthy city,” says one local climate activist. “Yet the city has gotten so much done, from adapting clean energy, reducing solid organic waste, and passing transportation measures to cut our carbon emissions.”  

Santa Ana has developed more affordable housing than any other city in Orange County. In fact, it’s on track to exceed its state-mandated housing goals for the second cycle in a row. But its most ambitious development is slated to open over the next decade.  

AB 1633 (Ting) does not amend the California Environmental Quality Act. Instead, it clarifies that withholding approval of a housing development that otherwise meets the state’s environmental review law could be a violation of the Housing Accountability Act.

Approximately 4,000 affordable housing units in Southern California’s Gateway region have stalled due to funding shortfalls. A group of cities has formed an affordable housing trust fund, which they hope can close funding gaps — especially in small, under-resourced communities.

Seven in ten Californians view housing affordability as one of the top problems in their community. City officials understand this and are working hard to find solutions that ensure families of all income levels can afford to live in their communities.

A lack of buildable terrain, funding, and skilled labor, as well as the threat of wildfires, makes building affordable, multifamily housing difficult in California’s rural, mountainous communities. Until 2023, Nevada City’s last large, multifamily development was built in 2001. Before that, the 1980s. So, what changed? 

The supply and affordability of housing is one of California’s most persistent, high-profile issues. Cities are actively planning, zoning, and approving millions of new homes, but even in the highest-producing cities, there is still an acute lack of housing. This begs a figurative, and increasingly literal, million-dollar question: Why?