By Brian Johnson
2021 President
Santa Barbara Association of Realtors
There is a bill working its way through the legislative process in California that could make it easier to add new housing units to our supply desperate market. SB 10 is an effort to allow cities to rezone transit accessible parcels for small housing projects (up to 10 units) without the expensive and time-consuming studies required under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) if the property is an area that has good access to public transportation. Often builders are stymied for years through frivolous CEQA challenges from groups looking to restrict new housing. These types of NIMBY efforts are usually couched in terms of protecting environmentally sensitive issues but no proof is required in order to file a CEQA challenge and most challenges end up being dismissed once they finally work their way through the system. In the meantime, residents continue to suffer from a lack of housing supply.
This bill would not mandate that cities have to approve these projects. It gives the power to the cities to work with applicants and to decide if the project fits the profile to be exempted from the CEQA required studies. There are already a host of exemptions for pro-environmental activities. SB 10 looks to continue this by focusing on housing in areas that are already close to transit and jobs. This would have the effect of reducing the impact on California’s environment by reducing the need for cars and supporting public transportation.