Bill > SB508

This bill amends the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) to provide a standardized approach for mitigating transportation impacts, specifically focusing on vehicle miles traveled (VMT). The bill allows project developers to mitigate significant transportation impacts by contributing to the Transit-Oriented Development Implementation Fund, which will support affordable housing and infrastructure projects. The contribution will be considered full and complete mitigation for the transportation impact, providing certainty and predictability in the environmental review process. The Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation will develop guidance by July 1, 2026, establishing a methodology for determining contribution amounts, defining location-efficient areas, and estimating potential vehicle miles traveled reductions. The bill prioritizes funding affordable housing projects first in the same region as the original project, then in adjacent regions, with a focus on projects near transit, jobs, and essential services. Additionally, the legislation aims to streamline the mitigation process, reduce project-by-project litigation, and promote more efficient and transparent environmental impact assessments. The bill emphasizes that this mitigation strategy is optional and does not prevent lead agencies from using other mitigation strategies like transportation demand management or active transportation infrastructure.

Budget and Finance, Business and Industry

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billStatusClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB508