Bill > AB2676

This bill, the Housing Crisis Act of 2019, expands existing protections against local government actions that hinder housing development by prohibiting such policies within a city's "sphere of influence," which refers to the area a city expects to grow into. It clarifies that a "moratorium or similar restriction or limitation on housing development" now includes situations where voters use their referendum power to extend existing housing development bans. The bill also requires that any initiative or referendum imposing such a moratorium must be approved by the Department of Housing and Community Development before it can be enforced, and if denied, it becomes void. Furthermore, the definition of "reducing the intensity of land use" is broadened to encompass any action that decreases a site's capacity for residential development, including changes to height, density, floor area ratio, or new requirements for open space, lot size, setbacks, frontage, or lot coverage. Importantly, the bill applies these provisions retroactively to any pending legal actions and clarifies that these changes address a statewide concern, thus applying to all cities, including charter cities.

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billStatusClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB2676