Bill > AB2433

This bill, titled the "Affordable Homes Bonus Program," aims to reform and rename California's existing "Density Bonus Law" to encourage the development of more affordable housing. Key provisions include renaming the program to the "Affordable Homes Bonus Program" and expanding the definitions of income categories to encompass lower, very low, and extremely low-income households within moderate-income definitions, and similarly for lower and very low-income households. The bill also modifies how the base density for calculating bonuses is determined, allowing for the use of a site's entire floor area ratio for residential use, and removes previous restrictions on where density bonuses could be applied within a development. It mandates that cities and counties adopt procedures and timelines for notifying applicants about their eligibility for bonuses and increases the number of incentives or concessions developers can receive for including affordable units. Furthermore, housing projects that meet certain criteria and are eligible for these bonuses will be considered "use by right" and subject to ministerial review, meaning they will bypass more extensive environmental reviews under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and require simpler, non-discretionary approval processes. The bill also clarifies that granting these bonuses, incentives, or waivers of development standards should not require discretionary approvals like general plan amendments or zoning changes, and mandates that meeting agendas discussing such projects clearly identify them as "affordable homes density project" or "density bonus project." Finally, the bill asserts its statewide concern, making it applicable to all cities, including charter cities, and declares that no reimbursement is required for local governments due to their ability to levy fees to cover any new costs.

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billStatusClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB2433