TITLE
Recommendation to consider amendments to, and a potential State legislative position on, SB 827 (Wiener), legislation to increase housing density along high-quality transit corridors and at major transit stops, and forward the State Legislation Committee's recommendation to the City Council for adoption.
DISCUSSION
In the State of California, 121 of its 478 cities are charter cities. These cities operate under their own city charters, allowing for more local control than general law cities. One of the many distinctions a charter city enjoys is greater control over zoning regulations.
The City of Long Beach is currently in the process of updating the General Plan, including the Land Use Element and Urban Design Element. The Land Use Element is the document which provides an overall framework for what a parcel of land can be used for, and the maximum size of the buildings that can be built that parcel.
The current proposal of the General Plan's Land Use Element allows for increased housing units in the City of Long Beach, in the locations and manner which have been guided by the Long Beach Planning Commission, Long Beach Development Services, and the residents of Long Beach. These locations, including their size limitations, have been arrived at following a long process of community feedback and communication with thousands of residents.
The Land Use Element guides the locations and sizes of potential residential development, but does not guide the affordability of the development as it is not the appropriate document for such; the General Plan's Housing Element, adopted in 2014, addresses the City's low-income and affordable housing needs.
In Senate Bill 827, the State of California is looking to set statewide planning and zoning guidelines. This bill would exempt certain housing projects from many aspects of local zoning requirements, including: maximum controls on residential density or floor area ratio, minimum parking requirements, maximum heig...
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