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A newly introduced bill from Assemblymember Richard Bloom (AB 3107) will open commercial land in developed areas to affordable housing—a key element of a state strategy to increase production for all income levels

Sacramento, CA — Days after Governor Newsom said the time has come to “tackle the underproduction of affordable housing in California,” Assemblymember Richard Bloom (D- Santa Monica) has introduced a new bill, AB 3107, that will increase the amount of land in developed areas that can be used to build affordable housing by making housing an allowable use on sites zoned for commercial purposes. Only developments where at least 20% of the units are affordable to lower-income households would be able to take advantage of the new legislation.

The bill is co-sponsored by the California Housing Consortium (CHC) and Southern California Association of Nonprofit Housing (SCANPH). A fact sheet on the bill can be found here.

“Housing affordability is at the forefront of everyone’s minds in the Capitol and in our districts,” says bill author Assemblymember Richard Bloom. “We have fallen far short of producing sufficient affordable housing, in part due to high fees and complex development rules—and in part because it is difficult to find quality sites to build on. Those who suffer most are Californians who can’t afford to live in their communities and are being pushed out of the state or onto the streets. This bill will help, by spurring housing production where we need it most—bringing people closer to transit, businesses, and jobs. This is one simple step in the right direction to providing safe, affordable housing to all.”

Commercial corridors are often ideal areas to build affordable housing because they are close to amenities like grocery stores and near public transportation. Several jurisdictions across the state already allow residential development in commercial areas: Los Angeles’s Transit Oriented Communities Incentive Program, for example, has been successful at unlocking housing development potential in commercially zoned areas located near transit.

By applying this approach statewide, AB 3107 can substantially increase the number of homes available to lower-income residents and allow the development of critically needed housing in commercial corridors, near transit and job centers.

“With our state facing a shortage of 1.4 million affordable homes, Governor Newsom has made it clear that the time has come to replace California’s scattershot approach to housing and homelessness with a ‘coordinated, crisis-level response,’” says Ray Pearl, Executive Director of the California Housing Consortium. “We couldn’t agree more, and we believe this bill is a critical element of a statewide strategy to boost housing production. We thank Assemblymember Bloom for his leadership—and for promoting new ideas for increasing access to the affordable housing Californians desperately need.”

“We are proud to co-sponsor this bill to address something our members know all too well: Production is hampered by inconsistent and overly burdensome zoning,” says Alan Greenlee, executive director of Southern California Association of Nonprofit Housing (SCANPH). “We’ve seen this bill’s approach prove successful in Los Angeles and around the nation, and the time has come to apply it across California to open up many more areas for affordable housing.”

For more information on AB 3107, please see the bill fact sheet.