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July 20, 2016
Honorable Richard Bloom
Member, California State Assembly
State Capitol Building, Room 2003
Sacramento, CA 95 814
Via FAX: (916) 319-2150
RE: AB 2501 (Bloom) Housing: density bonuses. (as amended 4/5/2016)
Notice of Opposition
Dear Assembly Member Bloom:
The City of San Luis Obispo is opposed to your AB 2501, which would require a
city to take action on a density bonus within 60 days of finding the application complete,
as well as making other significant changes to existing density bonus law.
In addition to imposing unrealistic timelines, this bill contains provisions that
would limit the ability of a city to interpret its own development standards and diminish
the role of planning commissions. The bill would also limit a city's ability to reduce
development standards without waiving them, as well as prohibit cities from providing
public notice or holding a public hearing on density bonus applications, which are
normally made in conjunction with land -use applications that do require public hearings.
Further, this bill would allow developers to determine whether project modifications result
in costs reductions, rather than the city.
Our City Council has defined housing development as a Major City Goal and is
committed to the development of quality, affordable housing in our community. However,
our City is also defined by its highly engaged public review processes that have yielded the
unique character and quality of life in which our community has made tremendous
investments and in which our Council and residents are deeply vested. Maintaining strong
public engagement has resulted in the development of quality affordable housing projects
that reflect the values of our community. This bill proposes to usurp the local control and
circumvent the community input that results in quality projects embraced by local
communities and, instead, creates a dynamic of state imposition that results in local
resistance to affordable housing projects counter to the objectives of the bill.
For these reasons, the City of San Luis Obispo opposes AB 2501.
Sincerely,
jan Marx
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Mayor
cc: City Council
Community Development Director
Senator Bill Monning, fax 916-445-8081
Assembly Member Katcho Achadj ian, fax 916-319-2135
Lisa Engel, Chief Consultant, Assembly Mousing and Community
Development Committee, fax: (916) 319-3182
David Mullinax, League of California Cities, ii i accs
Meg Desmond, League of California Cities, mdes',eacities.org