65913-65914
GOVERNMENT CODE
SECTION 65913-65914
65913. (a) The Legislature finds and declares that there exists a severe shortage of affordable housing, especially for persons and families of low and moderate income, and that there is an immediate need to encourage the development of new housing, not only through the provision of financial assistance, but also through changes in law designed to do all of the following: (1) Expedite the local and state residential development process. (2) Assure that local governments zone sufficient land at densities high enough for production of affordable housing. (3) Assure that local governments make a diligent effort through the administration of land use and development controls and the provision of regulatory concessions and incentives to significantly reduce housing development costs and thereby facilitate the development of affordable housing, including housing for elderly persons and families, as defined by Section 50067 of the Health and Safety Code. These changes in the law are consistent with the responsibility of local government to adopt the program required by subdivision (c) of Section 65583. (b) The Legislature further finds and declares that the costs of new housing developments have been increased, in part, by the existing permit process and by existing land use regulations and that vitally needed housing developments have been halted or rendered infeasible despite the benefits to the public health, safety, and welfare of those developments and despite the absence of adverse environmental impacts. It is, therefore, necessary to enact this chapter and to amend existing statutes which govern housing development so as to provide greater encouragement for local and state governments to approve needed and sound housing developments. 65913.1. (a) In exercising its authority to zone for land uses and in revising its housing element pursuant to Article 10.6 (commencing with Section 65580) of Chapter 3, a city, county, or city and county shall designate and zone sufficient vacant land for residential use with appropriate standards, in relation to zoning for nonresidential use, and in relation to growth projections of the general plan to meet housing needs for all income categories as identified in the housing element of the general plan. For the purposes of this section: (1) "Appropriate standards" means densities and requirements with respect to minimum floor areas, building setbacks, rear and side yards, parking, the percentage of a lot that may be occupied by a structure, amenities, and other requirements imposed on residential lots pursuant to the zoning authority which contribute significantly to the economic feasibility of producing housing at the lowest possible cost given economic and environmental factors, the public health and safety, and the need to facilitate the development of housing affordable to persons and families of low or moderate income, as defined in Section 50093 of the Health and Safety Code, and to persons and families of lower income, as defined in Section 50079.5 of the Health and Safety Code. However, nothing in this section shall be construed to enlarge or diminish the authority of a city, county, or city and county to require a developer to construct this housing. (2) "Vacant land" does not include agricultural preserves pursuant to Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 51200) of Part 1 of Division 1 of Title 5. (b) Nothing in this section shall be construed to require a city, county, or city and county in which less than 5 percent of the total land area is undeveloped to zone a site within an urbanized area of that city, county, or city and county for residential uses at densities that exceed those on adjoining residential parcels by 100 percent. For the purposes of this section, "urbanized area" means a central city or cities and surrounding closely settled territory, as defined by the United States Department of Commerce Bureau of the Census in the Federal Register, Volume 39, Number 85, for Wednesday, May 1, 1974, at pages 15202-15203, and as periodically updated. 65913.2. In exercising its authority to regulate subdivisions under Division 2 (commencing with Section 66410), a city, county, or city and county shall: (a) Refrain from imposing criteria for design, as defined in Section 66418, or improvements, as defined in Section 66419, for the purpose of rendering infeasible the development of housing for any and all economic segments of the community. However, nothing in this section shall be construed to enlarge or diminish the authority of a city, county, or city and county under other provisions of law to permit a developer to construct such housing. (b) Consider the effect of ordinances adopted and actions taken by it with respect to the housing needs of the region in which the local jurisdiction is situated. (c) Refrain from imposing standards and criteria for public improvements including, but not limited to, streets, sewers, fire stations, schools, or parks, which exceed the standards and criteria being applied by the city, county, or city and county at that time to its publicly financed improvements located in similarly zoned districts within that city, county, or city and county. 65913.7. If a court finds that an action of a city, county, or city and county is in violation of Section 65913.1 or 65913.2, the city, county, or city and county shall bring its action into compliance within 60 days. However, the court shall retain jurisdiction to enforce its decision. Upon the court's determination that the 60-day period for compliance would place an undue hardship on the city, county, or city and county, the court may extend the time period for compliance by an additional 60 days. 65913.8. A fee, charge, or other form of payment imposed by a governing body of a local agency for a public capital facility improvement related to a development project may not include an amount for the maintenance or operation of an improvement when the fee, charge, or other form of payment is required as a condition of the approval of a development project, or required to fulfill a condition of the approval. However, a fee, charge, or other form of payment may be required for the maintenance and operation of an improvement meeting the criteria of either subdivision (a) or (b), as follows: (a) The improvement is (1) designed and installed to serve only the specific development project on which the fee, charge, or other form of payment is imposed, (2) the improvement serves 19 or fewer lots or units, and (3) the local agency makes a finding, based upon substantial evidence, that it is infeasible or impractical to form a public entity for maintenance of the improvement or to annex the property served by the improvement to an entity as described in subdivision (b). (b) The improvement is within a water district, sewer maintenance district, street lighting district, or drainage district. In these circumstances, a payment for maintenance or operation may be required for a period not to exceed 24 months when, subsequent to the construction of the improvement, either the local agency forms a public entity or assessment district to finance the maintenance or operation, or the area containing the improvement is annexed to a public entity that will finance the maintenance or operation, whichever is earlier. The local agency may extend a fee, charge, or other form of payment pursuant to this section once for whatever duration it deems reasonable beyond the 24-month period upon making a finding, based upon substantial evidence, that this time period is insufficient for creation of, or annexation to, a public entity or an assessment district that would finance the maintenance or operation. As used in this section, "development project" and "local agency" have the same meaning as provided in subdivisions (a) and (c) of Section 66000. 65913.9. This chapter shall apply to all cities, including charter cities, counties, and cities and counties. The Legislature finds and declares that the development of a sufficient supply of housing to meet the needs of all Californians is a matter of statewide concern. 65914. (a) In any civil action or proceeding, including, but not limited to, an action brought pursuant to Section 21167 of the Public Resources Code, against a public entity that has issued planning, subdivision, or other approvals for a housing development, to enjoin the carrying out or approval of a housing development or to secure a writ of mandate relative to the approval of, or a decision to carry out the housing development, the court, after entry of final judgment and the time to appeal has elapsed, and after notice to the plaintiff or plaintiffs, may award all reasonably incurred costs of suit, including attorney's fees, to the prevailing public entity or nonprofit housing corporation that is the real party in interest and the permit applicant of the low- and moderate-income housing if it finds all of the following: (1) The housing development meets or exceeds the requirements for low- and moderate-income housing as set forth in Section 65915. (2) The action was frivolous and undertaken with the primary purpose of delaying or thwarting the low- or moderate-income nature of the housing development or portions thereof. (3) The public entity or nonprofit housing corporation that is the real party in interest and the permit applicant of the low- and moderate-income housing making application for costs under this section has prevailed on all issues presented by the pleadings and the public entity or nonprofit housing corporation that is the real party in interest and the permit applicant of the low- and moderate-income housing actively, through counsel or otherwise, took part on a continuing basis in the defense of the lawsuit. (4) A demand for a preliminary injunction was made by the plaintiff and denied by a court of competent jurisdiction, or the action or proceeding was dismissed as a result of a motion for summary judgment by any defendant, and the denial or dismissal was not reversed on appeal. (b) In any appeal of any action described in subdivision (a), the reviewing court may award all reasonably incurred costs of suit, including attorney's fees, to the prevailing public entity or nonprofit housing corporation that is the real party in interest and the permit applicant of the low- and moderate-income housing if the court reviews and upholds the trial court's findings with respect to paragraphs (1) to (4), inclusive, of subdivision (a). (c) Nothing in this section shall be construed to limit the application of any other remedies or rights provided under law.