California State Senate Bill No. 35 was signed by Governor Jerry Brown in late September and will take effect starting January 1, 2018. The bill will require cities lacking adequate housing inventory to streamline permitting and review processes, so long as developments comply with local zoning and mandates on affordable housing. That affordable housing benchmark is set at 10 percent statewide, but can be (and is higher) in some cities. 

Effectively, the bill pushes cities to approve all apartment and condo redevelopments, as long as those guidelines are met. Minimum parking guidelines — currently a major holdup in Los Angeles — will be waived as well.

But as the Real Deal notes, this potential boon to builders could still have some hoops to jump through; specifically around building height ordinances and additional zoning laws for single-family homes versus condo and apartment complexes.

California’s housing crisis is clear statewide. Between ballooning costs in LA and the Bay Area, and the red tape for developers in other cities too, a measure like Senate Bill No. 35 was a must.

Of course, that includes the hope that it’s effective, however. Developers will start to see firsthand in January.