A law ending single-family-home-only zoning in California was ruled unconstitutional by a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge.
The decision could lead to the law being invalidated in the state’s largest cities. The case stemmed from a lawsuit by five Southern California cities—Redondo Beach, Carson, Torrance, Whittier, and Del Mar —that contested SB 9. If the judge’s ruling is appealed and upheld, it would impact 121 “charter cities” including Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Francisco.
The judge’s decision cited the law’s failure to mandate that any units constructed under SB 9 had to be set aside for low-income residents despite its stated intent for increasing access to “affordable housing,” a term that refers explicitly to housing restricted for low-income residents.
California lawmakers may rewrite the law to include a low-income housing mandate. To date, SB 9 has not led to significantly more housing construction, especially compared to a series of laws that have led to a notable increase in new ADUs.
Related Stories
University Buildings | May 30, 2015
Texas senate approves $3 billion in bonds for university construction
For the first time in nearly a decade, Texas universities could soon have some state money for construction.
Multifamily Housing | May 30, 2015
Energy Department releases resources to assess building energy benchmarking policies, programs
The new handbook demonstrates methodologies using real data from New York City.
Codes and Standards | May 27, 2015
Construction industry concerns with ‘Waters of the U.S.’ rule remain
EPA and Corps of Engineers rule may lead to a longer, more expensive permitting process
Codes and Standards | May 22, 2015
Rapid growth for environmental insurance in construction industry
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is paying closer attention to intrusion of potentially harmful vapors into commercial and residential buildings.
Codes and Standards | May 22, 2015
Roof collapse at Minnesota water park highlights failure to enforce codes
Rural areas say they can’t afford to enforce state-adopted building code.
Codes and Standards | May 22, 2015
U.S. House scuttles EPA plan to expand definition of waters in Clean Water Act
Construction industry officials said the rule would hamper developers, cost jobs.
Codes and Standards | May 22, 2015
First EPD covering PVC water and wastewater piping published
Benchmarks impacts of seven PVC pipe products across their life cycles.
Office Buildings | May 18, 2015
New ASHRAE standard offers test method to determine heat gain of office equipment
The standard will aid engineers in configuring cooling systems in office buildings.
Codes and Standards | May 7, 2015
Widespread damage from Nepal earthquake due to poor implementation of building code
Nepal’s code author says destruction was ‘inevitable.’
Codes and Standards | May 7, 2015
Lavish residential skyscrapers prompt concern over shadows
New York, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and Boston among cities grappling with height regulations.
