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Lots of folks agree that California has an affordable housing problem. That’s why in 1979 the state passed a density-bonus law that allows private developers to build more housing, bypassing certain restrictions set by cities on building heights and parking guidelines if they agree to include affordable units in the project.
The city of Encinitas and its residents don’t think the density-bonus law does what it’s supposed to do. The city recently passed policies limiting its use, a move that prompted lawsuits against the city.
The city is lagging in keeping up with state affordable housing mandates. City planning documents reveal that the city needs to build more than 1,000 low-income units but has built just 53 since 2008.
In this week’s San Diego Explained, VOSD’s Maya Srikrishnan details the city of Encinitas’ pushback against the state affordable housing law.