Proposals for November's ballot seek to accelerate housing construction and restrict project rejections by Council members. The Charter Revision Commission report identifies two issues the charter cannot address: complex permitting processes and the state's environmental review. A report revealed that median timelines for environmental reviews reached nearly two years. A program exists to exempt modest projects from some reviews, but results have been limited. Additional changes, particularly concerning larger affordable projects, require state intervention, highlighted by a proposed bill that stalled in the Assembly.
Voters in November will consider a number of changes aimed at speeding up housing construction and preventing Council members from repeatedly killing projects in their districts.
The commission's final report notes two big areas that the city's charter cannot address outright: speeding up permits and inspections and the state's environmental review process.
A 2022 report by the Citizens Budget Commission found that the median project took nearly two years to complete environmental review and the pre-certification process.
Lawmakers have proposed exempting larger affordable housing projects similar to the changes California just approved, yet the proposal didn't progress out of committee in the Assembly.
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