ACTION Apartment Association

City staff lays out suggestions for controlling housing development under SB 9

01/05/2022 11:56 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

City staff are in the process of drafting local laws regulating SB 9 in Santa Monica, and on Dec. 29 Planning Manager Jing Yeo released a report with considerations for the new ordinance.

These considerations focus on tightening requirements for new construction under SB 9, limiting the ability to add additional dwelling units (ADUs) and junior additional dwelling units (JADUs) to newly constructed units, and deterring speculative investors.

Stand Up For Change

01/05/2022 11:55 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The lack of local control is a concern, and it’s certainly a component of the density and bad design. When the Legislature expanded the rules on development statewide it was in response to a perceived demand for housing. On a statewide level that’s possibly true, but I am seeing a lot of ‘For Rent’ signs in the city. I’ve heard that even San Francisco with its history of 99% occupancy is having an increase in vacancies.

Myth of Housing Supply Crisis Disintegrated

01/05/2022 11:51 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

With a series of deeply researched graphs, Verville explained to the nearly 60 participants in the virtual meeting how the supply of housing in California has easily kept up with population growth. In Santa Monica, the housing supply has actually exceeded population growth. There is, in fact, no supply crisis.

L.A. won’t allow rent hikes for most tenants until 2023

01/04/2022 8:32 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

As the U.S. nears the beginning of the third year combating COVID-19, tenants in L.A. are receiving a benefit few others have: Landlords are prohibited from raising the cost of more than 650,000 rent-stabilized units citywide, which represents nearly three-quarters of L.A.’s apartment stock.

New York company makes City’s largest real estate purchase

01/04/2022 8:14 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

In total, the downtown development portfolio includes 325,391 net rentable square feet, including 31,473 square feet of commercial space and 627 multifamily units – all of which are fully entitled and approved by city authorities.

In a statement, Tishman Speyer said it would develop 620 Class A apartments, 116 of which will be designated as affordable, as well as the retail space. The company said Phase One of project construction is expected to begin by late 2022, with the first buildings complete by the end of 2024.

SM.a.r.t Wishes for 2022

01/04/2022 8:12 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

We wish for:

All California residents to gain back the control of their Cities from Sacramento’s draconian power grab by means of the Our Neighborhood Voices Initiative.
There would be a more resident sensitive and prioritizing composition of the city council. Current residents are taking a backseat to the development community.

Path cleared for new housing developments along Expo Line

01/03/2022 9:01 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The plan, called the Exposition Corridor Transit Neighborhood Plan, allows for dozens of new buildings to be constructed, including some along Olympic Boulevard between Centinela and Barrington just outside Santa Monica city limits that are zoned to stand 10 to 12 stories tall.

California's Public Golf Courses to be Converted to Public Housing in Latest Progressive Initiative

12/31/2021 11:28 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

A bill now pending in the California State legislature proposes to convert the State's municipal and public golf courses into affordable housing.

What You Need to Know About SB9

12/29/2021 10:33 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

What is SB9?

SB9, also known as the California Housing Opportunity and More Efficiency (HOME) Act, is a state bill that requires cities to allow one additional residential unit onto parcels zoned for single-dwelling units. This law will allow up to a total of two residential units in single-dwelling unit zones, excluding any accessory dwelling units (ADUs). The law, which passed in September 2021, will go into effect across California on January 1, 2022. Once active, SB9 will only apply to property owners in the R1 (Single-Unit Residential) and OP1 (Ocean Park Single-Unit Residential) Zones.

Santa Monica’s message to people evicted long ago for the 10 Freeway: Come home

12/27/2021 10:12 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Starting in January, the city will offer affordable housing to those forced out by freeway construction and those removed in the late 1950s when the city bulldozed another Black area, Belmar Triangle, to build the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium. Children and grandchildren of those who lost their homes also are eligible.