(a) As used in this article, the following definitions shall apply: (1) (A) Except as otherwise provided in subparagraph (B), âaffected cityâ means a city, including a charter city, that the Department of Housing and Community Development determines, pursuant to subdivision (d), is in an urbanized area or urban cluster, as designated by the United States Census Bureau. (B) Notwithstanding subparagraph (A), âaffected cityâ does not include any city that has a population of 5,000 or less and is not located within an urbanized area, as designated by the United States Census Bureau. (2) âAffected countyâ means a census-designated place, based on the 2013-2017 American Community Survey 5-year Estimates, that is wholly located within the boundaries of an urbanized area, as designated by the United States Census Bureau. (3) Notwithstanding any other law, âaffected countyâ and âaffected cityâ includes the electorate of an affected county or city exercising its local initiative or referendum power, whether that power is derived from the California Constitution, statute, or the charter or ordinances of the affected county or city. (4) âDepartmentâ means the Department of Housing and Community Development. (5) âDevelopment policy, standard, or conditionâ means any of the following: (A) A provision of, or amendment to, a general plan. (B) A provision of, or amendment to, a specific plan. (C) A provision of, or amendment to, a zoning ordinance. (D) A subdivision standard or criterion. (6) âHousing development projectâ has the same meaning as defined in paragraph (3) of subdivision (b) of Section 65905.5. (7) âObjective design standardâ means a design standard that involves no personal or subjective judgment by a public official and is uniformly verifiable by reference to an external and uniform benchmark or criterion available and knowable by both the development applicant or proponent and the public official before submittal of an application. (b) (1) Notwithstanding any other law except as provided in subdivision (h), with respect to land where housing is an allowable use, an affected county or an affected city shall not enact a development policy, standard, or condition that would have any of the following effects: (A) Changing the general plan land use designation, specific plan land use designation, or zoning of a parcel or parcels of property to a less intensive use or reducing the intensity of land use within an existing general plan land use designation, specific plan land use designation, or zoning district in effect at the time of the proposed change, below what was allowed under the land use designation or zoning ordinances of the affected county or affected city, as applicable, as in effect on January 1, 2018, except as otherwise provided in clause (ii) of subparagraph (B) or subdivision (h). For purposes of this subparagraph, âreducing the intensity of land useâ includes, but is not limited to, reductions to height, density, or floor area ratio, new or increased open space or lot size requirements, new or increased setback requirements, minimum frontage requirements, or maximum lot coverage limitations, or any other action that would individually or cumulatively reduce the siteâs residential development capacity. (B) (i) Imposing a moratorium or similar restriction or limitation on housing development, including mixed-use development, within all or a portion of the jurisdiction of the affected county or city, other than to specifically protect against an imminent threat to the health and safety of persons residing in, or within the immediate vicinity of, the area subject to the moratorium or for projects specifically identified as existing restricted affordable housing. (ii) The affected county or affected city, as applicable, shall not enforce a zoning ordinance imposing a moratorium or other similar restriction on or limitation of housing development until it has submitted the ordina
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