CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2017–2018 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill No. 3147

Introduced by Assembly Member Caballero

February 16, 2018

An act to add Section 66004.1 to the Government Code, relating to land use.


LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


AB 3147, as introduced, Caballero. Fee mitigation act: housing developments.
Existing law, the Planning and Zoning Law, deems, except as provided in a development agreement, the rules, regulations, and official policies governing permitted uses of the land, governing density, and governing design, improvement, and construction standards and specifications, applicable to property subject to a development agreement to be the rules, regulations, and official policies in force at the time of execution of the agreement.
The Mitigation Fee Act requires a local agency that establishes, increases, or imposes a fee as a condition of approval of a development project to, among other things, determine how there is a reasonable relationship between the fee’s use and the type of development project on which the fee is imposed.
This bill would prohibit a housing development project, as defined, from being subject to a fee, charge, dedication, reservation, or other exaction that is more than that in effect at the time that the application for the housing development project is determined to be complete. The bill would prohibit the fact that a land use approval for a housing development project is considered legislative in nature from being construed to limit or narrow the applicability or scope of the this bill’s provisions. The bill would make related findings and declarations. By increasing the duties of local officials, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.
Vote: MAJORITY   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: YES   Local Program: YES  

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:


SECTION 1.

 Section 66004.1 is added to the Government Code, to read:

66004.1.
 (a) The Legislature finds and declares as follows:
(1) Providing certainty in the housing approval and development process is essential for achieving the state’s housing policies.
(2) Although the Legislature has attempted to provide certainty through the enactment of Sections 65589.5, 65866, 65961, and 66474.2, among other statutes, these efforts have not been adequate. Applicants for housing projects continue to be subjected to demands by local agencies to comply with new or increased requirements after an application is determined to be complete, including through the imposition of conditions of approval that require the project to comply with whatever fee, charge, community benefit, public benefit or other requirement is in effect when a building permit or similar subsequent approval is issued.
(3) It is the intent of the Legislature in enacting this section to provide effective and meaningful certainty for applicants for housing projects by prohibiting them from being subjected to new or increased requirements not in effect when an application is complete, and it is the policy of this state that this section should be interpreted and implemented broadly to effectuate that intent.
(b) A housing development project, as defined in Section 65589.5, shall not be subject to a fee, charge, including a fee or charge described in Section 66013, dedication, reservation, or other exaction that is more than the fee, charge, dedication, reservation, or other exaction in effect at the time that the application for the housing development project is determined to be complete pursuant to Section 65943.
(c) The fact that a housing development project may require a land use approval that is considered legislative in nature shall not be construed to limit or narrow the applicability or scope of the protections provided for in subdivision (b).

SEC. 2.

 No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution because a local agency or school district has the authority to levy service charges, fees, or assessments sufficient to pay for the program or level of service mandated by this act, within the meaning of Section 17556 of the Government Code.