These new statutes eliminate some common barriers to new housing projects by streamlining local approvals and mandating processing times for development applications:

• Senate Bill 9 (SB 9), 2021, requires “by-right” planning approval for qualified projects that convert a single-family home into a duplex or subdivide an existing lot in single family residential zoning district into a two-lot subdivision (also called an urban lot split).
• Senate Bill 35 (SB 35), 2017, establishes streamlined approval for multifamily affordable housing developments in cities that fail to build enough housing to meet state mandated housing targets*. Projects that comply with local objective planning standards and provide specified levels of affordable housing must be approved in either 60 days if the development contains less than 150 housing units or 90 days if the development contains more than 150 units.
• Senate Bill 4 (SB 4), 2023, requires “by-right” planning approval for qualified projects that comply with local objective planning standards and provide specified levels of affordable housing on land owned by religious organizations and nonprofit colleges.

Your Local Expert for North Bay Housing Projects

Based in Santa Rosa since 1954, Brelje & Race has extensive experience with planning, permitting, and civil design for residential developments in Sonoma County and the North Bay, including multi-family residential and affordable housing projects. Specific to the laws mentioned above, we offer the following services:

• SB 9: We can assist with determining your project’s eligibility, ensure consistency with objective standards under local code and the Subdivision Map Act, and complete the application packet including drainage report, title report, and the tentative parcel map.
• SB 35 and SB 4: We can assist with determining your project’s eligibility, confirm consistency with objective standards under local code, conduct tribal scoping consultation, and work with the design team to complete the civil portions of the application packet including hydrology and stormwater components, title report, and grading, utilities, and site plans.

To find out how Brelje & Race can help guide your next project, please contact us at info@brce.com or call (707) 576-1322.

_{*At the time of writing (February 2024), the following North Bay jurisdictions are not currently subject to the streamlined ministerial approval process under SB 35: Rohnert Park; Calistoga; Corte Madera; Mill Valley; Saint Helena; Ukiah; and unincorporated Sonoma County and Mendocino County. All other counties and cities are subject to at least some form of SB 35 streamlining. Source: https://www.hcd.ca.gov/policy-research/docs/sb35_statewidedeterminationsummary.pdf}

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