Housing construction will accelerate in five cities and counties

California Construction News staff writer

Long Beach, Moreno Valley, Santa Rosa, Sonoma County, and the Town of Windsor are the latest places to be designated as prohousing communities and are now eligible for funding incentives and additional resources through a state grant program designed to speed housing production.

To date, 27 California communities are now designated as prohousing.

“Every city and county across California needs to work together to tackle the state’s housing crisis,” said Governor Gavin Newsom. “Rather than evade their duties, these communities are committed to rolling up their sleeves and building more housing, faster.

“We are putting the needs of Californians first and seeing to it that more housing gets built throughout the state.”

Jurisdictions that earn the designation have demonstrated a commitment to enacting policies to accelerate housing production and to be “partners with the state in combating the housing crisis”.

“Expanding housing opportunities is critical for the social and economic well-being of working Californians, families with children, older adults, and people exiting homelessness,” said Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency Secretary Lourdes Castro Ramírez. “Congratulations to the five jurisdictions announced today.

“They join 22 others that have done the hard work to remove barriers to housing so that homes can be created that are accessible to all Californians.”

Communities receive incentives such as additional points or other preferences in the scoring of competitive funding programs administered by the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD), giving them an advantage over other jurisdictions.

The program was established by the 2019-20 budget act to help California meet its goal of building 2.5 million homes by 2030, with at least one million affordable to people at lower income levels.

For more information visit https://www.hcd.ca.gov/