Three more cities designated prohousing

California Construction News staff writer

Rohnert Park, Santa Cruz and South San Francisco have been added to the list of cities with Prohousing Designation in California.

“These cities are showing the local leadership California needs to tackle our state’s housing crisis. They stand in stark contrast to the handful of locals who are failing their constituents and refusing to help California families struggling with runaway housing costs,” said Gov. Gavin Newsom. “We will continue to celebrate cities like Rohnert Park, Santa Cruz and South San Francisco while holding bad actors accountable with executive action and in the courts when necessary.”

Local governments are being encouraged to cut red tape and implement policies that increase housing supply. Accountability measures and incentives like the Prohousing Designation are designed to help meet the goal of 2.5 million new homes over the next eight years, with at least one million serving the needs of lower-income Californians.

“We commend Rohnert Park, Santa Cruz and South San Francisco for their commitment to housing forward policies that will remove barriers to building and preserving affordable housing,” said Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency Secretary Lourdes Castro Ramírez. “We are proud to work with these cities to create housing near jobs, transit, and other amenities to build a strong housing market and provide homes to working Californians.”

Designated communities receive incentives including additional points or other preferences in scoring of competitive funding programs administered by the department of housing and community development (HCD).

California now has 30 cities and counties recognized for a commitment to policies that increase housing supply such as accelerating production, promoting equitable and sustainable zoning and land use, reducing development costs, and providing financial subsidies.