SB 1299 (by Anthony Portantino)

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201920200SB1299

This bill, upon appropriation by the Legislature, would require the department to administer a program to provide incentives in the form of grants allocated as provided to local governments that rezone idle sites used for a big box retailer or a commercial shopping center to instead allow the development of workforce housing. The bill would define various terms for these purposes. In order to be eligible for a grant, the bill would require a local government, among other things, to apply to the department for an allocation of grant funds and provide documentation that it has met specified requirements. The bill would make the allocation of these grants subject to appropriation by the Legislature. The bill would require the department to issue a Notice of Funding Availability for each calendar year in which funds are made available for these purposes. The bill would require that the amount of grant awarded to each eligible local government be equal to the average amount of annual sales and use tax revenue generated by each idle site identified in the local government’s application over the 7 years immediately preceding the date of the local government’s application, subject to certain modifications, and that the local government receive this amount for each of the 7 years following the date of the local government’s application.

STATT NOTE: SB 1299 rewards cities who choose to repurpose big box stores and other idled commercial buildings, and then rebuild them as housing.