On January 12, Senior City Planner Matthew Glesne made a presentation to the City Planning Commission (CPC) on behalf of the Citywide Policy team. He reviewed recent State-level legislation on housing and planning and answered commissioners’ questions.

During his presentation, Glesne presented on changes to California’s Density Bonus incentives and described how they will affect local rules. Among other bills, he discussed how AB 2334 expands existing incentives for 100% affordable housing projects to areas with very low vehicle travel; he explained how AB 2334 redefines “maximum allowable residential density,” the calculation which determines a project’s base density and bonus, to be the most generous of the General Plan, Specific Plan, or zoning designations applied to any single parcel of land.

Glesne also discussed State laws offering Density Bonuses for non-residential commercial projects, allowing affordable housing construction on sites with new and existing religious uses, in addition to permitting housing in areas that are zoned for retail, offices, and parking.