A new report by the Non-Profit Housing Association of Northern California shows that 170 jurisdictions in California—32 percent of cities and counties—now have inclusionary zoning policies. That’s a 12 percent increase in inclusionary housing policies from the 107 jurisdictions that reported such policies in 2003.
The California Coalition for Rural Housing, the Sacramento Housing Alliance, and the San Diego Housing Federation co-authored “Affordable By Choice: Trends in California Inclusionary Housing Programs.” The report examined the characteristics of eight “top-producing” cities with inclusionary housing, with data from the National Housing Conference’s 2006 publication Paycheck to Paycheck. Since 1999, around 30,000 long-term affordable homes, housing more than 80,000 people, have been built through inclusionary policies.
Ultimately, the report makes five recommendations, including that all cities and counties should adopt a mandatory inclusionary housing policy, and offer strong incentives to make the requirements feasible to developers; and that cities should support partnerships with nonprofit housing developers, who can help create more homes that are more affordable.
Contact the Non-Profit Housing Association of Northern California for a copy of the report. A searchable database of all the state’s cities and counties with inclusionary housing policies can be found at www.calruralhousing.org/housing-toolbox/inclusionary-housing-policy-search
