Housing development: density bonus: student housing developments.

Plain English Breakdown

The bill does not provide specific details on how rent is set, only that it revises existing requirements.

Student Housing Development Bonus

AB-2480 modifies the requirements for cities and counties to offer density bonuses and other incentives to developers who build student housing developments that include affordable units for lower-income students.

What This Bill Does

• Revises rent requirements for lower-income student units in new student housing developments.
• Requires cities and counties to provide an additional density bonus if a developer agrees to construct at least 24% of the total units as affordable housing for low-income or moderate-income students, with no more than half of all units restricted to these income levels.

Who It Names or Affects

• Developers who want to build student housing developments
• Cities and counties that have the Density Bonus Law

Terms To Know

Density bonus

An extra benefit given by cities or counties to developers who agree to include affordable housing units in their projects.

Student housing development

A type of housing project that is designed specifically for students enrolled full-time at a higher education institution.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify the exact amount of the density bonus.
• It's unclear what specific new duties local governments must take on as part of this program.

Official Summary Text

AB 2480, as amended, Ávila Farías.
Housing development: density bonus: student housing developments.
Existing law, commonly referred to as the Density Bonus Law, requires a city or county to provide a developer that proposes a housing development, as defined, within the city or county with a density bonus and other incentives or concessions, as specified, if the developer agrees to construct, among other options, 20% of the total units, as defined, for lower income students in a student housing development that meets certain requirements. These requirements include, among other things, that all units in the student housing development be used exclusively for undergraduate, graduate, or professional students enrolled full time at an institution of higher learning, and the rent provided in the applicable units of the development for lower income students is calculated at 30% of 65% of the area median income for a single-room occupancy unit type.
This bill, for the purposes of a student housing development being eligible for a density bonus and other incentives or concessions, would revise and recast the rent requirements for the applicable units of the development for lower income students. The bill would also require a city or county to provide an additional density bonus, as specified, for a student housing development that meets the requirements for being eligible for the above-described density bonus and meets other specified criteria, including that the development provides 24% of the total units to lower income students, and the applicant agrees to include additional rental units affordable to
lower income students or
moderate-income students, as defined, provided that the resulting student housing development would not restrict more than 50% of the total units to moderate-income or lower income students. By imposing new
duties on local governments, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
The bill would include findings that changes proposed by this bill address a matter of statewide concern rather than a municipal affair and, therefore, apply to all cities, including charter cities.
The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.

Current Bill Text

Download Bill PDF