the City of Covina. It should be noted that affordable housing projects that comply with the applicable State statute(s) are not subject to discretionary review/approval by the City of Covina, though such projects are still required to comply with California Building Codes and Fire Codes.
The proposed webpage (Attachment B) is meant to provide residents with a short summary of legislation which a residential developer may invoke to develop projects which include elements outside of the City’s purview.
These summaries are partial and do not fully represent the extent of the statutes. The webpage will be updated asneeded in response to new legislation. Examples of the legislation on the proposed webpage is as follows:
SB 1123 - Updates to the Starter Home Revitalization Act of 2021: This law expands eligibility for ministerial approval to include single-family residential lots, prohibits height limits below those in existing zoning, and ensures ADUs do not count toward the ten-unit limit. SB 4 - Affordable Housing on Faith and Higher Education Lands Act of 2023: This law expedites affordable housing development on land owned by religious or nonprofit higher education institutions, and bypasses conditional use permits and CEQA requirements for eligible projects. SB 6 - Middle Class Housing Act of 2022: This law allows housing in commercial zones if certain standards are met (e.g., minimum density and affordability), and limits local agencies’ authority to deny projects compliant with the law.
The Density Bonus Law (Gov. Code §§65915 - 65918): The Density Bonus Law is a state mandate which allows developers to add more units to a residential project than would be otherwise permitted and to receive other concessions if the developer includes affordable or senior housing units as part of their project.
AB 1486 and AB 1255 The Surplus Land Act: The Surplus Land Act requires government agencies, in most cases, to first offer for-sale government-owned land to affordable housing developers for the opportunity to purchase for the purpose of creating affordable housing, regardless of the zoning or General Plan Designation of the property.
This webpage will also include information on specific residential projects within or adjacent to the City which have garnered increased attention and visibility. One such example is the “Saffron Covina” project, located in unincorporated Los Angeles County adjacent to City boundaries at 19516 E. Cypress Avenue. The intent of project-specific pages is to provide residents with factual information.
FISCAL IMPACT:
These actions result in no fiscal impact.
CEQA (CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT):
Not applicable.
Respectfully submitted,
ATTACHMENT A
RESOLUTION CC 2025-19
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COVINA,
CALIFORNIA, EXPRESSING OPPOSITION TO THE PROPOSED
SAFFRON COVINA HOUSING PROJECT AT 19516 E. CYPRESS
AVENUE IN UNINCORPORATED LOS ANGELES COUNTY
WHEREAS, the Legislature of the State of California, has enacted a number of bills that address a range of planning and zoning issues that are typically addressed by local jurisdictions through its general plan and zoning code; and
WHEREAS, many of these planning and zoning bills have usurped the authority of local jurisdictions to determine for themselves the land use policies and practices that best suit their cities and residents, thereby not considering the needs and differences of jurisdictions throughout the State; and
WHEREAS, local jurisdictions should consider for themselves those projects that require review beyond a ministerial approval, evaluating such factors as parking needs, water needs, traffic impacts and a project’s size and scale to ensure that it compliments existing neighborhoods; and WHEREAS, the community recently became aware of a proposed project named Saffron Covina located at 19516 E. Cypress Avenue in Unincorporated Los Angeles County which is directly adjacent to the City’s boundaries. According to the developer’s website, the project proposes a six-story residential multi-family building with ninety-four (94) rental units and thirty (30) parking spaces on a site that totals roughly 0.468 acres. A project of this size and scale is not compatible with existing properties and uses adjacent to the site; and WHEREAS, despite its close proximity to the City, Saffron Covina project representatives have not communicated with City representatives and have not provided construction plans for its proposed project; and
WHEREAS, the Covina City Council is concerned that the project developer has not appropriately engaged with the City, property owners and residents to explain the project’s components.
NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COVINA, CALIFORNIA, DOES HEREBY RESOLVE AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. That the City Council registers its opposition to the proposed Saffron Covina Housing Project at 19516 E. Cypress Avenue in Unincorporated Los Angeles County.
SECTION 2. The City Clerk shall certify to the passage and adoption of this Resolution and shall enter the same in the Book of Original Resolutions.
Resolution CC 2025-19 Page 2 of 2
APPROVED and PASSED this 4
th day of March, 2025.
City of Covina, California
BY:
JOHN C. KING, Mayor
ATTEST:
___________________________________________
FABIAN VELEZ, Chief Deputy City Clerk
CERTIFICATION
I, Fabian Velez, Chief Deputy City Clerk of the City of Covina, do hereby certify that Resolution CC 2025-19 was duly adopted by the City Council of the City of Covina at a regular meeting held on the 4
th day of March, 2025, by the following vote:
AYES: COUNCIL MEMBERS:
NOES: COUNCIL MEMBERS:
ABSTAIN: COUNCIL MEMBERS:
ABSENT: COUNCIL MEMBERS:
Dated:
____________________________________________
FABIAN VELEZ, Chief Deputy City Clerk
ATTACHMENT B
PROPOSED WEBPAGE