Office of the City Manager Tel:310.318.0630
415 Diamond St.
Redondo Beach CA 90277
September 3, 2024
The Honorable Toni Atkins
Member, California State Senate
State Capitol, Room 8610
Sacramento, CA 95814
RE: SB 450 (Atkins) Housing development: approvals
Notice of OPPOSE (As of 09/03/2024)
Dear Senator Atkins,
The City of Redondo Beach must regretfully oppose your measure, SB 450, which was recently removed from the inactive file in the final days of session. SB 450 would limit the ability of local governments to apply objective standards on a proposed SB 9 (2021) project and require cities to approve or deny a proposed project within 60 days from when a local agency receives a completed application, or the project is deemed approved. Finally, the measure allows a developer to demolish and replace an existing home with two new homes even if a tenant occupies the home.
From the beginning, SB 9 permitted the application of objective standards if those standards did not physically preclude the construction of the units. SB 450 reverses this provision by limiting objective standards to those that apply on sites that do not include two units, preventing a local agency from applying appropriate health and safety standards while not precluding the use.
The California Legislature continues to pass, and the Governor sign dozens of complex housing laws requiring ministerial approval of various projects without funding local governments to hire the necessary staff to implement these laws. SB 450 would compound this problem by requiring cities to approve or deny projects within 60 days, thus forcing cities to set aside other housing development applications to prioritize SB 9 projects. Failure to act within 60 days would result in automatic project approval.
The City of Redondo beach is already in the top 5% of California cities when ranked by density, with approximately 11,000 residents per square mile. This could impact the community even further by further eroding local control over project evaluation.
Office of the City Manager Tel:310.318.0630
415 Diamond St.
Redondo Beach CA 90277
Additionally, SB 450 would prohibit local governments from accounting for specific, adverse impacts on the physical environment of a proposed lot split which may lead to unintended consequences for local communities. Cities like Redondo Beach plan and zone for the intensity of land uses in their general plans to ensure safe and smart residential development. By removing the ability of local governments to account for this, these streamlined housing projects may have negative impacts on the environment, agriculture, noise levels, and wildlife. Protecting these resources is necessary to promote smart and safe housing development in California.
For these reasons, the City of Redondo Beach opposes SB 450. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at [email protected].
Sincerely,
Mayor James A. Light
City of Redondo Beach