Legislature Passes SB 312: Streamlines Student Housing
SB 312 updates, improves prior legislation
“Students deserve safe, affordable, and stable housing”
The California State Legislature passed SB 312, a bill introduced by Senator Wiener and sponsored by California YIMBY, during today’s floor session. SB 312 updates SB 886, passed in 2022, to ensure the bill can be implemented effectively.
Despite the extreme shortage of housing available on California university campuses and in their surrounding communities, proposals for student housing on and near university campuses are often delayed or obstructed by lawsuits under the California Environmental Quality Act. In 2022, the California State Legislature passed SB 886 (Wiener) to help resolve the extreme shortage of housing available on California university campuses and in their surrounding communities, but the bill has faced challenges being implemented.
“California’s students are its future, and we were proud to fight alongside Senator Wiener to pass SB 886,” said Brian Hanlon, CEO of California YIMBY. “SB 312 is a crucial technical fix to allow SB 886 to do its work helping state universities to catch up to the massive student and faculty housing shortage on their campuses.”
SB 886 allows streamlined approval for student housing that meets the highest standards of sustainable construction techniques, known in the industry as “Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design” (LEED). However, some of the requisites necessary to achieve LEED Platinum certification cannot be met until after the building is occupied, making it impossible for universities to use SB 886 to streamline the development process.
SB 312 addresses this issue and ensures SB 886 can successfully be used to streamline urgently-needed student and faculty housing on university land. SB 312 clarifies that projects that qualify for LEED certification receive streamlined approvals prior to their final LEED certification – which itself can not be granted until construction is complete.
About California YIMBY
California YIMBY is a community of neighbors who welcome more neighbors. We believe that an equitable California begins with abundant, secure, affordable housing. We focus on housing and land use policy at the state and local level to ensure grassroots organizers and city leaders have the tools they need to accelerate home building. Learn more: https://cayimby.org/