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ACTION
WELLMAN REPORTS
SANTA MONICA
EDITION
BY WESLEY V. WELLMAN
VIA ACTION APARTMENT ASSOCIATION
TTHEY HAVE COME BUT WILL WE BUILD IT?
he 1989 movie Field of Dreams, about two bills aimed to ameliorate these problems. SB 9 a baseball diamond developed in effectively bans single-family-only zoning allowing a remote Iowa cornfield, contained homeowners to subdivide their properties to the iconic statement, “If you build construct up to four housing units. SB 10 permits it, he will come.” In recent decades, cities to allow construction of developments with up California has become the Field of to 10 housing units in transit-rich areas.
Dreams for many legal and illegal migrants. It is home to a quarter of the nation’s immigrants, 11 million people — more than the entire population of Georgia. This has pushed housing costs higher and forced down wages for white-collar and blue-collar workers. This is a contributing cause of the much discussed housing affordability crisis and the income inequality dilemma. Exclusionary single-family zoning regulations have muted development of workforce housing and effectively made R-1 zoned neighborhoods off-limits to most minorities and
moderate income residents.
Dealing with these issues is high on the priority list of progressive policy makers. Gov. Newsom signed
Apartment owners have also been incentivized to add units through the state-mandated relaxation of rules for building or legalizing unpermitted accessory dwelling units.
The other tool in the policy box is a little understood but critically important document known as a city’s Housing Element. All communities in California are required to have a Housing Element as part of their adopted General Plan. The Housing Element is the city’s guide for meeting the housing needs of all segments of its population. California state law requires that Santa Monica prepare and update the Citywide Housing Element every 8 years. As
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8 NOVEMBER 2021 - APARTMENT MANAGEMENT MAGAZINE AMM3
Wesley V. Wellman
Wellman Realty Company
2812 Santa Monica Blvd., Suite #203 Santa Monica, CA 90404
Direct: (310) 829 – 7423
Fax: (310) 829 – 2079
DRE License No. 00467451
Email: wes@wellmanproperties.com www.wellmanproperties.com