SB 1123 (Chapter 294, Statutes of 2024)

The Starter Home Revitalization Act of 2021 requires a local agency to ministerially consider, without discretionary review or a hearing, a parcel map or a tentative and final map for a housing development project that meets certain requirements, including that the housing development project on the lot proposed to be subdivided will contain 10 or fewer residential units, is zoned for multifamily residential development, is no larger than 5 acres, as specified, and the newly created parcels are no smaller than 600 square feet, except as provided. Existing law prohibits a local agency from imposing on the housing development an objective zoning standard, objective subdivision

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Summary of Key 2024 CEQA Legislation

Association of Environmental Professionals 2025

standard, or objective design standard that, among other things, physically precludes the development of a project built to specified densities.

This bill amends Government Code Sections 65852.28 and 66499.41 to prohibit, if a local agency chooses to permit accessory dwelling units or junior accessory dwelling units, those units from counting as residential units for purposes of the above-described requirement that a housing development project on the lot proposed to be subdivided will contain 10 or fewer residential units. The bill revises the requirement that the lot be zoned for multifamily residential development and would instead require that the lot either be zoned for multifamily residential dwelling use or vacant and zoned for single-family residential development. The bill requires that a vacant lot zoned for single-family residential development is no larger than 1.5 acres, as specified, and that, if the parcels are zoned for single-family residential use, the newly created parcels are no smaller than 1,200 square feet. The bill will, notwithstanding the prohibition related to physical preclusion of a development described above, authorize a local agency to impose a specified height limit on a lot that is vacant and zoned for single-family residential development.