In the midst of a historic housing crisis, the city of Santa Ana is raising fees on housing construction, which housing advocates fear will drive developers from the city.

In response to Senate Bill 9, which requires California cities to build more housing and loosen density restrictions in single-family neighborhoods, some cities have employed creative methods of skirting the state law. “Some, unfortunately, have tried to game the system by designating obviously unusable land for housing, such as heavy industrial sites.” One proposal to designate an entire city as mountain lion habitat garnered significant attention, including here. According to Dan Walters writing for CalMatters, “Of all the responses, however, the oddest may be what happened in Santa Ana, the Orange County seat. Its city council decided to make new housing virtually impossible by imposing hefty new fees on developments.”
Walters writes that “The minimum increase would be $5 per square foot of construction and up to $15 per square foot. Developers would be allowed to pay the smaller amount only if they use 90% unionized labor for construction when the law is completely operational in 2026.” According to the article, the city’s Mayor Pro Tem, Phil Bacerra, expressed less optimism. “Imposing such heavy fees that could be mitigated only by using relatively expensive union construction labor is likely, Bacerra said, to encourage developers to ignore Santa Ana and take their projects to neighboring cities which don’t impose expensive barriers.”
FULL STORY: How Santa Ana discourages new housing with hefty fees

Planning for Congestion Relief
The third and final installment of Planetizen's examination of the role of the planning profession in both perpetuating and solving traffic congestion.

Minneapolis Housing Plan a Success—Not for the Reason You Think
Housing advocates praise the city’s move to eliminate single-family zoning by legalizing triplexes on single-family lots, but that isn’t why housing construction is growing.

‘Mega-Landlords’ Threaten Housing Stability for Renters
As institutional investors buy up a larger share of single-family homes, the families renting them are increasingly vulnerable to rent increases and eviction.

How To Sustain the E-Bike Boom: Make Riders Feel Safe
Riders of electric and non-electric bikes alike agree that they would ride more if they felt safer on city streets, signaling a need for an increased focus on bike infrastructure.

Zoning Stands in the Way of Renewable Energy
Renewable energy is cheap as ever, but zoning isn’t keeping up with the market.

Mixed Use Could Lower Neighborhood Crime Rates
New research shows areas with a heavy concentration of commercial offices experience 40 percent higher crime rates than neighborhoods that mix residential and commercial uses.
City & Borough of Juneau
City & Borough of Juneau
DMR Architects
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Redwood City
City of Rohnert Park
City of Hot Springs
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Hand Drawing Master Plans
This course aims to provide an introduction into Urban Design Sketching focused on how to hand draw master plans using a mix of colored markers.