SB 550, as introduced, Jackson. Accessible housing.
Existing law establishes various programs under the Department of Housing and Community Development, including the California Housing Rehabilitation Program for the development of low-income and multifamily rental housing in the state. Existing law creates the Multifamily Housing Program under the department to provide a standardized set of program rules and features applicable to all housing types based on the existing California Housing Rehabilitation Program. Among other things, the program provides financial assistance to fund projects for, among other things, the development and construction of new, and rehabilitation or acquisition and rehabilitation of, existing, transitional, or rental housing developments, and establishes a project selection process for loans for these projects. Existing law also requires the department to establish a program for the purpose of housing assistance for the physically or developmentally disabled, or mentally disordered.
This bill would create the Accessible Multifamily Housing Act of 2013, which would require new and substantially rehabilitated assisted multifamily housing projects, as defined, for which building permits are issued on and after July 1, 2014, to be designed and constructed to be readily accessible to and usable by individuals with mobility, vision, and hearing impairments, as specified.
By imposing additional enforcement duties on local officials, this bill would create a state-mandated local program.
The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to these statutory provisions.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: yes.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
The Legislature finds and declares as follows:
2(a) There exists within the urban and rural areas of the state a
3significant number of people with disabilities who lack accessible,
4decent, safe, and sanitary housing. The lack of affordable,
5accessible housing is a significant problem for adults and children,
6contributing to chronic homelessness and unnecessary
7institutionalization.
8(b) California housing and building codes and standards do not
9currently provide for sufficient accessibility for people who need
10accessible features in their homes, including people who use
11mobility devices or who have sensory disabilities.
12(c) Ensuring that state accessibility requirements for assisted
13multifamily housing projects meet or exceed the accessibility
14standards required for federally assisted multifamily housing
15projects will reduce confusion, will provide for a more
16comprehensive approach to accessibility, and will result in the
17provision of much needed additional accessible units.
Chapter 6.25 (commencing with Section 50655.1) is
19added to Part 2 of Division 31 of the Health and Safety Code, to
20read:
21
(a) This chapter shall be known, and may be cited,
26as the Accessible Multifamily Housing Act of 2013.
P3 1(b) (1) New and substantially rehabilitated assisted multifamily
2housing projects shall be designed and constructed to be readily
3accessible to, and usable by, individuals with disabilities. Subject
4to paragraph (2), a minimum of 10 percent of the total dwelling
5units, or at least one unit in the assisted multifamily housing
6project, whichever is greater, shall be made accessible for persons
7with mobility impairments. An additional 4 percent of the units,
8but no fewer than one unit, in the project shall be accessible for
9persons with hearing or vision impairments.
10(2) The California Housing Finance Agency, the Department
11of Housing and Community Development, or other state or local
12government agency may prescribe a higher percentage or number
13than that prescribed in paragraph (1), upon a determination that a
14higher percentage is necessary for a particular program, project,
15or area, based on census data or other available current data or in
16response to evidence of a need for a higher percentage or number
17received in any other manner.
18(c) This chapter shall apply to all assisted multifamily housing
19projects for which building permits are issued on and after July 1,
202014.
The following terms have the following meanings
22for purposes of this chapter:
23(a) “Accessible” means that a multifamily housing unit is on an
24accessible route and is adaptable and otherwise in compliance with
25the standards set forth in Section 8.32 (a), (b), and (c) of Title 24
26of the Code of Federal Regulations.
27(b) “Assistance” means the provision of any land or in-kind
28contributions, as well as any financial assistance, including
29proceeds of any bond or indenture, loan or grant or bond insurance
30or guarantees, loans, grants, rental assistance, operational
31assistance, development assistance, downpayment assistance,
32rehabilitation assistance, or housing tax credits.
33(c) “Assisted multifamily housing project” means any newly
34developed or substantially rehabilitated multifamily housing
35receiving assistance from state or local public agencies, including
36from the California Housing Finance Agency, the Department of
37Housing and Community Development, the California Tax Credit
38Allocation Committee, local redevelopment agencies and their
39successors, cities, counties, and city and counties, and public
40housing authorities.
If the Commission on State Mandates determines that
2this act contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement to
3local agencies and school districts for those costs shall be made
4pursuant to Part 7 (commencing with Section 17500) of Division
54 of Title 2 of the Government Code.
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