Huntington Beach is likely to lose its state housing lawsuit for its refusal to plan for more housing and must approve new housing projects that come before it, a San Diego Superior Court judge ruled Thursday, March 21.
The judge suspended some of Huntington Beach’s development authority in a ruling that prevents the city from rejecting housing developments that meet state density requirements.
The state attorney general’s office sued the city a year ago for not adopting a new housing element, which every California city is required to have. The city fired back by filing a lawsuit in federal court challenging its requirements to have more housing, but a judge dismissed that case in November.
This week’s ruling is a major blow to the city that has thrown the kitchen sink at fighting state housing laws and mandates. The state wants the city to adopt zoning changes to allow developers to build 13,368 housing units this decade. Huntington Beach leaders opposed to complying with housing mandates have said the suburban character of the city is under threat.
“The court has granted our motion for temporary relief against Huntington Beach for its refusal to update the housing element of its general plan,” a spokesperson for Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement. “We are pleased the court agrees that we are likely to win our suit, which simply asks Huntington Beach to plan for its fair share of housing, like most California cities have done. Under the court’s order, Huntington Beach cannot enforce its outdated land use policies to deny new affordable housing opportunities in areas that the city itself has already identified as suitable for development.”
Huntington Beach, which has just under 200,000 residents, has been among the most defiant cities fighting state efforts to plan for more housing.
Judge Katherine Bacal’s ruling suspended the city’s authority to approve development on sites suitable for building that don’t meet state…
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