Huntington Beach leaders are inviting a renewed court battle over state housing laws, taking a series of actions on Tuesday, March 7, to limit homebuilding in the beachside town.
“What I am against is the urbanization of a wonderful suburban community,” Mayor Tony Strickland said during a five-hour City Council session Tuesday. “If our citizens wanted an urban community, they will move to Los Angeles.”
Tuesday’s actions included a 4-3 council vote to ignore homebuilding applications filed under the so-called “builder’s remedy,” a three-decade-old provision allowing developers to sidestep zoning restrictions in cities without a state-approved housing plan. The city must confirm that vote on a second reading, planned for March 21.
The council also voted 4-3 to extend a recent decision not to accept any new applications for backyard housing units known as accessory dwelling units, ADUs, or granny flats.
Following a closed session, City Attorney Michael Gates announced the council also decided to pursue options for challenging Senate Bill 9, a state law allowing duplexes and lot splits in single-family neighborhoods. A city lawsuit challenging the law could be among the options, Gates said.
In addition, Gates said the city will file a new lawsuit on Thursday challenging a state-mandated goal that it plan for construction of 13,368 new homes by the end of the decade.
The city has argued that as a charter city, Huntington Beach has greater autonomy and, therefore, isn’t subject to state housing laws.
“We are definitely in an area where charter city authority versus state authority on control of local housing decisions is still largely unresolved,” Gates told the councilmembers. “There’s a lawsuit challenging SB 9. There are lawsuits all over up and down the state, challenging state laws.”
Although Huntington Beach long has been at odds with the state over housing, it’s not alone. Local leaders statewide have been protesting laws to…
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