Long Beach Adds Requirements for Affordable Units in Future Housing Projects
Long Beach now has an inclusionary housing policy that will extend to the entire city after the City Council unanimously approved the program, which will require developers to reserve a percentage of new units for lower-income households.
New residential construction projects started after January 2021 will now be required to set aside some units for lower-income tenants.
The covenants for those projects would last 55 years, and the program would be phased in over three years, with the final set-aside amounts of 11% and 10% being reached in 2023—the original proposal called for a four-year phase-in.
“We are thrilled that after decades of fighting for an inclusionary housing policy in Long Beach it has finally become a reality. We are extremely happy that the policy will target all of the affordable rental units to Very Low-Income families, as these are our residents most in need. With COVID’s disproportionate impact on our Black renters, this is particularly important at this moment in time,” said Susanne Browne, a senior attorney with Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles, a member of a housing rights coalition.
Advocates are interested in the details of how the policy will apply to the much larger area once it is ironed out some more.