SACRAMENTO – Last week, legislation put forward by Assemblymember Laura Friedman (D-Glendale) that will help affordable housing organizations significantly increase the number of families they can serve passed the Assembly Floor with unanimous, bipartisan, support.
The bill, AB 587, will create a much-needed exemption for affordable housing organizations like Habitat for Humanity to sell deed-restricted land to eligible low-income homeowners.
“We’re absolutely thrilled! This bill is a major game changer for Habitat and exciting news for housing in California.” said Debbie Arakel, Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity California. “With high land costs being one of the greatest barriers to providing affordable homeownership, this bill allows Habitat to better leverage property. We can double our home production in many communities and provide even more homeownership opportunities for low income families throughout the state.”
Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) have been identified as important components of the solution to California’s housing crisis. Over the past few years, the legislature has worked to ease zoning restrictions and the approval processes at the local level. However, existing law currently prohibits the separate sale of an ADU from the primary residence. This has made it challenging for affordable housing organizations seeking to secure home ownership for middle and low income families to fulfill their mission, especially when factoring in the rising land costs in California. AB 587 creates an exemption that localities can use in order to allow the unit to be sold separately from the primary residence to a qualified buyer.
“Affordable housing organizations have been instrumental in opening the door to home ownership for low income Californians,” said Assemblymember Friedman. “AB 587 gives these organizations and local communities an innovative option that has the potential to double their impact.”
Having passed the Assembly Floor, AB 587 will now make its way through the State Senate.
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Laura Friedman represents the 43rd Assembly District which encompasses the cities of Burbank, Glendale, and La Cañada Flintridge, as well as the communities of La Crescenta and Montrose, and the Los Angeles neighborhoods of Atwater Village, Beachwood Canyon, Los Feliz, East Hollywood, Franklin Hills, and Silver Lake.