AB 2339, Bloom. Housing element: emergency shelters: regional housing need was approved by Governor

AB 2339 states:

This bill would revise the requirements of the housing element, as described above, in connection with zoning designations that allow residential use, including mixed use, where emergency shelters are allowed as a permitted use without a conditional use or other discretionary permit. The bill would delete language regarding emergency shelter standards structured in relation to residential and commercial developments and instead require that emergency shelters only be subject to specified written, objective standards. The bill would specify that emergency shelters for purposes of these provisions include other interim intervention, including, but not limited to, navigation centers, bridge housing, and respite or recuperative care.

The bill would require that identified zoning designations where emergency shelters are allowed to include sites that meet at least one of certain prescribed standards. In this regard, the bill would require those sites to be either (1) vacant and zoned for residential use; (2) vacant and zoned for nonresidential use if the local government can demonstrate how the sites are located near amenities and services that serve people experiencing homelessness; or (3) nonvacant if the site is suitable for use as a shelter in the current planning period, as specified.

The bill would also authorize a local government to accommodate its need for emergency shelters on sites owned by the local government if it demonstrates that the sites will be made available for emergency shelter during the planning period, they are suitable for residential use, and the sites are located near amenities, as specified. The bill would require the identified zoning designations to include sufficient sites to accommodate the need for shelters, as specified. The bill would also require that the number of people experiencing homelessness that can be accommodated on each identified site under these provisions be demonstrated by dividing the square footage of the site by a minimum of 200 square feet per person, except as specified.