Community colleges: housing: local zoning regulations: exemption.
AB 648
California Bills
20250AB__064894CHP INTRODUCED 2025-02-13 AMENDED_ASSEMBLY 2025-05-05 AMENDED_SENATE 2025-07-17 AMENDED_SENATE 2025-09-02 PASSED_ASSEMBLY 2025-09-10 PASSED_SENATE 2025-09-08 ENROLLED 2025-09-12 CHAPTERED 2025-10-06 APPROVED 2025-10-06 FILED 2025-10-06 2025 AB CHP CHP 0 Introduced by Assembly Member Zbur (Coauthor: Senator Arreguí
n) LEAD_AUTHOR ASSEMBLY Zbur COAUTHOR SENATE Arreguín
An act to add
Section to the Education Code, relating to community colleges. community colleges Community colleges: housing: local zoning regulations: exemption. Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges, under the administration of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, as one of the segments of postsecondary education in this state. Existing law establishes community college districts throughout the state and authorizes them to operate campuses and provide instruction to students.
This bill would provide that a community college district is not required to comply with the zoning ordinances of a city, county, or city and county, for a university housing development project constructed on property owned or leased by a community college district if specific requirements are met. If the project includes units for faculty and staff, the bill would require the community college district to ensure that a portion of the units of the project are made available at affordable rents to extremely low income faculty and staff and lower income faculty and staff.
The bill would include findings that changes proposed by this bill address a matter of statewide concern rather than a municipal affair and, therefore, apply to all cities, including charter cities. MAJORITY NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
Section is added to the Education Code , to read: 81055. (
a) For purposes of this section, the following
definitions apply: (1) “Affordable rent” means an amount consistent with the rent limits established by the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee. (2) “Extremely low income faculty or staff” means an employee of the California Community Colleges who satisfies the requirements of
Section of the Health and Safety Code. (3) “Lower income faculty or staff” means an employee of the California Community Colleges who satisfies the requirements of
Section 50079.5 of the Health and Safety Code. (4) “Satellite campus” means an auxiliary classroom or a teaching site not a part of the main campus. (5) “University housing development project” has the same meaning as set forth in
Section 21080.58 of the Public Resources Code. (
b) Notwithstanding any other law, a community college district is not required to comply with the zoning ordinances of a city, county, or city and county for a university housing development project constructed on property owned or leased by a community college district, if the parcel on which the project will be constructed meets either of the following requirements:
(1) The parcel is contained either wholly or partially within a one-half mile radius of a main campus, as defined in
Section 94849.
(2) The parcel is contained either wholly or partially within a one-half mile radius of a satellite campus that existed before July 1, 2025. (
c) If the university housing development project includes units for faculty and staff, the community college district shall ensure that a portion of the units are made available at affordable rents to extremely low income faculty and staff and to lower income faculty and staff.
SEC. 2. The Legislature finds and declares that the construction of a university housing development project on property owned or leased by a community college district is a state priority to address the state’s growing affordable housing shortage and its impact on students, is consistent with the state’s development and funding of a holistic, student-centered, affordability and basic needs infrastructure, furthers the state’s interest in advancing economic development through education and training, is a matter of statewide concern, and is not a municipal affair as that term is used in
Section of
Article XI of the California Constitution. Therefore,