AB 893: Housing development projects: objective standards: campus development zone.

Official summary

Legislative Counsel’s Digest (official, as of the latest version). Written by nonpartisan legislative staff; reproduced verbatim.

Existing law, the Affordable Housing and High Road Jobs Act of 2022 (act), until January 1, 2033, authorizes a development proponent to submit an application for an affordable housing development or a mixed-income housing development that meets specified objective standards and affordability and site criteria, including being located within a zone where office, retail, or parking are a principally permitted use. The act makes a development that meets those objective standards and affordability and site criteria a use by right and subject to one of 2 streamlined, ministerial review processes depending on, among other things, the affordability requirements applicable to the project. The act requires the Department of Housing and Community Development to undertake at least 2 studies, one completed on or before January 1, 2027, and one completed on or before January 1, 2031, on the outcomes of the act.

This bill would provide that, for purposes of determining whether a property or site satisfies the criteria, objective development standards, or other requirements for receiving streamlined, ministerial review under the act, a local government’s review of the property or site is limited to the area described as being physically disturbed by construction in the application for streamlined, ministerial review and does not include, unless expressly stated otherwise, other contiguous or noncontiguous areas even if under the ownership or control of the project proponent. The bill would provide that easements for public right-of-way, public or private utilities, or other public improvements in, under, or over the property shall not make the property ineligible to receive streamlined, ministerial review for either affordable or mixed-income housing developments.

This bill would also expand the eligibility for the above-described streamlined, ministerial review for mixed-income housing developments to include developments located in a campus development zone, as defined, as long as the development meets certain affordability requirements and objective standards, as provided. The bill would require the outcomes of projects built under campus development zones to be reported in the January 1, 2031, outcomes report. The bill would also make related findings and declarations.

The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requires a lead agency, as defined, to prepare, or cause to be prepared, and certify the completion of, an environmental impact report on a project that it proposes to carry out or approve that may have a significant effect on the environment or to adopt a negative declaration if it finds that the project will not have that effect. CEQA also requires a lead agency to prepare a mitigated negative declaration for a project that may have a significant effect on the environment if revisions in the project would avoid or mitigate that effect and there is no substantial evidence that the project, as revised, would have a significant effect on the environment. CEQA does not apply to the approval of ministerial projects.

By expanding the scope of projects eligible for streamlined, ministerial approval as described above, this bill would expand the scope of the exemption from CEQA for ministerial projects.

Existing law includes certain setback requirements in the objective standards that a mixed-income development project must meet to be subject to the above-referenced streamlined, ministerial review process. In this regard, existing law requires all parking to be set back at least 25 feet.

Sponsors

Sponsors by party (alphabetical): Democratic 6

“Support” is shown only as formal sponsorship recorded by the legislature. Roll-call votes are available on the official bill page.

Recent official actions

1. October 10, 2025Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 500, Statutes of 2025.
2. October 10, 2025Approved by the Governor.
3. September 15, 2025Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 4:30 p.m.
4. September 8, 2025Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 62. Noes 5. Page 3018.).
5. September 3, 2025In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending.
6. September 3, 2025Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 31. Noes 9. Page 2437.).
7. August 26, 2025Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
8. August 25, 2025Read third time and amended. Ordered to second reading.
9. August 20, 2025Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
10. August 19, 2025From committee: Be ordered to second reading pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8.
11. July 16, 2025From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 5. Noes 2.) (July 16). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
12. July 3, 2025Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on L. GOV.