Judge voids San Diego’s affordable housing law
|
|
San Diego’s 3-year-old affordable housing law was thrown out yesterday by a Superior Court judge, putting in jeopardy more than $9 million in fees the city has collected from home builders. The decision, a setback for City Attorney Michael Aguirre, is a victory for the San Diego County building industry, which sued the city not long after the City Council approved the “inclusionary housing” ordinance in 2003. The measure, similar to laws in cities throughout California, requires developers to set aside 10 percent of the houses in their residential projects for low-or moderate-income households. Builders, however, have the option of paying a fee instead of constructing the affordable housing. Just last month, the council agreed to settle the lawsuit by adjusting the timing of when builders have to pay the fee, a move that would have saved individual developers thousands of dollars. The agreement later collapsed when the council rejected additional guarantees sought by the San Diego County Building Industry Association. More : signonsandiego.com |