Senate Bill 1258 (Wiener)
What the bill does:
The bill facilitates the clean-up of certain types of hazardous waste sites while encouraging infill housing production and reducing pressure on sprawl housing development. The bill adjusts the timing for when a site suitability determination from a relevant entity is required for a housing development project on a “Cortese List” site to be eligible for the state streamlined ministerial approval process. By aligning the timing for when these site suitability determinations must occur with the typical timing for construction financing and site remediation, and by permitting certified local jurisdictions to supervise remediation with appropriate state oversight, SB 1258 will ensure more hazardous waste sites get cleaned up and that more climate friendly infill housing gets built.
Why this bill matters:
It’s essential that we have a process that incentives the remediation of infill housing sites. However, the timing for when this suitability must be demonstrated can have a significant effect on the feasibility of the process and the ability for projects to advance to development stages where they can unlock construction financing and actually do the clean-up. SB 1258 ensures that listed hazardous waste sites are mitigated prior to certificate of occupancy for housing development projects using various state housing laws. By sequencing clean-up activities in a manner that makes projects more financially feasible, it will result in more brownfield site cleanups and more housing production, improving public health and safety while addressing the state’s acute housing shortage.
Contact Ali Sapirman at Ali@housingactioncoalition.org for more information.