BUILD, BABY, BUILD:

California legislators just took a huge step to address the state's housing crisis by allowing homeowners to double up.  The state assembly passed a bill today (Aug. 26) that allows for two-unit buildings to be built on lots previously zoned for single-family homes.

It's a significant reversal of decades of policy built around restrictive single-family zoning. In California, as across the US, allowing for one housing unit to be built per parcel of land has been standard. It's what gave rise the suburbs as we know them, but has also been used as a tool in racist housing policies that have excluded Black, brown, and Native Americans from homeownership. In recent years, restrictive zoning has been a primary driver of the state's affordable housing shortage. The median home price in California has risen 27% in the past year alone, and currently sits at more than $800,000.

Tweet   @brothersjudd