Circulate San Diego submitted a letter of support for AB 1401. Specifically, the letter counters the argument that the bill would undermine California’s density bonus law. San Diego’s experience shows that density bonus usage continued to rise even after eliminating some residential parking minimums.
In 2019, the City of San Diego eliminated minimum parking requirements for residential developments within transit priority areas. In 2020, San Diego’s density bonus program produced more affordable and market rate homes than it ever had before. Many of these projects are located within transit priority areas. While a number of other factors could have caused this increase, it is safe to say that parking reform did not reduce density bonus usage.
Moreover, the data shows that San Diego’s density bonus program has been highly successful in generating both market rate and affordable housing. Read the full letter here [PDF]
