ENCINITAS — State Sen. Catherine Blakespear (D-Encinitas) introduced legislation Wednesday to amend the state’s density bonus law to prevent developers from using the law to bypass local restrictions without providing substantial residential housing.
Senate Bill 92 would prohibit luxury hotels or other mixed-use projects with minimal housing from qualifying for bonuses under the law. The proposed legislation requires developers to dedicate at least two-thirds of their projects’ floor space to residential housing to be eligible for exemptions from local development restrictions.
“The idea behind the density bonus law is to add meaningful housing throughout California, not as an afterthought to luxury hotel developments,” Blakespear said. “SB 92 will ensure the density bonus law is being used how it was originally intended, to encourage developers to add significant affordable housing to their mixed-use projects. In a state desperate for more affordable housing options, we need to do better, and that’s why this bill sets the bar higher.”
The proposal comes after controversy surrounding a mixed-use project in San Diego’s Pacific Beach neighborhood. The 22-story development at 970 Turquoise Street exceeds the area’s three-story height limit and primarily consists of luxury hotel rooms. The “Turquoise tower” includes just 10 affordable housing units, raising concerns that the project subverts the law’s intent.
The density bonus law, enacted in 1979 and most recently amended in 2024, was designed to incentivize affordable housing development by offering developers benefits like increased project density, reduced parking requirements, and other concessions.
SB 92 aims to align the law more closely with the state’s Housing Accountability Act, which also seeks to encourage affordable housing development.
San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria, sponsoring the bill, praised the legislation.
“This addresses a critical gap in our state’s density bonus law, ensuring that development projects contribute significantly to creating more homes for Californians,” Gloria said. “By requiring a meaningful portion of projects to focus on residential space, we’re taking a major step toward building the affordable housing San Diego and our state urgently need.”
The bill is also supported by U.S. Rep. Scott Peters, D-San Diego, and San Diego City Council President Joe LaCava.
“The original density bonus law was designed to provide more affordable housing to a state that badly needs it, but laws with the right intentions sometimes must be tweaked to achieve the desired outcome,” Peters said.
LaCava added, “The state’s density bonus law must be used to build affordable homes, not absurd high-rise hotels that ignore the goal of housing legislation. This bill will result in actual affordable units and end predatory development that evades the spirit of affordable housing laws.”
Blakespear, who represents Senate District 38 covering northern San Diego County and parts of southern Orange County, said the bill reflects a commitment to addressing the state’s housing crisis while protecting the integrity of the density bonus program.
2 comments
Let’s try again:
As if she is doing anyone a favor.
Density Bonus needs to be scrapped altogether.
I never thought I’d see the day that Democrats would want developers to have more power than their constituents.
As if she is doing anyone a favor.
Density Bonus needs to be scrapped altogether.
I never thought I’d see the day that Democrats would want developers to have more power than their constituents.
The corruption in this State is disgusting.