California's housing shortage has reached a critical point. There is currently a shortage of almost 973,000 rental homes affordable and available for extremely low-income renters. This dire situation demands innovative and aggressive solutions. Traditional development timelines, plagued by delays and bureaucratic hurdles, are no longer sustainable. To meet the overwhelming demand for affordable housing, all stakeholders in California—from developers and lenders to government officials and policymakers—must unite in a concerted effort to accelerate the production of new housing.
This panel will explore a range of strategies to expedite the development process and increase housing capacity. Experts from various fields will discuss:
- Strategies for Accelerating the Development Processes: Identifying and eliminating unnecessary bureaucratic barriers and discussing innovative strategies to reduce the time it takes for projects to move from approval to financing to construction.
- Deploying Timely Technology Solutions: Exploring how technology can help capture and analyze data at an unprecedented scale, at both the county and the State level, to streamline workflows, improve efficiency, and build capacity at every level of government.
- Land Use Planning: Exploring the need to address different policy challenges such as outdated zoning regulations and codes that are hindering new development opportunities.
By engaging in an open dialogue about the challenges and opportunities facing California's housing market, this panel aims to inspire action and drive the development of innovative solutions to address the state's housing crisis.