On Jan. 31, San Luis Obispo was officially recognized by the State of California as a “Prohousing community.”
SLO is now officially in the Prohousing Designation, meaning the city has committed to reducing development costs, reducing construction and channeling a growth mindset while creating housing policies, according to the California Department of Housing and Community Development.
Along with SLO, seven other California towns were recently named part of this program, including Eureka, Healdsburg, Mountain View, Petaluma, Santa Monica and the County of Tulare.
SLO is specifically focusing on the Hillside Planning Program which was instituted by the city.
There will be a direct increase in housing, which many SLO residents and Cal Poly students have struggled to find.
“The people of San Luis Obispo have made it clear: We need more housing options here,” said Mayor Erica A. Stewart in a City news release.
The Statewide Housing Plan is the reason for this recent development, as it requires California to develop 2.5 million new homes over the next eight years. In addition, 1 million of these homes must be for lower-income California residents.
The search for housing is a common struggle among Cal Poly students. Introducing SLO as a “Prohousing community” may provide more opportunities, SLO City Director of Community Development Timi Tway told Mustang News.
With this comes new construction. New Single-family homes, apartment buildings, new condo buildings and new accessory dwelling units behind homes, according to Tway.
“For Cal Poly students, there’s a lot of housing coming on the market,” Tway said.
Every eight years, the city has to redo its main planning document according to the state. A recent update calls for the City of SLO to accommodate 3,354 new homes between 2020-2028, as directed by the state.
While the City doesn’t physically build these homes, they are responsible for policy changes, correct zoning, incentives intact and implementing actions to get these projects done.
“We are really trying to make sure every facet of the community has a place to live. Whether it’s an accessory dwelling unit on a property or a brand new single-family home or a new condo or apartment building,” Tway said.