Skip to main content

Mayor, Council President and Housing Chair Lock Arms to Speed Home Building

Posted on 11/09/2023

Council President Krekorian joined Mayor Karen Bass and Councilmember Nithya Raman, Chair of Council's Housing Committee, for the signing of the Mayor's Executive Directive 7. The early morning signing ceremony and press conference took place at the City's Development Services Center, where building permits are reviewed and approved. The Mayor's directive is designed to expedite home construction for people of all income levels, with an emphasis on affordable and mixed income housing, to address barriers to home ownership and to help convert existing commercial buildings into housing.  

Earlier this year, the Council enacted the Council President's motion to exempt all affordable housing units from the threshold for the City's Site Plan Review process. Among other changes, the Mayor's Directive seeks to raise the threshold for Site Plan Review for housing units for many income levels. 

“The challenge of affordability is about way more than just preventing future homelessness,” said Council President Krekorian. “It’s about building a middle class again and ending a cycle that increases the disparity of wealth in this city. There are so many more steps we can take to increase predictability and reduce unnecessary bureaucratic delay."

Mayor Bass, Councilmember Raman and Council President Krekorian  at the City's Development Services Center where permits are processed.