SB 2 Planning Grants Program

The City of Brea was awarded $160,000 in SB 2 Planning Grants Program (PGP) funds from the State of California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). The City of Brea has utilized the grant for the following five projects.

1. General Plan Housing Element Update
2. Update Parking Standards
3. Implement Administrative Approval Process
4. Design Guidance for Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs)
5. Affordable Housing Implementation Guide

Background

In 2017, Governor Jerry Brown signed the Legislative Housing Package which included 15 bills that initiated regulations for providing new financial resources aimed at addressing California’s housing shortage and high housing costs. One of the bills, Senate Bill 2, Atkins (SB 2), also referred to as the “Building Homes and Jobs Act,” established a $75 recording fee on real estate documents. As a one-time component of SB 2, 50% of the fees collected from all counties in 2018 were allocated to the SB 2 PGP Funds. These funds have been set aside to provide funding and technical assistance to all local governments in California to help cities and counties prepare, adopt, and implement plans and process improvements that streamline housing approvals and accelerate housing production. The other 50% has been placed in a fund made available to HCD to assist persons experiencing or at risk of homelessness. Additional information on the SB 2 PGP program can be found on the program webpage:

https://www.hcd.ca.gov/grants-and-funding/programs-active/sb-2-planning-grants