Rules beyond zoning
Emerging evidenceSet the rules once. Stop retrying every home.
California's SB 35 gave qualifying projects a faster, more certain path than years of discretionary review. Affordable-housing builders became some of its most visible users.
Figures from the papers
Inspect the published evidence directly
Figure 2 · Proposed SB 35 projects by year and approval status
Most reported SB 35 applications had received entitlements by the report's cutoff.
Evidence stack
Studies behind this conclusion
Streamlining Multifamily Housing Production in California
California's SB 35 created a faster and more certain approval path for qualifying projects, with especially visible use by affordable-housing developers.
156 approved or pending projects proposed more than 18,000 homes from 2018–2021
Keep in mind: Proposed units are not completed homes, users of the program are selected, and the report does not estimate a statewide causal effect.
Study details →How Can Procedural Reform Support Fair Share Housing Production?
SB 35 made approval more predictable for projects that successfully used it, while local rules and project economics still shaped where the process was practical.
Keep in mind: The case sample includes successful projects and cannot establish total statewide production or a causal effect on housing costs.
Study details →From evidence to policy