Amid the state’s deepening housing crisis, there now comes a push for more development in coastal communities instead of inland communities.
The Southern California Association of Governments approved a measure Thursday for additional housing along the coast, according to the Los Angeles Times. It could spur local governments to zone for more growth than they would have otherwise done.
Neighborhoods in Los Angeles and Orange counties will have to accommodate more than 1 million new houses in the next decade which is more than triple what Riverside and San Bernardino counties will need to handle, according to the Times.
Supporters of more coastal housing said they wanted to build more homes near jobs and transit centers to meet demand and lower long commutes. Opponents of the plan said housing costs are already expensive along the coast, and there is not very much vacant land.
“This is a moment of our growing up,” L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti told the Times. “I understand the fear where people are like: ‘No, just keep [housing] out, and maybe my traffic won’t get worse.’ Well, we’ve tried that for three decades, and it’s failed. This is a new beginning.” [LAT] — Eddie Small