Updates to Density Bonus (DB) Ordinance and Establishment of Community Benefits Program (CBP)

PROJECT BACKGROUND

The adopted City of Burbank 2021-2029 Housing Element sets forth 27 Programs to address the community’s identified housing needs and implement the City’s housing-related goals and objectives. This project seeks to implement fully or in part several of these Programs, including:

Program 9: Facilitate Development of Affordable Housing on Non-Vacant Sites
This program calls for the creation of by-right development. The Community Benefits Program (CBP), once established, will be a local option for by-right development which includes ministerial/streamlined approval for housing projects that provide Community Benefits. Among the options for Community Benefits is increased affordability.

Program 11: Density Bonus Ordinance
This program calls to update the City’s Density Bonus Ordinance, first established in 2006. The update will establish a streamlined approach to the menu of available incentives, concessions and waivers and update the Implementing Regulations for the State Density Bonus Law regulations.

Program 17: Objective Development Standards
Among the goals of this program is the objective to streamline the processing of housing projects of a limited size that comply with the development standards through the establishment of by-right/ministerial approval in the Specific Plan Areas. The Community Benefits Program (CPB) will be established around the same period as the Specific Plans, and furthers the implementation of this Program by creating a path to ministerial approval for certain housing development projects.

Program 19: Development Fee Waivers
This program calls for potential fee reductions offered as an incentive for the production of affordable housing. Among the Developer Benefits for projects which qualify for the CBP is a reduction in Community Facility Fees (also known as Development Impact Fees) for the affordable housing units proposed for the housing development project. Staff will evaluate the feasibility of this option at this time.

City staff undertook this effort starting in December of 2022 and obtained the services of a qualified City consultant with expertise in this topic, to research and prepare this analysis. This exercise is being undertaken primarily to inform future decisions related to the City’s policy related to housing policy. The discussion is also timely as the City looks for ways to incentivize affordable housing production and considers different options for fulfilling the State’s Regional housing Need Assessment (RHNA) allocation for Burbank, which requires that the City construct 8,772 housing units, 3,971 for lower-income households by 2029.

Included below is additional information through which the public can stay up to date on the status of work associated with this effort.