Reports

Below are reports the Builders have contributed to or published, as well as other important resources.

Financing Valley Infill: How to Boost Sustainable Development in the San Joaquin Valley

Council of Infill Builders

October 2021

Accelerating Infill in Hayward: Options to Boost Housing

Council of Infill Builders

December 2019

Accelerating Infill in Santa Rosa and Sonoma County: Options to Address the Housing Shortage & Wildfire Rebuilding Effort

Council of Infill Builders

November 2018

Wasted Spaces: Options to Reform Parking Policy in Los Angeles

Council of Infill Builders

May 2017

Sustainable Fresno Report -- Feb 2016 Cover

Sustainable Jobs in Sustainable Industries: Opportunities for Fresno

Council of Infill Builders, Sierra Business Council & Leadership for Jobs and a New Economy

February 2016

Bringing Downtown Back Report Cover

Bringing Downtown Back: Ways to Boost Infill Development in the San Joaquin Valley

Council of Infill Builders

April 2014

Smart Growth and Economic Success: Investing in Infill Development

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

February 2014

Building Better Budgets Report Cover

Building Better Budgets: A National Examination of Fiscal Benefits of Smart Growth Development

Smart Growth America

May 2013

A Home for Everyone Report Cover

A Home For Everyone: San Joaquin Valley Housing Preferences and Opportunities to 2050

Council of Infill Builders

January 2013

Valuing Downtowns Report Cover

Valuing Downtowns: Upward Not Outward is a Smart Revenue Strategy For Local Governments

Council of Infill Builders

January 2013

Plan for the Future Report Cover

Plan for the Future: How Local Governments Can Help Implement California’s New Land Use and Climate Change Legislation

UC Berkeley and UCLA Schools of Law

July 2010

Removing Roadblocks Report Cover

Removing the Roadblocks: How to Make Sustainable Development Happen Now

UC Berkeley and UCLA Schools of Law

August 2009

March 11, 2025: We are pleased to support SB 677 (Wiener), which makes improvements to Senate Bill 9 (Atkins, 2021) and Senate Bill 423 (Wiener, 2023), including making it easier for property owners to build duplexes and modifying some affordability restrictions that make multifamily housing projects financially infeasible in communities that are failing to meet their state-mandated housing goals. Read our support letter.

March 10, 2025: We are pleased to co-sponsor AB 6 (Ward), which would convene a working group to research and recommend amendments to state building standards to encourage construction of more multifamily residential developments. Read our new sponsor letter and read more on the AB 6 fact sheet.

February 6, 2025: On average, it takes approximately nine months to obtain a
building permit for a fully-entitled apartment building with five or more units. That is why we support Assembly Bill 253 (Ward), which would speed up this process by allowing home builders to hire a licensed and certified third-party reviewer, if the local government cannot complete permit review within 30 days.

February 6, 2025: Read our coalition letter encouraging the San Diego City Council not to repeal the city’s ADU Bonus Program, which has been tremendously successful at building middle income housing without public subsidies.

January 24, 2025: “I think it’s going to fall off pretty precipitously. I just don’t think you’re going to see much in the way of new starts.” Board member Jonathan Fearn quoted in today’s San Francisco Chronicle on the statewide downturn in housing production.

January 17, 2025: We are pleased to support AB 6 (Ward), which would convene a working group to research and recommend amendments to state building standards to encourage construction of more multifamily residential developments. Read our support letter.

January 15, 2025: In the wake of the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles and calls by city leaders for policies to assist in rebuilding and housing those who are displaced, we surveyed our members for options that could address these needs affordably, sustainably and equitably. Read our letter to Mayor Bass and members of the city council.

November 27, 2024: Research by board chair Mott Smith that was cited in the Center Square found that the City of Los Angeles’s Measure ULA tax on all property over $5.15 million has led to an over 70% decrease in sales. “This is a very concerning leading indicator that builders have left the LA market,” Smith commented. “All the zoning in the world isn’t going to help if the builders have left.”

October 30, 2024: We are thrilled to welcome Bruce Fairty, Chief Operating Officer of Cypress Equity Investments, to our board of directors! Bruce brings over thirty-five years of multifamily real estate development experience and investment background to our organization and will help lead our new Los Angeles chapter.

July 29, 2024: Read our coalition support letter for Assembly Bill 2199 (Berman), to extend until 2032 the sunset date of a narrow exemption from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) for infill residential and mixed-use projects in the urbanized parts of California’s unincorporated counties.

June 4, 2024: AB 6 (Friedman) will extend and strengthen transportation emission reduction goals for regions to meet. Read our support letter.

April 24, 2024: Read our support letter for SB 1470 (Glazer), which would create a pre-litigation “right to repair” for any condominium construction defect claims. Such a fix to the law could help boost condominium construction in California in our infill areas.

April 24, 2024: AB 2533 (Carrillo) will improve and clarify the amnesty process for unpermitted accessory dwelling units, helping more low-income tenants and homeowners in the process. Read our support letter.

April 24, 2024: AB 3068 (Haney) will create a by-right, ministerial approval pathway to allow existing commercial buildings to be converted to housing and mixed-uses. We are proud to support this badly needed solution to our depressed downtown office environments and lack of infill housing.

April 23, 2024: We support SB 1462 (Glazer), to allow developers to use deposits made by buyers during the pre-sale process for condominiums to help finance these critical infill-friendly housing types. Read our support letter.

April 8, 2024: AB 1893 (Wicks) would bring important legal certainty to use of the builder’s remedy under the Housing Accountability Act for jurisdictions that do not have a compliant housing element. However, our support-if-amended letter urges a feasibility study before imposing overly restrictive density limits on infill projects in key markets.

April 1, 2024: AB 2910 (Santiago) would facilitate the conversion of commercial or industrial buildings to residential units in infill areas by allowing specific local governments to adopt alternative building regulations. Read our support letter.

March 29, 2024: We support AB 3177 (W. Carrillo) to prohibit local governments from imposing road widening mandates for new housing simply to widen the adjacent roadway as a condition of project approval. Read our support letter.

March 21, 2024: We are proud to support AB 2550 (Gabriel) to update outdated regulations that prevent small businesses from opening and succeeding in infill areas. Read our support letter.

January 25, 2024: Our co-sponsored AB 930 (Friedman) was just approved by the Assembly appropriations committee! It will give local governments a powerful new tool to finance infill infrastructure and equitable housing. Read the updated fact sheet and view our coalition support letter. Please contact us if you would like to support.

January 11, 2024: We joined a coalition of Bay Area advocacy organizations to ask the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) not to fund new highway lane expansions with any new transportation revenue measure currently under development. Read the letter here.

January 9, 2024: Join board chair Mott Smith and board member Jonathan Fearn for an expert UC Berkeley Terner Center panel on making the math behind infill development pencil. Register today for this free event, to be held on Tuesday, January 16th at 11am PT.

See past news items on our press page.