Study Finds Voluntary Inclusionary Programs Not Effective

On July 14, the Non Profit Housing Association of Northern California and the California Coalition for Rural Housing released a study entitled "Inclusionary Housing in California: 30 Years of Innovation." The study is based on a survey of 107 cities and counties that have local inclusionary zoning programs.

In addition to explaining the various policy options and comparing different local ordinances, the study also compared the 15 most productive programs to all the other programs. All of the 15 most productive programs are mandatory programs that did not permit exceptions based "infeasibility." The authors concluded that Inclusionary Zoning is an effective tool.

The study found that local inclusionary housing programs had created over 34,000 affordable homes and apartments in the state over the past 30 years. More and more local jurisdictions are turning to Inclusionary Zoning to involve the private sector in addressing the housing crisis. About one in five local governments in California have some form of Inclusionary Zoning. The authors concluded that Inclusionary programs had the potential to double the amount of affordable housing built in the state.

To order a copy of the study go to: http://www.nonprofithousing.org/knowledgebank/publications/index.atomic.

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