Paul Steidl, left, and Ben Bear, right, co-founders of the company Build Casa on Monday, March 18, 2024, in Oakland, Calif. The company is using some of the new housing legislation passed in recent years to help homeowners with big lots to split their lot, develop housing and sell. In recent years, California lawmakers have approved a flurry of legislation aimed at increasing the housing supply and addressing the state’s decades-in-the-making housing crisis.
But in the first year after SB 9 passed, just a handful of homeowners ended up applying for lot splits, the Q: BuildCasa wouldn’t exist without SB 9. Why do you think so few people are using SB 9, and how does BuildCasa help?There are a lot of folks who have really great properties with the potential for new units, but don’t have the financial or the logistical capabilities of taking on a project to add additional units, like an accessory dwelling unit or a new house.
Q: We’ve heard a lot about how California has a lot of single-family homes and a lot of tall apartment buildings, but that there’s a need for moreAt the turn of the 20th century all the way through the 1940s, there used to be a lot of housing like this — duplexes, townhouses. Then we made changes to how we regulate land use, and these types of housing dropped off a cliff. Most houses built now are either large multifamily properties in urban centers, or tract housing in the exurbs.