San Luis Obispo County, CA
10/23/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 10/24/2025 15:43
State Designates SLO County as “Prohousing” Supervisors Adopt New Housing Policies to Boost Housing Production.
State Designates SLO County as "Prohousing" Supervisors Adopt New Housing Policies to Boost Housing Production.
Author: Administration
Date: 10/23/2025 4:18 PM
The County of San Luis Obispo's efforts to ease the housing crunch are being recognized by the State of California as Board of Supervisors adopts land use ordinance changes to support greater housing production.
PROHOUSING DESIGNATION
The County of San Luis Obispo's efforts to ease the housing crunch are being recognized by the State of California. The California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) has announced the County has earned the prestigious "Prohousing Designation". It is a recognition reserved for cities and counties that go above and beyond in enacting bold, locally driven policies that accelerate housing production, lower costs, and expand opportunities.
Why "Prohousing" Matters
This designation signals to residents, builders, and funders that these communities are ready to get homes built and opens up new funding mechanisms for Counties. Prohousing jurisdictions are recognized for cutting red tape and permitting timelines, unlocking land and funding, and zoning for more housing types. They are doing so while protecting affordability, equity, and sustainability. In addition to adopting a robust slate of Prohousing policies, each designated jurisdiction must meet and maintain a high standard of accountability. That includes having a certified housing element (housing plan), staying current on annual progress reports and policy and program commitments, completing required rezonings, maintaining good standing with state housing laws, and having an approved encampment response plan.
San Luis Obispo County was recognized for lowering permit barriers for affordable housing, incentivizing higher density through land use changes, and creating a new local trust fund to support nonprofit housing development.
About the Program
The Prohousing Designation unlocks benefits for jurisdictions-including priority and bonus points in state housing, infrastructure, and planning programs like the Prohousing Incentive Program, Caltrans Sustainable Transportation Planning Grants Program, Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities, and more.
For more information about the Prohousing Designation Program please visit the Prohousing Designation Website.
HOUSING ELEMENT IMPLEMENTATION
The Board of Supervisors this week adopted land use ordinance changes to support greater housing production. The Board updated land use regulations and incentives for builders, leveraging local dollars bring additional State and Federal funds into the region. The changes are aimed at encouraging more affordable and higher density housing to help meet housing demands from local workers and residents.
A sub-committee comprised of local builders, non-profit affordable housing developers, building industry stakeholders, Supervisor Dawn Ortiz-Legg, and Supervisor Jimmy Paulding worked with County planning staff to develop creative solutions to the County's housing challenges.
"With a collaborative effort, we have successfully streamlined the process for creating more housing. By encouraging multifamily development in commercial zones, this initiative will provide vital relief for families, young professionals, and employers throughout SLO County." said Board Chair Ortiz-Legg.
A video explaining how the changes came to be can be found here.
Key Actions Adopted by the Board of Supervisors
The Board supported the proposal outlined in the staff report prepared by the Planning & Building Department, providing the following direction:
- Multi-Family Dwelling Regulation Updates
Amendments will be made that are designed to streamline and increase flexibility in policies governing multi-family dwelling development. These changes are designed to support more multi-family housing construction, which can help address housing shortages and affordability challenges in both inland and coastal communities. Updated policies and reduced procedural barriers should help developers, housing nonprofits, and other stakeholders move projects forward more efficiently. (Housing Element Implementation Action 01)
- Regional Housing Incentives & Regional Housing Fund
The County will establish a Regional Housing Incentive Program and create a Regional Housing Fund under County Code Title 31, that leverages local dollars to bring in additional State and Federal funding. These measures are intended to fill the current funding gap for approximately 280 previously approved affordable housing units that are ready for construction. The Regional Housing Fund will create a dedicated financial mechanism to support affordable housing projects, and the incentive program will encourage development in regions with infrastructure capacity. (Housing Element Implementation Action 02)
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