San Francisco Chronicle: ‘YIGBY’ bill to let churches build affordable housing is being revived — and a key shift could improve its chances

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Hands being illuminated by light on a pew
*PRESS RELEASE* Sen. Wiener Intros YIGBY Housing Legislation to Allow Religious Institutions & Nonprofit Colleges to Build Affordable Housing on Their Land
December 7, 2022
Scott Wiener speaking in front of trades council to a crowd off-camera.
The Mercury News: Building homes in ‘God’s backyard’: New bill would permit housing at California’s churches, mosques and synagogues
December 7, 2022
Scott Wiener on stage speaking to a crowd.

The housing fight that gave rise to the moniker YIGBY — or Yes in God’s Back Yard — is coming back to the California Capitol.

State Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, reintroduced a bill this week that would allow churches to build affordable housing on their parking lots and excess land, a move that could unlock thousands of urban lots for construction.

His bill, SB4, would allow religious groups to build affordable housing on their extra land by right, removing barriers posed by local zoning restrictions or discretionary approval processes. The bill would apply to churches, synagogues, mosques and other faith organizations, as well as nonprofit colleges, that want to build apartments or condos on a portion of their land.

Read more via SF Chronicle….