The developer used a Variance to change zoning rules. Many Bay Area (I only know this market)counties will happily acccept the fee (upwards of $1000), and 99.

The developer used a Variance to change zoning rules. Many Bay Area (I only know this market)counties will happily acccept the fee (upwards of $1000), and 99.99% of the time the Variance is not granted. I truly believe counties count on the fees for revenue. I 've noticed a slight lightening up though. Gavin Newsome made it much easier to build certain structures. He made in-law units (ADU) easier to build. What happened is wealthy people took advantage of the laws, and added extra feet to their already huge house. These ADU will not be rented out to low income, or even strangers. The wealthy found a loophole, and used it to remodel their homes. Oh yea, their is still a lot of kissing town officials ass in order to build anything. Neusome also mandated new apartments, and reasonably hosing, to be built. It is a great move. He slashed a lot of red tape. It's still a pain though. You will have town officials arguing over siding, window placement, gardens, exactly whom will be living in the ADU. NIMBY's are alive and well in my county. Just about everytime we want to build a homeless shelter; homeowners scream, and officials listen. (Towns are panicking now over homeless. The homeless camps are getting bigger, and Thurston Howell III does not like looking at them. The Supreme court gave the homeless some rights though. Cops can't just harass them to move quite as easily as they did in the past.) I have watched towns/counties harass homeowners who want to build since the 80's. (I was going to buy a cabin, and I knew the foundation would need to be replaced. Half the cabin was sitting on a redwood stump. I just wanted to put a foundation in, and it wasen't possible due to zoning.) I don't like our building system. They make the process rediculiously expensive, and complicated (remember you, tge architect, the contractor, will be going to many meetings with town offivials begging to remodel, or build. They love saying no. It's become a disensentive for middle class homeowners to remodel. I currently have one fear over new residential building. It's water in the Bay Area. This drought does not feel temporary. I woukd like to see apartment complexes build adjacent to 101, but the water shortage needs to be addressed. At this point, I only trust care about very low income, and the homeless. I have never seen so many people without a roof over their heads.