Fullerton City Council heard the city’s first Builder’s Remedy housing project.

Builder’s Remedy is a state housing law that gives certain housing projects stronger protections when a city’s housing plan is out of compliance.

Legally, if a city wants to deny a project, they can only do so if there is a safety or health risk backed by specific, written, and objective evidence. If a city denies a Builder’s Remedy project without evidence that meets this standard, it risks being sued and potentially forced by a court to approve the project anyway.

At the hearing, staff was asked whether the Planning Commission’s denial was based on objective evidence. Staff said no.

Fullerton currently has a $13.7 million structural deficit with dangerously low reserves.

Council denied the project 3-2 (Zahra and Charles opposed)