A CAA-sponsored bill that would streamline the conversion of hotels and motels into multifamily housing won approval Wednesday in the Assembly Housing and Community Development Committee.

The committee approved AB 2580 by Assemblywoman Susan Eggman, D-Stockton, on a 7-1 vote. The measure now moves to the Appropriations Committee.

The bill would address California’s unprecedented housing supply and affordability crisis by converting existing structures into long-term housing.

CAA testified to the benefits of hotel and motel conversions. 

“To meet housing needs, we need novel housing solutions,” said Debra Carlton, CAA’s executive vice president of state public affairs. “Hotels and motels are often located in or near places where people work and want to live, thereby serving as ideal locations for desperately needed housing.  They are  quicker and more economical to produce than building housing from the ground up. ”  

AB 2580 would provide a streamlined, ministerial approval process for proposals to convert motel and hotel buildings into multifamily housing. To qualify for the process, the proposal would need to reserve at least 20% of the proposed units for residents of low and moderate income.