SB 886 exempts certain housing development projects at the University of California and the California Community Colleges from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) until January 1, 2030.
To be eligible for the exemption from CEQA, the housing development project must be housing facilities intended to be occupied by students, faculty, or staff of one or more campuses, of one or more campuses and owned by the University of California or the California Community Colleges on real property owned by the public university. SB 886 specifically outlines certain criteria that would not exempt the project from CEQA such as location on farmland and wetlands, or required demolition of certain types of housing.
SB 886 requires that the University of California and the California Community Colleges hold at least one noticed public hearing to hear and respond to public comments before determining that the university housing development project is exempt under SB 886.
SB 886 requires that the University of California, the California Community Colleges or relevant public agency, before the issuance of a certificate of occupancy for each building within a project, obtain the LEED certification of the building, and to make a determination that all construction impacts of the project have been fully mitigated and issue a notice of that determination. That lead agency must file the LEED certification and the notice with the Office of Planning and Research and the county clerk. The Office of Planning and Research and the county clerk must make the certification and notice available to the public.
(SB 886 add and repeal Section 21080.58 of the Public Resources Code.)