California Attorney General Rob Bonta said Thursday that the city of Encinitas should have approved a permit for a 277-unit housing development and that he will"promptly act to hold the city accountable" if it does not approve a modified version of the project proposal.
In a statement, Bonta's office said the city's denial last year of the Encinitas Boulevard Apartments blocked the state's efforts"to increase housing affordability and accessibility" in the city. The statement noted that the city's median home price is more than double the median price statewide. "No one needs to do everything to solve the problem, but everyone needs to do something," Bonta told NBC 7's Mark Mullen in an interview Thursday."And what is that problem? We are 2.5 to 3 million housing units short in the state of California. It's led to the average median home price to be $800,000 -- far out of reach for most working families."
The project, proposed for the Olivenhain neighborhood, would have included 41 units set aside for lower-income families.