The California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) has released the final Streamlined Ministerial Approval Process Guidelines. Required under S.B. 35 by Sen. Scott Weiner, D-San Francisco, the guidelines incorporated feedback from the development community as well as feedback gathered during a open houses, public comment letters and staff research. The legislation requires the availability of a streamlined, ministerial approval process for developments in localities that have not yet made sufficient progress towards their allocation of the regional housing need or RHNA. Developers have already made use of the statute with a number of projects in the pipeline. The guidelines go into effect on Jan. 1, 2019, and establish terms, conditions and procedures for a development proponent to submit an application for a development to a locality that is subject to the streamlined, ministerial approval process. In addition, HCD will release a series of tools in the coming months to help localities and developers successfully navigate the process. For more information visit California's 2017 Housing Package webpage.