Council Celebrates Ruling for Livermore 100% Affordable Housing Project

A rabid anti-housing group in Livermore recently got a solid beat down in its lawsuit opposing a 100% affordable housing project by Bay Area Council member and nonprofit homebuilder Eden Housing. The project, which proposes 130 affordable homes in downtown Livermore, succeeded against Save Livermore Downtown, a NIMBY group established to oppose affordable housing in the high opportunity and highly segregated suburb. In an unpublished opinion, the First District Court of Appeal ruled that the NIMBYs lawsuit was entirely without merit.

The decision was important beyond the homes it will bring to low-income people, affirming a separate court ruling against an abusive California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) lawsuit. CEQA lawsuits are a favorite tool of anti-housing tool in delaying and blocking new housing. The appellate court also affirmed the state Housing Accountability Act’s preference for objective standards, dismissing NIMBYs claims as baseless and unenforceable because they were subjective. To engage in the Council’s housing policy work, please contact Vice President Louis Mirante.