Builder’s Remedy Watch
Because Your Neighborhood Deserves a Say
What Is the Builder’s Remedy—and Why Should You Be Concerned?
The Builder’s Remedy is a little-known legal loophole that allows developers to bypass local zoning laws—even in quiet, residential neighborhoods—if a city falls out of compliance with state housing mandates. Under this rule, any project that includes just 20% affordable units (or 100% moderate-income) can override height, density, parking, and design standards without meaningful local review.
That means apartment buildings in cul-de-sacs, overcrowded streets, stripped tree canopies, and overloaded infrastructure—without the input of the people who live there.
YIMBY activists praise this as a “housing hack.” We see it for what it really is:
👉 A top-down state overreach that puts special interests ahead of families, seniors, and longtime residents.
🗺️ Are You at Risk?
View Builder’s Remedy Projects Near You
(Map sourced from YIMBY Law—click to see where developers are already moving in)
What’s Really at Stake?
Local Control – Builder’s Remedy guts community planning. Cities lose their ability to say “no” to outsized or inappropriate projects—even those that don’t match the character or scale of a neighborhood.
Quality of Life – Schools, roads, water, and emergency services face added strain—with no guarantees of new funding to support them.
False Affordability Promises – Developers can meet the minimum affordability threshold but then pack the rest of the units with market-rate rentals, driving up prices and increasing investor speculation.
Environmental Impact – Many of these projects bypass CEQA protections, putting green spaces and coastal zones at risk.
What Can Be Done?
✅ Support Accountability
We advocate for realistic, locally tailored housing plans—not blanket mandates that ignore a city’s unique needs.
✅ Fix the Process, Don’t Break Communities
We support housing where it’s needed most—near jobs, transit, and existing high-density corridors—not jammed into residential neighborhoods against their will.
✅ Demand Transparency
NFABC is tracking Builder’s Remedy projects across California and calling for more local input, environmental oversight, and responsible planning.
Want to get involved?
