Honchariw

INTRODUCTION

Government Code section 65589.5 1 is known as the Housing Accountability Act (see § 65589.5, subd. (o)), and has been referred to colloquially as the “ ‘Anti NIMBY’ law.” 2 (Schellinger Brothers v. City of Sebastopol (2009) 179 Cal.App.4th 1245, 1253, fn. 9 [ 102 Cal.Rptr.3d 394 ].) The purpose of the *1069 statute is to limit the ability of local governments to “reject or make infeasible housing developments . . . without a thorough analysis of the economic, social, and environmental effects of the action . . . .” (§ 65589.5, subd. (b).) Subdivision (j) of the statute provides that “[wjhen a proposed housing development project complies with applicable, objective general plan and zoning standards and criteria, including design review standards, in effect at the time that the housing development project’s application is determined to be complete,” a local agency which “proposes to disapprove the project .. . shall base its decision regarding the proposed housing development project upon written findings supported by substantial evidence on the record that . . . [f] (1) [t]he housing development project would have a specific, adverse impact upon the public…