California court says developers exempt from local rules

SAN DIEGO (AP) — A California appeals court says developers who include affordable housing in their projects are exempt from many local limits on height, zoning and density. The San Francisco Chronicle says the court on Wednesday certified an earlier ruling as a precedent for future court cases. If upheld, that could have immense impact as the nation’s most populous state struggles with a housing crisis. The case involved local opposition to a 20-story project currently being built in San Diego. The city approved a plan for a building higher and with more housing units than local standards normally would allow after the developer promised to make 18 units affordable.