A housing advocacy group filed a lawsuit Monday against the city of Lafayette, accusing officials of failing to follow state housing laws to build its fair share of new units.
The Housing Action Coalition, along with Farella Braun and Martel LLP, a San Francisco-based law office, said the city of nearly 25,000 people relies on “misleading and unrealistic housing sites” to meet state-mandated requirements. Their lawsuit, filed in Contra Costa Superior Court, calls on the courts to compel the city to adopt a revised plan and implement changes to its zoning laws.
Housing advocates have sued numerous Bay Area cities for dragging their feet on their plans to enable construction in their communities, but the case against Lafayette differs from many of those because the state has approved its housing plan. It calls for Lafayette to allow for 2,114 new units of housing — 943 of which must be affordable — to be built from 2023 to 2031…