https://www.siliconvalley.com/2024/02/02/san-jose-to-fight-developers-using-builders-remedy-to-downsize-housing-projects/

San Jose is the most recent city to fight back against the “builder’s remedy,” an obscure provision of state law that allows developers to build projects of any height and size almost anywhere in cities without a state-certified housing plan. But unlike some other places, the city doesn’t want to block housing units from getting built — it wants to win them back.

This week, the city sent letters of rejection to developers who used the builder’s remedy after June 20, including to some who tried to scale back previously approved housing projects, telling them that they will not proceed with their applications. The move opens the door to a legal battle over the future of major urban development projects around the city.