Articles written by Eileen Dover

Eileen Dover, Observer Staff Writer|Updated May 14, 2026

The city is grappling with a dramatically increased Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) that has intensified debates over density, height limits, and the pace of new development. In the previous 5th Cycle (covering roughly 2013–2021), Santa Monica's RHNA was 1,674 housing units. For the current 6th Cycle (2021–2029), the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) allocated Santa Monica 8,895 units - more than a fivefold increase. Of the current allocation, appr...