The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
(a) As California moves into the next century, revitalization of our downtown areas is of vital importance to every community in our state.
(b) Downtown areas generally represent urban cores that are deficient in housing that is critical to revitalization.
(c) Providing additional housing in downtown areas will allow workers to live closer to their place of employment and minimize the number of workers commuting from other areas.
(d) Downtown areas frequently have many older, underutilized commercial buildings that are well suited for residential, live-work, and mixed residential and commercial use.
(e) The development of projects that are in close proximity to transit corridors allows the workforce to use mass transit to commute to work and minimizes the use of private vehicles, easing traffic congestion and wear on our highways, and serves to improve air quality.
(Added by Stats. 2000, Ch. 83, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 2001.)