Who Are The Infill Insiders?
Introducing The Infill Insiders. We here at Workbench are developers helping to solve the state's housing crisis by creating denser infill housing that is good for residents and communities, environmentally sustainable, and less car oriented.
Investors, Land Owners, Developers, Jurisdictions, and Policy Makers, we’re all trying to make more successful housing projects in California. We’re here to share our expertise to make the process of creating infill housing even better. Along the way we share examples from our own work, break down the latest guidance from the California Department of Housing & Community Development, discuss how courts have ruled, and help everyone plan for the future as the whole process grows and changes.
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Episode Chapters
00:00 - The California Housing Crisis Setting the stage: millions of units needed near jobs and transit
00:16 - Legislative Response Over 100 housing bills passed in the last decade
00:30 - The Knowledge Gap Why using these bills remains complex and poorly understood
00:45 - Real-World Impact Example of an affordable housing project built in under 15 months
01:08 - Meet Your Host Sibley Simon and Workbench introduction
01:39 - Our Mission Sharing practical knowledge to accelerate housing development
01:44 - What You'll Learn
Calculating maximum permittable density
Accelerating the permitting process
Understanding which zoning rules actually apply
02:11 - Deep Dive Promise Technical guidance from HCD, court rulings, and yearly evolution
02:37 - What Makes This Different Getting nerdy and useful with practical implementation
02:41 - Coming Up Next Preview of upcoming episodes on pre-application, density calculations, and 2025's new bills
Full Episode Transcript
Here in California, we need millions of units of infill housing—to have the homes near jobs and transit that we need for the people already living in the state. For many years, it was extremely difficult or entirely illegal to build more than a tiny bit of that.
So the state legislature, to try to help solve that problem, has passed over a hundred housing bills in the last decade with more each year. But to actually use those bills to create housing is extremely complex, poorly understood, and in some cases still being figured out.
At Workbench, we get a ton of questions about that subject, specifically about how to use state law to permit housing that's financially feasible and desirable to build.
Right now, I'm standing on the site of an infill affordable housing project that's currently under construction. This project wouldn't have even been legal just a few years ago. Under state laws, it was able to go from just beginning design to starting construction in under 15 months. This kind of progress requires development processes that weren't previously possible.
I'm Sibley Simon. I'm a principal at Workbench. We permit, design, and build infill apartment buildings in California. In short, we're developers helping to solve the state's housing crisis by creating denser infill housing that's good for residents and communities and is environmentally sustainable, including being less car oriented.
We want to have more impact, so this podcast is going to share what we've learned.
For example, you'll learn how to determine the density on a specific site that must be permitted by a local jurisdiction, often more than you might think. You'll also learn how to get the permitting process to go at its intended speed, often faster than you might think. And you'll learn what you're allowed to design, and you will be surprised how most local zoning rules don't apply to most housing development projects.
We'll cover guidance from the California Department of Housing and Community Development, what courts have ruled, and how everything's evolving year after year.
So it's quite a bit different than other California housing podcasts out there. Buckle up because it's going to get very nerdy and very useful.
Our first few episodes are going to cover the pre-application process—it's very important—how to calculate permittable density, and some of 2025's biggest new housing bills.
We'll see you there.
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Episode Information
Host: Sibley Simon, Principal at Workbench
Company: Workbench - Permitting, designing, and building infill apartment buildings in California
Episode Length: 3:06
Episode Type: Series IntroductionKey Takeaways
California has passed 100+ housing bills in the last decade, but implementation remains complex
Projects that were illegal just years ago can now go from design to construction in under 15 months
Most local zoning rules don't apply to most housing development projects
State law can unlock higher density and faster permitting than commonly understood
Resources Mentioned
California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD)
State housing legislation and court rulings
Workbench development projects
Hosted by
Sibley Simon
Principal & Impact Development Executive, WorkbenchSibley leads the Workbench development team's impact focused projects geared towards creating more affordable housing without public subsidy. With years of experience driving legislative progress, he’s forged strong alliances with leaders dedicated to tackling California’s housing equity challenges. Before joining Workbench, Sibley founded numerous companies and created an impact investment fund to spur new workforce and affordable housing development.
https://www.workbenchbuilt.com/people/sibley-simon
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sibleyverbeckWho Are The Infill Insiders?
The Infill Insiders break down the highly complex process of infill housing development in California. Host and principal developer, Sibley Simon, shares Workbench's experience to teach developers and land owners how to use the many state housing laws to successfully develop infill housing, while showing jurisdictions what makes the process more efficient, and encouraging elected officials and anyone interested to face the big challenges that still remain in housing creation. Join us and become more effective at creating infill housing.Socials & Contact
Questions & Ideas: insiders@workbenchbuilt.com
Workbench: workbenchbuilt.com/theinfillinsiders
YouTube: @workbenchbuilt
Instagram: @workbenchbuilt
Twitter: https://x.com/workbenchbuiltReferences
https://www.hcd.ca.gov/
https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=GOV§ionNum=65941.1.Credits
Recording, Editing & Animation: Josh Bootz
Assistant Producer: Wednesday Manners--
California | State Housing Laws | Infill Development | Santa Cruz | Housing Santa Cruz County | California Affordable Housing | Affordable Housing Developer | Support Affordable Housing | Build Affordable Homes | California Living | Housing For All | Affordable Living | Housing Solutions | Community Development
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