Concord warned it may be violating fair housing laws

CONCORD, Calif. - California is accusing Concord of possibly violating fair housing laws because of a recent vote on affordable housing.

A developer first proposed building nearly 200 low-cost, state-financed apartments downtown, the East Bay Times reported.

The city council rejected this proposal last month, saying  it preferred affordable housing spread to more neighborhoods across Concord. 

Councilmembers said they've approved three large housing projects, adding more than 300 affordable units downtown. They argued that allowing more low-income housing in the area would risk depriving the neighborhood of a healthy mix of residents from all backgrounds. Meanwhile, councilmembers said that other parts of Concord don't have enough f affordable homes/ 

The council encouraged the developer to build market-rate apartments instead.

The East Bay Times reported that state regulators sent Concord a warning letter on Monday about possible affordable housing violations.

State regulators have sent similar warning letters to other Bay Area cities, including Woodside, which tried to skirt a recent state housing law by declaring their area a mountain lion sanctuary.

Concord says it's reviewing the letter.