Despite advancing, fate of housing bill SB 79 remains uncertain

An ambitious and divisive housing bill that seeks to encourage taller and denser developments near transit lines survived a key vote in the state Senate last week with the assistance of state Sen. Josh Becker, though its ultimate fate remains uncertain is it moves to the Assembly.

Becker, a Democrat who represents Palo Alto, Menlo Park, Mountain View and other cities in the San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, in many ways epitomizes his party’s ambivalence toward Senate Bill 79, a housing bill that was authored by state Sen. Scott Wiener. The bill would grant concessions to new housing projects near train stations, light rail, bus corridors and ferry stops. Development standards would vary based on distance from transit areas and types of transit available. Maximum heights, for example, would range from 45 feet to 95 feet, depending on which of the three “tiers” a project falls into.

While Becker voted to advance the bill, he emphasized in an interview that his support hinges on significant changes that would need to be made to the legislation before it comes back to the Senate for a final vote. Chief among them is a clearer differentiation between projects that are located right along a transit corridor, or within 1/8 of a mile and those that are as far as half a mile away.

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