By Ann Duwe
July 30, 2025
SB 79 is among more than 200 housing bills aimed at remaking California in the image of Manhattan. Grossly mislabeled as the “Abundant & Affordable Homes Near Transit Act,” the bill increases housing density near dedicated bus, train and ferry stops by reaching deep into the neighborhoods around those stops and permitting, by right, five to seven story rental apartment buildings. The bill does little to make this new housing affordable and wreaks havoc with the planning effort made by cities with compliant Housing Elements. The bill says nothing about its displacement of established residents and businesses.
To get an idea of how damaging SB79 could be, think of El Camino as it runs between Palo Alto and San Jose. Now draw a circle with a half mile radius around a bus or train stop near you. The circle you draw takes in 503 acres, opening that land to high density development over which you will have no say whatever. Deep in the legislation are additional concessions to developers, which when added together, could result in buildings even taller than seven stories. Mandated densities are between 80 and 100 units per acre, though up to 160 units are allowed. (A typical city block of single-family homes has a density of 12-14 units per acre.) If you live within a half mile of a major bus or train stop, a dense, residential tower may be coming to a parcel in your neighborhood. And you will have to help pay for expanding infrastructure and services for that tower.
The rush to convert land near transit to high-rise rentals might be justified if housing supply was the problem. Supply is not the problem. A battery of statistics released by the Department of Finance in January finds supply more than adequate. The crisis in housing is affordability — the gap between what middle and low-income residents can pay and what housing costs.
SB79 will be voted on when the Legislature reconvenes in August. If the bill becomes law, SB79 will add to the costs already weighing heavily on cities in the form of their Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA). No sooner have cities reworked their ordinances, at a cost of hundreds of hours and millions of dollars, then SB79 threatens to impose a whole new set of demands. To verify the high cost of RHNA, ask your city council how much they have spent, to date, on efforts to meet their 6th-cycle RHNA mandates. No estimates have been made public for what SB79 might cost taxpayers.
Residents can help defeat the Manhattanization of California by sending a short email message or calling their Legislators before August 18. Just say, “Oppose SB79.”
Duwe is a longtime local resident.