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In a bold move aimed at California’s persistent housing shortage, Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 79 – formally the Abundant and Affordable Homes Near Transit Act. The law mandates that cities permit denser residential construction, including multifamily and apartment complexes, within half-mile zones of major transit stops, pre-empting certain local zoning restrictions.
This is a textbook example of state-level planning policy intentionally unshackling local zoning regimes in service of broader housing goals. It came in response to decades of restricted housing supply, climbing costs, displacement, and constrained growth near transit. As Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), the bill’s author, noted: “These rules were meant to protect neighborhoods, but they’ve also locked out housing at every income level.”