Today California YIMBY and State Senator Scott Wiener announced Senate Bill 79, new state legislation that will make it faster and easier to build multi-family housing near transit stops, like train and rapid bus lines, by making it legal for more homes to be built in these areas, while streamlining existing permit review processes.
The bill, which is sponsored by California YIMBY, Streets For All, SPUR, Bay Area Council, and Greenbelt Alliance, eliminates housing bans that most California cities have enacted in the neighborhoods around transit stops – even though those transit systems are funded by all California taxpayers.
“In cities across our state, Californians have made substantial investments in public transit, but too many of these cities treat public amenities like exclusive private clubs,” said Brian Hanlon, CEO of California YIMBY. “It’s fundamentally unfair to collect tax revenues from everyone for rail operation, but then prohibit people from living close enough to benefit from these investments. SB 79 would bring that practice to an end, and allow more Californians to ride on the transit systems they paid for.”
According to the Othering & Belonging Institute, most California cities continue to prohibit more than one house (plus an ADU) per property on a substantial amount of the land within one-half mile of California’s major transit systems. In cities like Los Angeles, massive new investments in transit are being met by rigorous local opposition to allowing more than one home within walking distance of transit stops.
SB 79 would allow property owners to choose between maintaining their existing housing arrangement – single-unit homes will remain fully legal in all residential neighborhoods – or adding residential buildings of up to seven floors on their properties, depending on the transit type and proximity.
“The state of California has spent billions of dollars on transit,” said Nolan Gray, Legislative Director for California YIMBY. “SB 79 will put these investments on a more stable financial footing while allowing many more Californians to live, work, and have easy access to the transit systems they paid for.”
Read more about SB 79 here.
