PLUM hears SB 79 options; chair forwards code‑amendment recommendation to council

City Planning briefed the Planning and Land Use Management Committee on options to implement SB 79 (Abundant and Affordable Homes Near Transit Act) locally and presented three code‑amendment scenarios under the staff'recommended Approach C.

Director Vince Bertone and senior planners summarized the bill's goals (increasing allowable development density near eligible transit stops), the department's mapping exercise (~141 potential stations identified), and capacity modeling. The report laid out four overarching pathways: A (no local action, state implementation), B (delayed effectuation in eligible areas through 2030), C (delayed effectuation plus local code amendments to expand eligibility for local incentive programs), and D (a full local alternative plan). Under Approach C staff proposed three options (1'3) that vary in scope and where higher incentives would be applied.

Public comment was extensive and divided. Housing advocates, tenants'rights and pro‑housing groups urged the committee to adopt the most expansive option (Option 3) to maximize affordable housing production in high‑resource transit areas; neighborhood associations, preservationists and many homeowners urged delay and caution, asking for carveouts for HPOZs, fire hazard zones, and low‑opportunity areas and seeking robust notification for property owners.

Chair Blumenfield said the committee needed to provide staff direction so planning could meet regulatory timelines and produce a draft ordinance by March; he moved a chair's recommendation for Approach C, Option 2 with exclusions for HPOZs established before 2015 or located in low‑opportunity areas and instructed Planning to initiate a delayed effectuation ordinance under the eligibility criteria in SB 79. The procedural motion was forwarded to full council as the chair's recommendation after a recorded procedural count (2 ayes, 1 no) and the item was transmitted without a full committee endorsement.

Key staff points

- SB 79 creates two tiers of development incentives near transit and allows multiple local implementation pathways and a delayed effectuation option.
- Planning's preliminary mapping reduced an earlier list of ~150 potential stations to ~141 pending SCAG/HCD final mapping and state guidance on commuter rail/eligibility.
- Modeling indicates that although the city's existing zoning currently permits more overall capacity than SB 79 nominally requires, that capacity is concentrated on fewer sites; the city will likely need future rezonings or local alternative plans to meet SB 79 capacity tests across TOD zones by 2030.

What the committee asked Planning to do

- Prepare draft code amendments consistent with Approach C Option 2 for release in March to satisfy the ordinance adoption timeline necessary to delay SB 79 effectuation by June 30.
- Provide cost estimates for additional mailed notification to property owners (staff's initial estimate for a citywide direct-mail notice was roughly $600,000; Planning agreed to refine that figure).
- Provide refined station maps once SCAG/HCD finalize eligibility and any changes to planned routes (K Line northern extension noted as the main area likely to change).

Representative quote: "SB 79 establishes new development standards to increase housing density on sites within a half mile of eligible transit stops," Blair Smith, senior planner, said, summarizing the bill and the staff options.

Next steps

Planning will prepare a draft ordinance and the required materials for Planning Commission and council review; the chair's recommendation will appear in the council file for full council consideration. The scheduling and scope for any final local alternative plan would require additional time and public outreach.