By Martin Potter
Principal Planner, City Planning and Community Development Department
In response to the declaration of a housing crisis in California (Senate Bill 330 — The Housing Crisis Act of 2019), laws to accelerate housing production have been passed with increasing frequency, complexity, and compounding effects. Many override local zoning requirements, requiring City staff to continually monitor and analyze new legislation, review projects for consistency with State standards, provide guidance, and develop zoning code amendments.
The following is a brief summary of significant bills that have affected City Planning Department operations:
- SB 330 (2019) establishes replacement provisions for projects that demolish existing residential units (often referred to as “no net loss” since they are intended to prevent a net reduction in housing capacity).
- SB 9 (2021) allows up to four units on single-family zoned properties and “urban lot splits”, which permit splitting one parcel into two, each with two units allowed. It was amended by SB 450 (prohibiting cities from imposing SB 9 standards more restrictive than the underlying zone) and AB 1061 which permits SB 9 in historic and landmark districts, provided that there is no demolition or alteration of contributing historic resources, but prohibits SB 9 on parcels individually listed on the State Historic Resources Inventory, the California Register of Historical Resources, or individually designated at the local level.
- AB 803 (2021) requires cities to ministerially allow the subdivision of multifamily zoned parcels into small-lot, single-family parcels. It was amended by SB 684 (2023), which allows up to ten residential units to be developed on lots no smaller than 600 square feet.
- AB 2011 and SB 6 (2022) both focused on allowing housing in commercial zones. AB 2011 permits 100% affordable by right on underutilized commercial sites, as well as mixed-income housing projects along commercial corridors. SB 6 permits residential development in commercial zones.
- SB 79 (2025) takes effect on July 1, 2026 and establishes new development standards within ¼ and ½ miles of “transit-oriented development (TOD) stops” on land zoned for residential, mixed-use, or commercial development. It provides density, height, and floor area ratio requirements that supersede local zoning and are scaled based on the type of TOD stop and the project site’s proximity. The bill permits cities to adopt “TOD alternative plans” that allow some flexibility in allocating densities near a TOD stop (provided there is no net reduction in capacity) and the ability for the City to reduce capacity in very limited circumstances (such as areas within a Very High Fire Hazard Zone and partial exemptions for historic resources).
The continuous pace of new and revised housing legislation requires significant effort by the City’s Planning & Community Development Department to analyze bills, provide guidance to decision-makers, applicants, and the public, and develop targeted amendments to the Zoning Code.
Note: This article was originally published in the Winter 2026 issue of the West Pasadena Residents’ Association’s The News newsletter.