A sweeping new California law that forces cities to allow taller apartments near transit stops will unlock zoning for more than 1 million homes in urban areas when it takes effect in July, according to a report by the Los Angeles Times. The Abundant and Affordable Homes Near Transit Act, also known as Senate Bill 79, overrides local restrictions that previously blocked dense housing development around rail stops, ferry terminals, and rapid bus stops. The law is one of the most aggressive measures state legislators have taken to address California's housing shortage in recent years.

The law applies only to counties with at least 15 passenger rail stations, affecting eight counties: Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, Alameda, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Sacramento. Developers may build housing up to nine stories tall for buildings adjacent to certain transit stops, seven stories for buildings within a quarter-mile, and six stories for buildings within a half-mile. Height limits are based on two tiers: Tier 1 zoning for heavy-rail lines like the L.A. Metro B and D lines allows six- to nine-story buildings, while Tier 2 zoning for light-rail lines and bus routes with dedicated lanes allows five- to eight-story buildings. The biggest effect will probably be felt in Los Angeles, which has an estimated 150 transit stops covered by the bill, and single-family neighborhoods within a half-mile of transit stops are subject to the new zoning rules.

Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), who introduced the bill in 2025, emphasized that the state needs to take immediate action to address California's housing shortage. Sean Burton, CEO of Cityview, one of the state's largest apartment developers, said the law "removes a bunch of uncertainty" about whether proposed projects will get approved, adding that "this should really accelerate the production of new housing in Los Angeles and beyond." Los Angeles architecture firm SPF:architects has already designed two proposed residential projects in Southern California that will be unveiled when the law goes into effect July 1, with the director of operations saying he doesn't want to name exact locations yet to avoid tipping off officials who might try to stop them.

Los Angeles is among the cities that have moved to blunt the requirements of SB 79 after opposing it in a resolution last year that said the bill "undermines local governance." In March, the City Council adopted a strategy to delay the effects of SB 79 citywide by upzoning 55 single-family and low-density areas, allowing four- to 16-unit buildings up to four stories tall. The bill allows cities to delay the new zoning law until 2030 if they add density on their own terms, and L.A.'s plan will allow it to kick the can down the road until 2030. Burton said developers are frustrated by the delay and believes that much of the housing boom will skip Los Angeles because of Measure ULA, the "mansion tax" that levies an additional real estate transfer tax on high-value property sales. "I think you'll see Santa Monica benefit and Culver City benefit and Pasadena and Glendale benefit," Burton said, predicting neighboring cities will capture the development that L.A. loses.

Jonathan Curtis, head of Glendale multifamily housing developer Cedar Street Partners, said the state mandates make sense given the housing crisis, noting that "billions of dollars have been spent on rail" and "what's missing is the density at rail stations." Developers are already cautiously planning to take advantage of the eased regulations and expect a rush of proposals submitted before cities complete their own density plans, since proposals submitted before a plan is complete would still be subject to SB 79's more permissive rules. The law represents a major shift in California's approach to housing, preempting local control to legalize midrise and high-rise multifamily housing in transit-rich areas—but whether it delivers on its promise of more than a million new homes may depend on how many cities follow L.A.'s lead in delaying implementation.