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Page 5 of 18 <br />City of Redwood City 1017 Middlefield Road, Redwood City, CA. 94063 Tel: 650-780-7000 www.redwoodcity.org <br />SB 79 and State Density Bonus Law <br />California’s State Density Bonus Law (SDBL) is intended to encourage development of affordable housing. <br />SDBL provides incentives for affordable housing development by allowing developers to exceed local <br />height and density zoning standards in exchange for providing affordable units. In addition to increased <br />density, SDBL provides the opportunity for project applicants to take advantage of waivers from <br />development standards such as reduced parking requirements and modified development standards to <br />support project feasibility. <br />In the context of SB 79, projects that meet the requirements of SDBL can apply SDBL in addition to SB 79 <br />development standards. However, in such cases, SB 79 specifies that a development cannot request <br />additional height greater than the height prescribed in SB 79. <br />Local Implementation of SB 79 <br />SB 79 requires local jurisdictions to allow residential projects at the height, density, and floor area ratio <br />requirements for eligible projects as described in Table 1. However, the law also provides local <br />jurisdictions with some flexibility in implementation that can address local context. <br />Local jurisdictions can adopt a Local Transit-Oriented Development Alternative Plan (TOD Alternative <br />Plan), which allows for the redistribution of development capacity within transit areas as long as the <br />overall housing capacity required under SB 79 thresholds is maintained. Additionally, local jurisdictions <br />can adopt an ordinance that temporarily excludes sites from the obligations of SB 79 until one year after <br />the State-mandated adoption of the 7th Cycle Housing Element. More detail on these options is provided <br />below in the “Analysis” section of this report. <br />Redwood City’s Current Housing Policy and Direction <br />Redwood City has adopted numerous policies in recent years and is currently advancing planning efforts <br />that generally align with SB 79’s goal of increasing housing production and transit-oriented development <br />including, but not limited to, the following: <br />Establishment of the Transit District – In December 2022, the City established the Transit District <br />within the Downtown Precise Plan (DTPP) in order to focus growth near the Caltrain station. At <br />the same time, the City eliminated maximum residential capacity limits within the DTPP to allow <br />for continued residential growth. <br />General Plan Housing Element – In February 2023, the City adopted it’s 2023-2031 Housing <br />Element with a goal of reaching 150% of the City’s Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA).10 <br />The Housing Element obligates the City to study and implement programs that increase <br />residential density across all zoning districts. Since 2023, City staff have taken multiple rounds of <br />Zoning Code amendments to City Council for consideration and adoption intended to implement <br />these programs by facilitating the construction of high density and missing middle housing. <br />10 As of December 31, 2025, the City was behind pace in meeting its 150% RHNA goal, having issued building <br />permits for 19% of the housing units needed to meet this goal. As of December 31, 2025, the 8-year RHNA cycle <br />was 38% complete with 5 years remaining. <br />8.A. - Page 5 of 97 <br />223