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<br /> <br /> <br />4/8/26 2 <br />Housing Development Project ....................................................................................................................... 13 <br />Light Rail Transit ............................................................................................................................................ 14 <br />Net Habitable Square Footage ...................................................................................................................... 14 <br />Tier 1 TOD Stop .............................................................................................................................................. 15 <br />Tier 2 TOD Stop .............................................................................................................................................. 15 <br />TOD Stop ........................................................................................................................................................ 15 <br />TOD Zone ....................................................................................................................................................... 15 <br />Urban Transit County..................................................................................................................................... 15 <br />Very High Frequency Commuter Rail ............................................................................................................ 16 <br /> <br />Introduction <br />On October 10, 2025, Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill (SB) 79 (2025) into law. The law is codified in <br />Government Code Sections 65912.155 through 65912.162.1 <br />SB 79 makes qualified transit-oriented housing developments an allowed use on sites zoned for residential, <br />mixed-use, or commercial development that are located near specified transit stops in counties with more <br />than 15 passenger rail stations. In the Bay Area, eligible counties include San Francisco, Alameda, San Mateo <br />and Santa Clara. SB 79 also sets statewide standards for height, density, and residential floor area ratios (FAR) <br />for such housing developments, which vary based on how close a project is to the stop and how the stop is <br />classified. This document summarizes the key provisions of SB 79 that are most relevant to local governments. <br />Key takeaways include: <br />• SB 79 makes housing meeting specified standards an allowed use on residential, mixed-use, or <br />commercial sites located within one-quarter or one-half mile (depending on city size) of a qualifying <br />transit-oriented development (TOD) stop, and makes such housing eligible for state-set standards for <br />building height, density and FAR. These standards vary based on how close the project is to the stop <br />(one-quarter mile versus one-half mile) and the level of transit service (Tier 1 versus Tier 2). <br />• SB 79 generally goes into effect on July 1, 2026, and in the Bay Area is currently only applicable in <br />the counties of Alameda, San Francisco, San Mateo and Santa Clara. <br /> <br />1 All statutory citations in this document refer to the California Government Code unless otherwise specified. <br />8.A. - Page 20 of 97 <br />238