On the Ballot in Alameda: The End of Single-Family Zoning

"Alameda voters will decide whether to allow construction of multi-family housing units in Alameda in the upcoming November election," reports Ekene Ikeme.

The ballot measure, Measure Z, would "repeal Article 26 of the City Charter, which prohibits multiple dwelling units from being built," according to Ikeme.

Yes, you read that correctly. Voters in the city of Alameda, a city in the East Bay Area in Northern California, will decide whether or not to end single-family zoning.

The Measure Z question states, “Shall the measure amending the City Charter to repeal the prohibition against the building of multi-family housing in Alameda and amending the City Charter and the General Plan to repeal the citywide density limitation of one housing unit per 2,000 square feet of land be adopted?”

Previous decisions to rescind single-family zoning restrictions, like in the city of Minneapolis and the state of Oregon, have depended on legislative processes that never faced a direct vote by residents.

Measure Z would, in effect, overturn two previous measures approved by voters: Measure A in 1973 and Measure A in 1991. The 1973 vote prohibited the development of multiple dwelling units. The 1991 vote set the city's development density at one housing unit per2,000 square feet of land.

Measure Z follows a report prepared by city staff in 2018 that determined Article 26 of the city's charter does not comply with state law.