California Assembly Advances Statewide Upzoning Bill

California's Senate Bill 9 would allow up to four housing units on lots traditionally zoned for single-family homes, paving the way for more 'gentle density.'

2 minute read

August 27, 2021, 8:00 AM PDT

By Diana Ionescu @aworkoffiction


California

NAPA / Shutterstock

Despite a deepening housing shortage and homelessness crisis, writes Conor Dougherty, California's "State Legislature has struggled to follow their prescription to increase urban density, often because lawmakers fear angering suburban voters, whose preferences for single-family home living have been regarded as politically sacrosanct." This week, the legislature advanced a bill "that would allow two-unit buildings on lots that for generations have been reserved exclusively for single-family homes." 

The proposed upzoning, Senate Bill 9, "was furiously opposed by homeowners and local government groups who said it 'crushes single-family zoning' and would be 'the beginning of the end of homeownership in California.'" Toni Atkins, the bill’s author and president pro tem of the California Senate, called it "a gentle density increase that respects the character of neighborhoods" and "will give opportunities to people who haven’t been able to own a home." The bill, which passed the State Senate in May, "made it through the Assembly by a vote of 45-19" and will now go back to the Senate for a concurrence vote. 

Reducing or eliminating single-family zoning has been a hot topic in recent years as cities and states struggle to create more affordable housing and keep up with rising demand. "So far only Oregon has passed a state-level ban on single-family house zoning. If California’s S.B. 9 gets final passage and is signed, it would add a state of 40 million to the list." 

A second bill passed by the California Assembly this week, SB 10, "would allow local governments to rezone parcels up to 10 units with no environmental review, which would speed development by shrinking the rezoning process by several years." Proponents of statewide zoning reform argue that because "U.S. metropolitan areas operate as a contiguous economy, while their housing markets are fractured by dozens of cities and suburbs that each have their own regulations," more comprehensive state-level policies are crucial to solving the housing affordability crisis.

Thursday, August 26, 2021 in The New York Times

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Use Code 25for25 at checkout for 25% off an annual plan!

Interior of Place Versailles mall in Montreal, Canada.

Montreal Mall to Become 6,000 Housing Units

Place Versailles will be transformed into a mixed-use complex over the next 25 years.

May 22, 2025 - CBC

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

May 28, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Rendering of California High-Speed Rail station with bullet train.

California High-Speed Rail's Plan to Right Itself

The railroad's new CEO thinks he can get the project back on track. The stars will need to align this summer.

May 19, 2025 - Benjamin Schneider

Nevada State Senate building.

Nevada Legislature Unanimously Passes Regional Rail Bill

If signed by the governor, the bill will create a task force aimed at developing a regional passenger rail system.

May 28 - KRNV News 4

Blue sidewalk curb cut painted with white accessibility symbol.

How Infrastructure Shapes Public Trust

A city engineer argues that planners must go beyond code compliance to ensure public infrastructure is truly accessible to all users.

May 28 - Governing

Protester at Echo Park Lake, Los Angeles holding sign that says "Housing is a human right"

Photos: In Over a Dozen Cities, Housing Activists Connect HUD Cuts and Local Issues

We share images from six of the cities around the country where members of three national organizing networks took action on May 20 to protest cuts to federal housing funding and lift up local solutions.

May 28 - Shelterforce Magazine