Mapping All the Transit Corridors Targeted for Upzoning Under California's SB 827

SB 827, announced last week by California State Senator Scott Wiener, would revoke density maximums, parking minimums, and set permissive height limits along transit corridors all over the state.

1 minute read

January 10, 2018, 12:00 PM PST

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Oakland

brad lindert / Flickr

Sasha Aickin, former CTO of Redfin, spent the weekend mapping out the footprint of SB 827, proposed by California State Senator Scott Wiener last week. The informal mapping exercise, not official or sanctioned by Senator Wiener, provides a visualization of the broad reach of the proposed bill. In a written post that accompanies the new map, Aickin says "[n]early all of San Francisco would be set for upzoning to 85/55 foot heights, as would significant portions of Los Angeles, Long Beach, San Diego, Oakland, Berkeley, and Sacramento. More surpising [sic] to me, though, is the impact on smaller cities like Bakersfield, Santa Cruz, and San Bernardino, which also have a large amount of 85/55 foot upzoning." 

Wiener agrees with the assessment of many on social media over the past week that the new bill represents an aggressive approach to the state's housing affordability crisis.

The bill is part of a package of bills designed as a "housing-first" policy for the state of California that would follow up on previous bills approved in 2017. Planetizen covered the new bills when Senator Wiener announced the package earlier this month.

Tuesday, January 9, 2018 in Visualize Transit-Rich Housing

"Planetizen federal action tracker" logo superimposed over black and white image of US Capitol dome.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

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

October 28, 2026 - Zachary Whalen

A car drives through a puddle, making a large splash. Rain pours down.

California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour

If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.

October 28, 2026 - Grist

Lake Powell with much of the water evaporated.

Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River

Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.

October 30, 2026 - Yale Environment 360

: Construction of massive Samsung semiconductor fabrication plant

In Texas, data centers are swallowing promised parkland

Residents who moved to Taylor, Texas for a rural community now have to contend with three data centers in their backyard.

6 hours ago - Inside Climate News

A construction crew working on SunZia.

How a Chicago-sized wind farm beat the odds and powered on

The project spanned five presidential administrations and a standoff with a U.S. military base.

7 hours ago - Grist

A rendering of the basketball court, a green court under a blue sky.

MTA gives itself 30 days to transform pit into basketball court

The site has been under construction since 2022; the city originally estimated it would finish the court in 2024.

November 3 - Gothamist