California Senate Bill 79 (SB 79), also known as the Abundant and Affordable Homes Near Transit Act, was signed into law on October 10, 2025. What does this mean for San Diego? We estimate that 83 major transit stations in the San Diego region could be eligible for midrise housing development under SB 79. SB 79 allows for denser development within a half mile of transit stations, with additional density allowed within a quarter mile. Although this map represents our best current thinking about which stations qualify for SB 79, under the law the final decision will be made by the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG).
Most of these areas are located in the City of San Diego – and, in fact, as our map shows, most of central San Diego may be eligible for the automatic SB 79 zoning. However, the city has generous density programs of its own, so developers will have the option of choosing either state or local programs. Though Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the bill in October, it does not take effect until next July.
SB 79 requires local governments to allow housing projects of up to 55 feet in height and 80 units per acre within a half-mile major transit stations that have very frequent service. Projects within a quarter-mile are eligible for higher density. Cities can still set their own standards that these housing development must meet and, in some cases, can rearrange allowable density near the stations. Also, transit agencies such as MTS and North County Transit District will now have zoning authority over land that they own in these areas, meaning cities have little control over such development.
SB 79 only applies to major transit stations that see at least 48 trains or buses per day. In San Diego, this means virtually all trolley and Sprinter stations qualify. Most Coaster stations do not qualify because they do not have enough service. Even when the Amtrak and Coaster combined total more than 48 trains per day combined, such as at the Solana Beach Station, the stop most likely will not qualify for SB 79 because the law suggests Amtrak intercity trains should not count toward the total. We have not included Solana Beach on the map for this reason. Ultimately, SANDAG will decide which stations qualify.
Major stations on bus lines will qualify only if they have frequent bus rapid transit-type service that operates on their own right of way. In San Diego, the only bus stops that might quality would appear to be some stops on Park Boulevard and El Cajon Boulevard served by the MTS 215 rapid bus, which connects Downtown to San Diego State University. It is unclear to date exactly how many of the rapid bus stations SANDAG will include in their final determination of SB79 eligible stations.
Overall, 52 of the 83 stations we identified (62%) are located in the City of San Diego. Ten trolley stops in Chula Vista could qualify for SB 79, while six locations in Oceanside might qualify, including the Oceanside Transit Center and several NCTD Sprinter stops.
Most of the potentially SB 79 locations in the City of San Diego overlap with the city’s “Sustainable Development Areas,” where housing developers are often permitted to build far beyond the density allowed by zoning if they build close to a transit stop and provide a certain amount of affordable housing. In the past, developers have often chosen the city’s SDA zoning bonuses over previously enacted state zoning bonuses, so some may choose SDA bonuses over SB 79 bonuses in the future.
Both MTS and NCTD have been involved in housing development they own in the past. For example, an apartment complex was completed in 2021 on MTS land at Grantville trolley station, while the agency is partnering with a developer for housing at the Palm Avenue station and is considering major housing development adjacent to its headquarters at 12th and Imperial. Meanwhile, NCTD is negotiating for development at several Sprinter stops in Oceanside.
It remains to be seen whether the agencies’ new zoning powers under SB 79 will expedite these projects or encourage the agencies to become more aggressive in pursuing housing development on land they own next to their stations. Furthermore, we do not yet know exactly which stations SANDAG will determine are eligible for SB 79, or if any cities within the region will pursue a local alternative implementation plan. Stay tuned for what’s next by signing up for our mailing list.
On 11/18/25, the map featured in this piece was edited to better reflect the requirements for SB79: one erroneously included station in Solana Beach was removed, and the buffer was adjusted around stations located in Lemon Grove. Clarifying text to support these revisions was added to paragraphs 1, 4, 5, and 9.
