Architectural rendering of a San Francisco transit corridor showing a modern mixed-use residential building with wood and gray panel facades rising 7–8 stories, alongside a Muni light rail streetcar traveling down a tree-lined urban street with parked cars and pedestrians on the sidewalk.

Rendering: AECOM

Senate Bill 79 Implementation in San Francisco

California Senate Bill 79 (SB 79), also called the Abundant and Affordable Homes Near Transit Act, became law in October 2025 and will take effect on July 1, 2026. It set statewide rules that encourage cities to build more housing near major transit stops.

San Francisco is pursuing an Alternative Plan paired with a mix of temporary and permanent parcel exemptions that fulfills the transit-oriented development goals of SB 79 in a locally-tailored way and respects past planning and zoning efforts undertaken in the city.

What is Senate Bill 79?

SB 79 creates height and density rules to allow taller and denser housing near major transit stops. It aims to:

Increase housing supply and affordability
Support and strength public transit
Reduce greenhouse gas emissions

In San Francisco, more than three-quarters of properties (about 120,000 parcels) fall within areas subject to SB 79. More than 60% of these properties (about 75,000) also fall within the recently adopted Family Zoning Plan area.

The height and density allowed depend on the type of transit stop and how close a property is to the transit stop:

Tier 1: Areas near Caltrain and BART stations allow the greatest heights and housing density.
Tier 2: Areas near Muni light rail stations and major bus rapid transit stops allow moderate heights and density.

See these maps for more detailed information:

Upcoming Events

Apr 23

Hearing

Planning Commission

WATCH ONLINE

12:00pm

Commission Chambers Rm 400, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, San Francisco, CA 94102

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Apr 29

Hearing

Environmental Review Officer Hearing

9:30am

Stream Online (see event details)

SEE AGENDA

Apr 30

Hearing

Planning Commission

12:00pm

Commission Chambers Rm 400, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, San Francisco, CA 94102

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How will San Francisco comply with Senate Bill 79?

SB 79 allows cities to create an Alternative Plan, which gives the option to meet the goals of the law through a locally tailored approach instead of applying the state’s default zoning standards near major transit stations. In addition, SB 79 also allows cities to permanently and temporarily exempt certain areas from the law under specific conditions.

San Francisco has proposed using this Alternative Plan approach. Mayor Daniel Lurie introduced the City’s Alternative Plan through a proposed Ordinance (Board File No. 260132) on February 10, 2026.

The proposed Ordinance includes four main parts:

Permanently exclude Industrial Employment Hubs from application of SB 79.
There are three Industrial Employment Hubs in the city, each over 250 acres.
(see Alternative Maps tab for map of Industrial Employment Hubs)
Temporarily exempt low resource areas south of 16th street and in Mission Bay.
Approximately 32,150 parcels in this area fall within census tracts that the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee (CTCAC) designated as low-income areas for 2026. As such, SB 79 allows the City to exempt these areas until one year after the next Housing Element is due (January 2032).
(see Alternative Maps tab for map of Temporarily Exempted Low Resource Tracts)
Update the Planning Code to allow additional housing density.
The City will amend the Planning Code to allow at least 50% of SB 79 housing density on parcels near qualifying transit stops if current zoning does not already allow that amount.
This change will apply to parcels within ½ mile radius of qualifying transit stops) for parcels that principally permit housing and whose zoning does not already permit such density. This is a requirement of the Alternative Plan.
Demonstrate that San Francisco meets SB 79 housing capacity requirements.
The Alternative Plan must show that San Francisco’s zoning still allows enough housing near transit to meet SB 79 requirements.
Specifically, the City must show that:
- San Francisco’s zoning in SB 79 areas allows total housing capacity that is equal to or greater than the housing capacity SB 79 would allow.
- In each SB 79 transit station area, local zoning allows at least 50% of the housing that SB 79 would allow.
- On all parcels in SB 79 areas where housing is allowed, zoning allows at least 50% of the density allowed under SB 79.

Alternative Plan maps are shown in detail under the Maps tab.

The Alternative Plan map

Click on image for larger map.

The Alternative Plan map shows:

Parcels where the proposed Alternative Plan would allow additional housing density.
The color-coded range of additional housing units that would be allowed on those parcels.
Areas identified as low resource tracts, which the City proposes to temporarily exempt from additional allowed density until 2032.

See detailed individual District Maps of the Alternative Plan map, below.

Industrial Employment Hubs that Qualify as Permanent Exclusions: this map shows in the three pink shaded areas, the qualifying Industrial Employment Hubs that would qualify under SB 79 to be permanently excluded from the provisions of SB 79.

Temporarily Exempted Low Resource Tracts: this map shows the low resource tracts that would be temporarily exempted from the provisions of SB 79.

District Maps

The following are enlarged district views of sections of the citywide Alternative Plan map. These detailed maps show the parcels where housing density could increase up to 50% of the densities allowed under SB 79. They also show the census tracts that will be exempt from these rules until 2032.