Starting in July, SB 79 is set to take effect, reshaping development rights for properties near transit across Los Angeles County and several other metropolitan regions in California. The Southern California Association of Governments, the regional planning agency which is tasked with mapping out where the bill's will be felt, has released its preliminary draft as of June 1.
SB 79, which was passed into law in June 2025, will permit the by-right construction of housing on land zoned for residential and commercial uses on properties located within a quarter-mile or half-mile radius of certain transit stops. SCAG's preliminary map focuses entirely on Los Angeles County, which is currently the only County under its jurisdiction where SB 79 applies. However, with the pending launch of the OC Streetcar line, Orange County will soon be added to that short list.
As expected, the preliminary map largely replicate' Metro's rail and bus rapid transit map, with SB 79 TOD zones oriented around stops on existing services such as the A, B, C, D, E, G, and K Lines, as well as future stops along the East San Fernando Valley Line, the Vermont Corridor BRT Line, the Southeast Gateway Line, and the North Hollywood - Pasadena bus BRT Line. Several intersections along Sepulveda Boulevard in the San Fernando Valley, which recently saw the implementation of a stretch of bus-only lanes, also qualify for SB 79 zones, as do Metrolink hubs in Downtown Glendale and Burbank.
Other proposed rail or bus lines which do not yet have firmly established routes, such as the K Line's northern extension and the proposed Lincoln Boulevard bus rapid transit line, are not included at this point in time.
The rules for SB 79 zones, and related by the City of Los Angeles, are as follows:
SB 79 development standardsCity of Los Angeles
Nonetheless, while the preliminary map shows where SB 79 would apply per the letter of the law, numerous exemptions and carve outs reduce its applicability across the region. SB 79 zones are smaller in cities with lower populations, and all jurisdictions are permitted to adopt local alternative plans to redistribute density and stall full implementation of the bill. Los Angeles and Beverly Hills are among the jurisdictions which have already taken up that effort.
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