San Diego phases in SB 79, changing where transit-area apartments can start first

San Diego’s rollout of SB 79 began on July 1, 2026, but the change is not citywide. The city says about 24% of the total eligible areas take effect now, while the rest waits for the Transit Village Plan, San Diego’s local transit-oriented alternative plan.

That puts the first wave in a few transit-served areas, including parts of North Park, City Heights, Bay Park, Clairemont and the UTC/UC San Diego area, according to KPBS reporting on the city’s map updates.

For residents and property owners, the key step is checking the city’s SB 79 Eligible Sites layer in the Zoning and Permit Portal. The city says a parcel must be on that layer and zoned for residential, mixed-use or commercial development before SB 79 applies.

Where the law waits

The city says parcels more than one mile from a qualifying trolley or bus stop are excluded, Low Resource Areas are phased in until 2031, and sites in very high fire hazard zones, historic resources and areas subject to one foot of sea-level rise wait until the Transit Village Plan is adopted.

The city expects to bring the plan to the City Council in early 2027. Until then, SB 79 will keep landing unevenly block by block, not all at once.

Sources

• City of San Diego — Information Bulletin 479: SB 79 Transit-Oriented Housing Development Projects
• KPBS — Where SB 79 will and won’t apply in San Diego