Senate Bill (SB) 79 in Culver City

Senate Bill (SB) 79 was signed by Governor Newsom on October 10, 2025 and will become effective on July 1, 2026. The bill, called the Abundant and Affordable Homes Near Transit Act, establishes new development standards for qualifying residential projects within a half mile of eligible transit stops. View the complete bill text on the California Legislature's website.

The City Council adopted the interim standards ordinance at their regular meeting on May 26, 2026. The ordinance will go into effect when SB 79 goes into effect on July 1 or later, pending legislation. The ordinance sets multi-family standards for SB 79 projects in areas zoned R1 or R2 and defers effectuation for historically recognized properties. 

In addition to the interim standards ordinance, the City Council previously gave direction to pursue a Transit Oriented Development (TOD) Alternative Plan to redistribute SB 79 density to corridors where people are most likely to walk to transit. Staff will begin work on the TOD Alternative Plan later this summer. 


Draft Map

SB 79 defines two tiers of “transit-oriented development stops.” Tier 1 includes heavy rail transit stations, which do not impact Culver City. Tier 2 includes light rail and other qualifying Major Transit Stops. The Southern California Association of Governments released their draft map on June 1, 2026, based on their mapping approach and methodology. Culver City has four Tier 2 zones, which are shown on the draft map. 


Development Standards

SB 79 does not change the underlying zoning, however it does allow new development standards for qualifying transit-oriented development projects, which are residential projects with at least 5 units and a minimum of 30 dwelling units per acre. The table below details the applicable development standards based on the distance from each stop.  Note that local and state density bonuses do apply to densities in this table.

Distance Minimum Height Limit Minimum Residential Density Limit Minimum Achievable Floor Area Ratio
Within 200 feet of a Tier 2 stop 85 feet 140 dwelling units per acre 4.0
Within 1/4 mile of a Tier 2 stop 65 feet 100 dwelling units per acre 3.0
Within 1/2 mile of a Tier 2 stop 55 feet 80 dwelling units per acre 2.5