Housing Zoning Reform

Zoning Reform

Reads at about grade 6Both sides shown8 sources cited

Zoning reform means changing local rules to allow more homes — like duplexes or apartments — where only single-family houses were allowed before.

What it is

Zoning is the set of local rules that decide what can be built on each piece of land. "Single-family" zoning is the strictest common kind: it allows only one house per lot, and no duplexes or apartments. Zoning reform means loosening those rules so more homes can be built. California does not have enough housing, and that is a big reason homes cost so much. The state's own budget analyst says "not enough housing exists in the state's major coastal communities" for everyone who wants to live there. In the San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Seattle areas, land is very scarce -- a study found the price of land there has "been bid up by amounts that at least equal typical household income." In plain terms, the price of land has been driven up by at least a full year's household income. Research finds that strict zoning limits new building and pushes up prices in high-demand coastal areas. To add homes, California passed laws like SB 9 in 2021, which made it legal to build up to four homes on many lots that once allowed only one. But the evidence shows a real catch. So far, few owners have used SB 9 -- Los Angeles was the most active city, and even so, it got just 211 applications in the law's first year. Research also finds a risk: when poorer neighborhoods are upzoned -- allowed to build denser -- prices can rise, and over time those areas can become "whiter, more educated and more affluent." That can push out renters who have the least money. So experts broadly agree that zoning matters; they disagree about how far the state should go, and how to protect renters.

How it works

Cities and counties write zoning maps that split land into zones -- some for houses, some for shops, some for factories. For most of the last century, California cities zoned huge areas for single-family houses only, keeping out cheaper, denser homes like duplexes, townhomes, and small apartment buildings -- often called the "missing middle." Normally a city reviews each project one at a time and can say no; this is called discretionary review. Reformers want more housing approved "by right," meaning if a plan follows clear, objective rules, the city must approve it. SB 9 (2021) did this for duplexes and lot splits on single-family lots. The real fight is about who decides. Should the state override local zoning to fix a statewide shortage, or should neighborhoods keep control over what gets built near them? This debate does not split neatly by party. Some conservatives and libertarians back looser zoning because they dislike regulation; some progressives back it to add housing and undo a history of exclusion. On the other side, some conservatives defend local control, and some progressives and tenant groups fear displacement, meaning current residents getting pushed out. People who usually disagree often end up on the same side here.

The debate — equal weight, both sides

The case for loosening zoning rules

Cross-cutting, not a clean left/right split. Made both by pro-housing "YIMBY" progressives who want more supply and by free-market conservatives and libertarians who dislike regulation.

California has not built enough homes, and that is a big reason housing costs so much. When you outlaw everything but single-family houses, homes become scarce -- and scarce homes cost more. Economists have measured the price of these rules. One review found that "each regulation in Californian cities is associated with a 4.5 percent increase in the cost of owner-occupied housing." Stack up enough rules, and the added cost is huge. Loosening the rules helps. Allowing duplexes, townhomes, and apartments lets supply catch up with demand, and this works best near jobs and transit. It also undoes an unfair history: single-family-only zoning walled off whole neighborhoods and kept lower-income families out. Making more housing legal "by right" is faster than a slow, case-by-case fight -- the quickest way to bring prices down and open closed communities.

The case for keeping land-use decisions local

Also cross-cutting. Made by slow-growth progressives and tenant advocates who fear displacement, and by local-control conservatives who want cities — not the state — to decide.

Who should decide what gets built on your block -- your city, or the state? Land-use choices have always been local, and neighbors know their streets, schools, water, and traffic better than Sacramento does. More than 240 cities asked the governor to veto SB 9, warning it would "undermine the ability of local governments to responsibly plan for the type of housing that communities need, while usurping local democracy and the input of local residents." There is also a fairness worry. Research shows that upzoning -- letting land hold more homes -- can raise prices: one study found that "upzonings are in fact associated with increases in property prices, at least in the short-term." Another found that upzoned areas became "whiter, more educated and more affluent." That points to a real risk -- renters with the least money can get pushed out. The top-down approach has not delivered much yet, cities argue, and they favor a smarter path: fund and speed up local housing plans, pair new density with protections for renters, and do not override the neighborhoods that must live with the results.

Sources

Behind the summary

Cited by "The case for loosening zoning rules"

Cited by "The case for keeping land-use decisions local"

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