State Legislation Information and Resources

The City’s Community Development Department (CDD) is committed to keeping our community informed about state housing and land use legislation that is applicable to San Mateo. This page provides summaries, maps, and resources related to key bills, such as SB 79 and SB 330, that impact or change the local decision-making process for new development in and around the City.

SB 79 - Transit-Oriented Housing Development (2025)

SB 79 makes qualified transit-oriented housing developments an allowed use on sites zoned for residential, mixed-use, or commercial development that are located near specified transit stops in counties with more than 15 passenger rail stations (San Mateo County meets this criteria). SB 79 also sets statewide standards for height, density, and residential floor area ratios (FAR) for such housing developments, which vary based on how close a project is to the stop and how the stop is classified. A summary of the key provisions of SB 79 that are applicable to the City of San Mateo, technical assistance from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission and a buffer map around the City’s transit stops is provided below.

SB 330 – Housing Crisis Act of 2019

SB 330 (Government Code Section 65941.1) amended State legislation, including the Permit Streamlining Act and Housing Accountability with the broad goals of facilitating increased production of new residential units, protecting existing units, and providing for an expedited review and approval process for “housing development projects,” as defined in State law. Among other requirements, SB 330 requires that local agencies only apply objective development standards to applicable housing development projects, sets specific timelines to complete reviews, limits the number of public hearings and appeals for such projects, and limits local agencies from taking actions (such as reducing allowed density) that would create a net reduction in housing units. Planning Application submittal requirements and a review process flowchart that align the City's process with SB330 are provided below.