CP&DR News Briefs September 15, 2026: San Jose Housing; Marina Safeway; S.D. Community Plan; and More

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San Jose Advances General Plan Update with Increased Housing Density 

The San Jose City Council approved, on a 8-3 vote, zoning changes that could allow for apartment buildings, triplexes and fourplexes in low-density single-family neighborhoods which make up about 85% of the city's total residential area. The move is part of the city’s general plan update. Proposed changes could increase residential density from about 8 to as many as 32 housing units per acre, a proposed solution to state mandates requiring room for more than 62,000 new housing units by 2031 and rising housing costs across the state. In San Jose, the median home sale price reached $1.42 million as of June, while average rent for a two-bedroom home hovers around $3,325. If the framework advances, city staff would draft ordinances and conduct environmental reviews with final zoning changes expected in late 2027.

San Francisco Marina Safeway Project Wins Key Determination 

The San Francisco Planning Department has determined that the controversial proposed 848-unit Safeway redevelopment in San Francisco’s Marina District qualifies for AB 2011, allowing the project to proceed through a streamlined process. The proposal would replace the nearly 70-year-old Safeway with a new grocery store and residential development rising as high as 22 stories, including 86 affordable apartments. The project has drawn strong opposition from neighborhood groups and some city officials, including Mayor Daniel Lurie and Marina Supervisor Stephen Sherrill, who have raised concerns about the development’s scale, neighborhood impacts and environmental conditions. AB 2011 would not excuse the project from acquiring building permits covering earthquake, liquefaction and potential contamination safeguards. Environmental investigations have identified petroleum hydrocarbons, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and other contaminants in soil, groundwater and soil vapor, although state regulators say there is no immediate exposure risk.

San Diego Considers Major Community Plan Update; Sports Arena Can Use Existing EIR

San Diego is seeking public input on an update to the Mid-City Communities Plan that could create capacity for about 30,000 additional homes over the next 30 years. The plan covers City Heights, Eastern Area, Kensington-Talmadge, and Normal Heights and was developed with input from more than 3,000 residents. City and state officials are also working to advance Midway Rising, a proposed redevelopment of the 49-acre Sports Arena site featuring a 16,000-seat arena, roughly 4,250 homes (including up to 2,000 affordable units) and nearly 15 acres of public parks. Despite the recent repeal of Measure C, which would have exempted the Sports Arena site from the city's longstanding 30-foot coastal height limit, the project can proceed and rely on its existing environmental review, potentially shielding the project from future CEQA lawsuits.

Report: New Housing Failing to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions 

According to new research from UC Berkeley's Terner Center and UCLA's Lewis Center, California's housing development patterns are falling far short of the state's climate goals, projecting just a 0.9% reduction in per-capita vehicle miles traveled by 2030 instead of the 25% cut state regulators say is needed. The study, based on Housing Element data from 366 cities and counties, found that regional agencies did steer more housing toward lower-VMT areas, which alone would cut per-capita driving by about 6% for new residents. But local governments often stalled progress by choosing specific development sites within their own borders, which showed no tendency to favor lower-VMT neighborhoods over higher-VMT ones. Researchers found no clear connection between a city's VMT performance and its size, density, or income level. Had jurisdictions concentrated new housing in their lowest-VMT neighborhoods, the analysis found, they could have achieved a 35% reduction for new residents and roughly 5% statewide.

Shafter Approves Development in High Speed Rail Right-of-Way

The city of Shafter, north of Bakersfield, has approved a tentative tract map for 1,200 homes by construction giant Lennar, directly in the path of proposed high-speed rail. The project was approved by the city in agreement with Lennar in 2005, years before the 2008 high-speed rail project was approved by voters. According to Shafter Mayor Chad Givens, the developer tried to work directly with the rail authority to address concerns before the city approved the tract map. Shafter has asked the authority to honor a 2018 settlement or negotiate a new agreement. The rail authority says it is working with Shafter and Lennar to align local development plans with the state’s transportation goals, but that the approved development conflicts with the already environmentally cleared high-speed rail alignment.

CP&DR Coverage: Cities Reshape Civic Centers As Mixed-Use Districts

The civic centers of the mid-20th century, at least in Southern California, were decidedly single-use institutions. Even in unassuming suburbs, new or rapidly expanding cities built stark plazas, city halls, and generally soulless administrative buildings in which to attend to city business. They oversaw bedroom communities but housed no residents of their own. But now, as some civic centers have reached the end of their useful life spans, and the state’s housing crisis has compelled all cities to add residences, local governments are redesigning their civic centers as mixed-use communal hubs. Several cities, including Carson, Norwalk, Eastvale, Ontario, and San Diego, will soon see government-owned spaces transformed into restaurants, shopping centers, and housing units.

Quick Hits & Updates

The Department of Housing and Community Development issued a letter warning the city of Los Altos in Santa Clara County that if Measure D passes in November, the city will be required to amend its state-certified housing element and  relinquish its Prohousing Designation.. The measure could potentially restrict housing development on 10 city-owned downtown parking plazas, threatening 63 moderate-income units and 61 above-moderate-income units.

The Escondido City Council is implementing a 45-day moratorium with the option of 10 month or 12 month extensions. The moratorium follows a trend of California cities banning or temporarily halting construction of data centers in order to give city staff time to develop regulations for land use, zoning, and public safety. 

The Del Mar Fairgrounds board terminated its agreement with the city of Del Mar to build affordable housing on fairgrounds property. Board members cited uncertainty over whether San Diego would agree to annex the proposed site before the November state deadline. With the Fairgrounds agreement now terminated, Del Mar could be forced to pursue a state-mandated alternative on the North Bluff site already associated with the controversial Seaside Ridge development.

San Francisco is seeking new contracts for their homelessness services and create a model that relies on outcomes and analyzing success metrics. The city spends hundreds of millions on homeless efforts each year, but critics argue the system is plagued with issues including long shelter waitlists, troubled supportive housing projects and insufficient support.

Lake County has suspended work on its general plan following the Board of Supervisors’ decision to terminate Community Development Director Mireya Turner. County Administrative Officer Susan Parker has been appointed interim director while the department focuses on stabilization and hiring a permanent replacement. The suspension impacts local area plans and advisory committee work, with no timeline set for when the process will resume.

The Cypress City Council is considering a major redevelopment plan for the nearly 150-acre Los Alamitos Race Course, which would eventually be demolished and transformed into parks, housing and mixed-use development. Voters previously approved zoning for the site through Measure A in 2018 and Measure S in 2024, allowing for up to 1,791 residential units under the environmental review and as much as 880,000 square feet of commercial space. Debate at public hearings has centered on an 8-acre park, with council members pushing for guarantees that displaced park space would be replaced elsewhere and residents raising concerns about traffic and a lack of promised community amenities.

Accessory dwelling units make up the largest share of new housing in some of the Bay Area's wealthiest towns, according to state data. In Hillsborough, 97% of homes permitted last year were ADUs, while Atherton saw 45 of its 60 approved units come from backyard cottages rather than traditional construction. State streamlining laws have made ADUs an easy path for homeowners to add units, and cities benefit because the units count toward state-mandated housing goals. In Mountain View and Santa Clara, every unit reported as affordable to low-income residents last year was an ADU. Across the Bay Area ADUs have grown from 8% of approved homes in 2019 to 18% in 2025, and statewide they account for an even larger 26%.

The San Diego City Council voted 6-2 to approve the Southwest Village Specific Plan, clearing the way for up to 5,130 homes on 490 acres near the U.S.-Mexico border between Otay Mesa and San Ysidro. Irvine-based Tri Pointe Homes has led the project since 2016, with a plan that includes 175,000 square feet of commercial space, a new school, 200 acres of open space, and up to 2,100 homes built by Tri Pointe with 92 units set aside for low-income renters. Some longtime landowners argued the rezoning devalued their property by shifting from single-family to denser development, while environmental advocates including the Sierra Club warned the site's distance from public transit and no concrete transit expansion plan attached will leave residents car-dependent.