Santa Monica's City Council adopted zoning changes Tuesday, July 28, that clear the way for denser development on city-owned downtown land and temporarily shield the Expo/Bundy corridor from a state law that would impose Sacramento's density rules on the neighborhood.

Both ordinances passed on the consent calendar at the council's regular meeting at City Hall, 1685 Main Street, according to the meeting agenda. Neither drew public debate.

Downtown Realignment Plan ordinance

The first ordinance rewrites portions of the city's zoning code to carry out the Realignment Plan, a broader strategy the council has been developing since at least October 28, 2025. The key change: city-owned parcels in the downtown and Gateway Master Plan areas can now be developed at higher densities than previously allowed.

As we reported July 28, the Realignment Plan overall envisions roughly 1,800 new homes and faster permitting citywide. Tuesday's ordinance locks in the zoning text that makes those downtown sites buildable.

City Attorney Heidi Von Tongeln's office sponsored the ordinance, which cleared its first reading at the council's Tuesday, July 14, meeting as a public hearing item alongside a companion resolution amending the Downtown Community Plan.

SB 79 exclusion ordinance

The second ordinance shields certain parcels near the Metro E Line's Expo/Bundy station from Senate Bill 79, a state law requiring greater density near transit stops. The exclusion lasts until one year after the city adopts its 7th Cycle Housing Element, which covers the 2029–2037 planning period.

That window gives Santa Monica time to write its own housing plan for the area rather than default to state-imposed standards. The ordinance also cleared its first reading on Tuesday, July 14.

The council also considered three options for increasing development standards within the Expo/Bundy Transit-Oriented Development Zone to qualify for the temporary exclusion. According to the Santa Monica Daily Press, those options ranged from upzoning 89 single-family parcels north of the I-10 Freeway to upzoning all 212 single-family parcels in the zone to reverting to a Planning Commission recommendation. Which option the council selected has not been confirmed in public records available as of Tuesday evening.

SB 79 already knocking

Even as the council voted to defer the state law's reach, evidence emerged that SB 79 is already generating development proposals in Santa Monica.

@CohenSite: "Santa Monica appears to have its first SB 79 application, which proposes demolishing a duplex on a four-unit property and replacing it with an 8-unit five-story building, with two replacement affordable units."

Joe Cohen, a Los Angeles-based urban design and housing commentator, flagged the application on X on Tuesday, July 28. The post had drawn more than 9,700 views by that evening.

What's next

The SB 79 exclusion remains in effect until the city adopts its 7th Cycle Housing Element. No specific deadline for that adoption has been announced.