SB 79 Would Push Tall Buildings into Residential Neighborhoods

Susan Heavilin
Jul 8
4 min read

Would you like a 65' building in YOUR neighborhood? | Photo taken from NO on SB 79 video | Neighbors For A Better San Diego

Most of us moved to the Bonita-Sunnyside area to get away from the normal hustle and bustle of a busy city. To be able to enjoy the peace and quiet of a rural, residential neighborhood. To wake up to birds singing and not cars revving. To enjoy nature a little more closely and not have your neighbor's window five feet from yours.

There are always those who want to destroy your tranquility. They want to widen your roads for more traffic. They want to push commercial venues into your neighborhood even though you don't mind driving a few miles to find business districts and retail establishments. They want, they want, they want. It doesn't matter to them what YOU want.

Now there's a new, bad boy in town . . . SB 79.

What is SB 79?

SB 79 has been working its way through the California Senate.

The original bill discussed building "transit-oriented housing developments" near frequent commuter rail . . . meaning a commuter rail service with a total of at least 24 daily trains per weekday across both directions. We don't have a train system in our neighborhood so this bill didn't catch our attention.

But as the bill snaked through the Senate, it has evolved. And we are all ears.

Now it addresses BUS STOPS as transit-oriented areas and would allow a 65-foot high building to be built in any residential neighborhood within one-half mile of a bus stop.

A 65-foot tall building is typically around 6 or 7 stories high. Residential buildings tend to average around 10 feet per story, while commercial buildings can have slightly taller stories, potentially around 12-14 feet per floor. Therefore, a 65-foot building would likely fall within the 6-7 story range. —AI Overview

Doesn't concern you because your neighborhood is already built out? No problem. Ever hear of demolition? They buy your neighbor's home, demo it and build a 6-story apartment building next door.

Besides all your new neighbors and their noise, the height of the building blocks your sunlight and you're living in the dark like a mole. No more garden or gorgeous plants, there is no sun for photosynthesis. Now you've lost the sustainability you moved to the country to achieve.

And forget your privacy . . . your new neighbors can view everything you do in your backyard. So now you're living like a shut-in.

SB 79 Will Undo Everything . . . It's bad, real bad, and it's making its way through the State legislature. SB 79 would allow 6-story apartment buildings to be built IN OVER HALF OF SAN DIEGO's RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOODS. —Neighbors For A Better San Diego

Page 31 of the 2018 MTS, "Designing for Transit" outlines Ten Ways to Design More Transit-Oriented Communities.

Here's the 2018 bus system | Photo from the Metropolitan Transit System, Designing for Transit

Where are our Bonita bus stops currently located?

At the present time, they are mostly located along the Otay Lakes Road corridor.

Where could they add bus stops in Bonita?

Anywhere they want to. And quickly.

SB 79 Will Undo Everything . . . It's bad, real bad, and it's making its way through the State legislature. SB 79 would allow 6-story apartment buildings to be built IN OVER HALF OF SAN DIEGO's RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOODS. —Neighbors For A Better San Diego

District 5 Supervisor Jim Desmond had this to say in his recent letter titled "SB 79 Is a Direct Attack on the American Dream."

"SB 79 would force communities to accept high-rise apartment buildings — up to 65 feet tall — in single-family neighborhoods, just because they’re within half a mile of a bus stop. Not a train station. Not a major transit hub. A bus stop.

If this bill passes, developers could knock down homes on quiet streets and build multi-story apartment buildings with zero community input. Local governments would be stripped of the ability to object. Neighbors would be silenced. Cities would be forced to absorb the costs of infrastructure, schools, and services — likely by raising your taxes. And renters could vote for those tax increases, but only homeowners would foot the bill.

This isn’t planning. This isn’t problem-solving. This is Sacramento bulldozing the American Dream.

The justification? A so-called housing crisis. But that crisis is of the state’s own making. Endless regulation, CEQA abuse, and taxes disguised as “mitigation fees” have made it nearly impossible to build affordable housing without political favors or loopholes. Now, instead of fixing their mistakes, the politicians want to take it out on local communities.

This is not smart growth — it’s forced density without local input and control.

And it turns the very idea of property rights upside down.

I’ve said it before: we need to build housing, but it must be done with communities, not to them. Sacramento’s top-down mandates ignore local voices, erase local control, and push one-size-fits-all solutions that don’t reflect how people actually live.

We need to stop SB 79 before it turns every neighborhood in California into a political experiment.

Let your state representatives know: this bill is wrong for our communities."