At their city council meeting on November 12th, Daly City’s council members passed an emergency ordinance to rezone for more homes at a range of affordability. Daly City implemented the rezoning as part of its efforts to create a complaint housing element. 

The rezoning implements substantial changes to local zoning rules that will facilitate new development:

• Increases maximum heights in Daly City’s multi-family zones from 36 to 120 feet. The C-MU zone will allow 175 feet and 15 stories.
• Doubles allowable housing density in all of Daly City’s zones, including in single-family zones. Daly City’s maximum density zones now have no density limit, with a 120 dwelling unit per acre minimum.
• Eliminates maximum lot coverage limits in multi-family zones.
• Zones approximately a dozen mostly vacant acres around Seton Medical Center for high-density housing, from 60 to 120 du/ac. AHMC, the owner of Seton Hospital, has expressed interest in building more than 500 new homes on the lots

These changes, along with other features of Daly City’s zoning laws, make their code a model for other cities on the Peninsula that want to incentivize new housing. 

Daly City has among the most flexible rules for new homes, with no restrictions like Floor Area Ratio, massing restrictions, parking minimums, or other arbitrary rules that limit housing. Single-family homes have a minimum lot size of 2,500 square feet, reflecting the smaller, more affordable homes prevalent throughout much of the city. 

Cities across the Peninsula can better achieve their Regional Housing Needs Allocation goals by looking beyond the commitments in their housing elements to broader simplifications of local zoning rules.

California’s housing shortage is not just a humanitarian crisis, it is a national political crisis threatening to undermine the future of the American Republic. 

If current population trends continue, California is on track to lose four house seats and the same number of presidential electors by 2030, while Texas and Florida could gain four each. A plurality of residents leaving the state directly cite high housing costs. Local leaders should treat new housing at all levels of affordability as not only a social strategy to meet local needs, but also a political strategy to promote California’s commitment to equity and justice nationally.

Fortunately, San Mateo County’s electorate largely voted for housing this November! Measure T in San Mateo, which will increase allowable heights and densities near businesses and transit, passed by 58.7% at the time of this writing. Measure JJ in East Palo Alto, requiring certain tax revenues be set aside for housing funding, passed by a resounding supermajority. Across the County, voters supported measures to fund housing and essential infrastructure.

Statewide ballot measures were more conflicted. Though ballots are still being counted, Prop 5 looks likely to fall short of a majority. We are grateful to all the community organizations and residents of San Mateo County who supported lowering the barrier to essential funding for affordable homes. 

Furthermore, Prop 33, which would have allowed unrestricted rent control, failed by a nearly 20-point margin. Prop 33’s failure illustrates the need to broaden the housing coalition and focus on legislation that is actually feasible to pass. 

Nonetheless, San Mateo County’s local housing movement continues to grow. We were encouraged by all the federal, state, regional, and local candidates who won with pro-housing platforms, from Kevin Mullin to Lisa Gauthier to Mark Nagales and dozens of other housing champions—more than we can name. And we are grateful to electeds like Harvey Rahrback in Half Moon Bay and Davina Hurt in Belmont who led on housing in their communities. Regardless of the national election, local electeds in San Mateo County continue to lead the way on promoting housing and protecting democracy.

Now more than ever, we need leaders who will support new homes in San Mateo County. Our area can only be a safe haven—for immigrants, for LGTBQ youth, for young women, for every group at risk of oppression—if we have places for new people to live. We are fortunate to have so many present and future leaders stepping up to lead our communities.