A confusing law for denser housing

Bill awaiting Newsom's OK would allow up to nine-story towers near transit. Communities are worried, unsure how it would affect them.

- BY JACK FLEMMING AND DAVID ZAHNISER

CARLIN STIEHL Los Angeles Times BRENDON GERISCH of Westchester doesn't want his area to become crowded with mid-rise buildings.

When Brendon Gerisch and his wife searched for a new home, they knew they wanted something with a little privacy — a backyard, some fully grown trees, less crowded surroundings.

The couple thought they found their "forever home" in L.A.'s Westchester neighborhood, buying a four-bedroom in 2018 on a quiet street with one-story houses.

Now, he's not so sure. Landmark legislation now on Gov. Gavin Newsom's desk would "upzone" his and scores of other neighborhoods across California, allowing the construction of residential buildings as tall as nine stories, depending on how close they are to a rail station.

State Senate Bill 79, one of the most significant pieces of housing legislation in decades, seeks to address California’s housing crisis by boosting production near public transit stops mostly rail but also some buses-in Southern California, Sacramento and the San Francisco Bay Area. Newsom has not yet announced whether he will sign the bill.

THE BIGGEST impact of Senate Bill 79 will probably be felt in Los Angeles, which has about 150 transit stops.

(CARLIN STIEHL Los Angeles Times)

But the scramble is already on as homeowners, real estate developers, renters' rights groups and even politicians try to figure out how SB 79, and the sweeping increase in real estate development that it promises, would affect their homes, neighborhoods and cities.

Gerisch, a 46-year-old sales executive, isn't sure whether he and his family will stay put. SB 79 would allow five-story residential buildings on his and other nearby streets, which sit within a half-mile of a Metro K Line light rail station.