DATE: June 24, 2026
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Councilmembers
FROM: Development Services Department
TITLE: CONSIDERATION OF AN INTERIM URGENCY ORDINANCE DEFERRING IMPLEMENTATION OF THE AFFORDABLE HOMES NEAR TRANSIT ACT (SB 79) INCLUDING EXEMPTIONS - SB 79 INTERIM URGENCY ORDINANCE
RECOMMENDATION
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Staff recommends that the City Council:
1) Confirm issuance of a statutory exemption per the CEQA Guidelines under Sections 15378(b)(5) and 15060(c)(3); and
2) Introduce an interim urgency ordinance to exclude and exempt eligible sites, and defer implementation of SB 79 on qualifying sites, as authorized under Government Code Sections 65858, 65912.157(h), 65912.160(e)(1) and 65912.161(b)(1).
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BACKGROUND AND ANALYSIS
On October 10, 2025, SB 79 was signed into law (Government Code Section 65912.155 et seq.), allowing increased density within residential and commercially zoned sites within one-half mile from designated major transit stops. Operative provisions of SB 79 are slated to take effect on July 1, 2026.
Since October 2025, Staff have been analyzing how to implement SB 79 within the City of Oceanside while also ensuring that there is sufficient public health and safety infrastructure in place to support the additional new development afforded by the legislation. Through the Spring of 2026, there continued to be significant uncertainty over some of the law's definitions and how they would be applied. This further complicated the implementation process. The key triggering mechanism for SB 79 implementation is the publication of maps identifying designated transit-oriented development stops. In anticipation of the maps being published, Staff began working on the elements of a Local Alternative Transit Oriented Development Plan. However, it became apparent that the underlying data and planning efforts necessary to complete such a plan within the SB 79 framework was not readily achievable before the July 1, 2026 implementation date. Accordingly...
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