Davis city officials held a public hearing on Oct. 28 on a proposed Zoning Ordinance Amendment to Chapter 40 regarding SB 9 two-unit projects. The amendment would change how the city handles requests to build additional homes in neighborhoods zoned for single-family houses. Chapter 40 is the section of the Davis Municipal Code that contains the city’s zoning rules, which govern what can be built where.
SB 9 is a California law that took effect in 2022. It lets owners of most single-family lots build two homes on one lot, or split one lot into two. Combined, those options can allow up to four units where one house stood before. Cities must approve qualifying projects “ministerially,” meaning staff sign off if the plans meet objective standards, with no discretionary hearing and no neighbor appeal. Cities can still set objective rules on items such as setbacks (minimum distances from property lines), height and design, as long as those rules don’t block the homes the law allows.
For residents, the amendment matters because the city’s local SB 9 rules decide how practical these projects are on a typical Davis lot. Clearer or more flexible standards could make it easier for a homeowner to add a second home for family members or rental income, or to split off a lot to sell. Stricter standards could limit how often that happens. For buyers, the rules affect what a single-family property could become in the future. Across California, SB 9 projects have been relatively uncommon so far. Their impact has been incremental, adding homes one lot at a time rather than through large developments. The agenda materials do not show whether officials took final action at the hearing. In Davis, zoning changes typically need a City Council vote and a second reading, the formal final vote that follows an initial approval, before they take effect.
Officials also heard an informational presentation on the General Plan Update, including land use findings and recommendations from a subcommittee. The General Plan is the city’s long-range blueprint for how land gets used over roughly the next 20 years. It shapes where housing, shops, jobs and open space can go. Davis last comprehensively updated its plan more than two decades ago. The current rewrite will guide where and how the city adds homes to meet state housing targets.
Because this was an informational item, officials did not vote. The presentation is an early look at the direction land use policy may take. Land use recommendations at this stage often address questions such as where denser housing should go, how commercial corridors could add homes, and how to balance growth with Davis’s long-standing protections for surrounding farmland. Under Measure D, Davis voters must still approve most proposals to develop land on the city’s edge. That makes decisions about how to use land already inside city limits especially significant.
What’s coming up: The SB 9 amendment is expected to return for further action, likely including a council vote and second reading, before it becomes law. The General Plan Update will continue through additional public meetings, draft documents and environmental review. Residents can follow agendas on the city’s website and comment at future hearings.