November 5, 2025
Mayor Ara Najarian
City of Glendale
613 E. Broadway
Glendale, CA 91206
Dear Mayor Najarian,
On October 10, 2025, Governor Newson signed Senate Bill 79 (SB 79) into law which goes into effect July 1, 2026. SB 79 amends the Government Code to mandate that housing development projects “shall be an allowed use” in residential, mixed, or commercial zoned sites that are within a one-half or quarter mile of qualifying transit-oriented development (TOD) stops. Such projects will enjoy the benefits of the height, density, and floor-to-area (FAR) standards applicable in what SB 79 refers to as Tier 1 and Tier 2 TOD zones.
Metro is conducting a review of SB 79 as staff have identified ambiguities and a need for potential clarifications. For instance, as it relates to the definition of bus service within an urban transit county, it is unclear what “dedicated bus lane” or “operation in a separate right-of-way” specifically denotes when applied to SB 79, especially within the context of qualifying as a Tier 2 stop. On Metro’s North Hollywood to Pasadena Bus Rapid Transit (Noho to Pasadena) Project, there is a combination of dedicated and mixed-flow bus lanes.
This mix of bus lane types is not unique to the NoHo to Pasadena BRT and is common across multiple Metro BRT lines. As Metro continues to study the applicability of SB 79, we
Mayor Ara Najarian
November 5, 2025
will coordinate closely with the CA Department of Housing and Community Development, Southern California Association of Governments and local jurisdictions.
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me.
Sincerely,
Ray Sosa
Chief Planning Officer
Cc: Roubik Golanian, City Manager
Ray Sosa
Digitally signed by Ray Sosa
Date: 2025.11.06 17:24:31
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