Campbell's New Housing Rule Targets Single-Family Zones

Campbell is tightening a housing rule that had opened some single-family parcels to projects with up to 10 homes under a state fast-track law. (campbellca.gov) The rule came from Campbell’s July 2025 interim ordinance implementing Senate Bill 1123 and Assembly Bill 130, which created ministerial approval for “starter home projects” on eligible urban lots under five acres. In plain terms, ministerial approval means staff can approve a qualifying project without a discretionary public hearing. (campbellca.gov) Under Campbell’s ordinance, projects can include as many as 10 units, and the city’s starter-home page shows multiple applications already filed in 2026 on single-family-zoned sites, including 1170 Steinway Ave. for 10 units and 1573 Walnut Dr. for 9 units. (campbellca.gov) The key fight has been over what counts as a “vacant” single-family lot. Campbell’s posted standards said an R-1 parcel could qualify if existing structures would be demolished before building permits were issued or a final map was recorded. (campbellca.gov) That interpretation mattered because Senate Bill 1123 expanded the earlier Senate Bill 684 law into vacant single-family zones and took effect July 1, 2025. Campbell said it adopted the interim ordinance because state changes could conflict with the city’s existing zoning code on lot size, land-use definitions and review procedures. (campbellca.gov) The housing pressure behind the rule is not abstract. Campbell’s March 4, 2025 annual housing report said the city had produced 207 units by the end of 2024, about 7% of its eight-year Regional Housing Needs Allocation target, and projected a shortfall of 2,290 units if that pace continued. (campbellca.gov) Campbell had already remade its housing rules before this latest dispute. On April 18, 2023, the City Council adopted a certified 2023-2031 Housing Element, an updated General Plan and multifamily design standards after a seven-year planning process. (campbellca.gov) City records say that Housing Element planned for more than 5,000 new residences in Campbell, with affordable-housing programs tied to inclusionary requirements, city land and motel conversion. Those broader targets help explain why state “starter home” laws landed so hard in a built-out city with many low-density neighborhoods. (campbellca.gov) This week, the council moved to narrow the opening it had created. Published reports on April 23 said Campbell voted 4-1 to require that land be vacant when an application is filed, not later in the process, cutting off projects that relied on future demolition to qualify. (msn.com) So the immediate takeaway is narrower than the alarm around “single-family zones” suggests: Campbell did allow denser projects on some single-family parcels under state law, several applications were filed, and the city has now moved to make that pathway harder to use. (campbellca.gov)