In a first for California, Sacramento poised to allow apartments in single-family home neighborhoods

A jogger passes single family homes in the Elmhurst neighborhood of Sacramento.Sacramento is on the verge of approving a plan that would make the city the first in California to end zoning that permits only one single-family home on a property. “I not only take pride in the fact that we’re leading — I insist on it.” A “Don’t Become San Francisco” mantra also motivated Oregon lawmakers in 2019 when they voted to end single-family home zoning across the state’s urban areas, including Portland. The city’s popularity has been bolstered in recent years by a new NBA arena, plans for professional soccer and, most notably, “Lady Bird,” the 2017 Oscar- nominated movie that highlighted Sacramento’s unpretentious charm. “By trying to cram people into existing single-family neighborhoods, it lets you off the hook for improving other neighborhoods.” There’s still a lot of time for Sacramento’s zoning debate to play out. Still, Sacramento’s overall effort to increase development, including the change to single-family home zoning, “is way beyond what any other city has done,” said Chris Elmendorf, a UC Davis law professor who follows statewide development regulations.