\u201cNo other city in Santa Clara County is projected to have nearly 25% of its land area affected by SB 79,\u201d Eastwood told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight. \u201cIn terms of proportional impact relative to existing housing units, Campbell may experience the highest increase.\u201d<\/p>\n
Councilmembers have expressed concern with maintaining a diversified community that includes jobs as well as housing, because many of the city\u2019s retail businesses, offices and light industrial sites are clustered along the light rail lines.<\/p>\n
Other cities, including San Jose<\/a>, are wrestling with the same issues. And Campbell has already moved forward on more housing along major streets<\/a> and at the Winchester light rail station<\/a> prior to SB 79.<\/p>\n \u201cWe all want to have housing for working families,\u201d Councilmember Terry Hines told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight. \u201cIt\u2019s our watershed moment to manage through this and maintain a strong sense of community.\u201d<\/p>\n Councilmember Sergio Lopez, who is also VTA board chair, is optimistic about SB 79.<\/p>\n \u201cI think we\u2019re poised to see some interesting opportunities open up,\u201d Lopez\u00a0told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight. \u201cI firmly believe it could be a net positive for the city financially.\u201d<\/p>\n That would mark a shift from the past, when cities favored businesses \u2014 which pay sales taxes and don\u2019t require extensive municipal services over housing.<\/p>\n Susan Landry, a former Campbell mayor, said she is a \u201cMIMBY\u201d \u2014 Maybe in My Backyard \u2014 who wants to know the specifics of any individual project before supporting it.<\/p>\n But Landry views SB 79 as unfairly pushing low-income families onto public transit.<\/p>\n \u201cThe person who makes $15 to $20 an hour is the one who most needs a car,\u201d Landry told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight.<\/p>\n She is also concerned Campbell won\u2019t be able to afford all the infrastructure \u2014 electricity, streets, water and sewer \u2013 required for a massive increase in high-density housing.<\/p>\n Amy Taylor, president of the Downtown Campbell Business Association, said adding large amounts of high-density housing nearby could overcrowd the downtown strip on East Campbell Avenue, which is in the SB 79 zone.<\/p>\n \u201cMy biggest concerns are parking, especially in the downtown, and infrastructure needs,\u201d Taylor, who lives in Campbell and owns the downtown business Cloud City Supply, told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight. \u201cTo me, downtown doesn\u2019t feel like the right place (for more housing).\u201d<\/p>\n On March 24, the city council passed a short-term policy to make sure historic sites within the SB 79 zone are protected from development \u2014 already a provision of the state law.<\/p>\n Councilmembers decided they should wait on further action while the state Legislature considers two bills to amend SB 79. One of the bills would exempt mobile home parks<\/a>, which typically offer affordable housing, from SB 79 developments. This would include the Timber Cove Mobile Home Park in Campbell with 137 homes. The other, Senate Bill 677, would tighten the definitions in SB 79.<\/p>\n Another big question is whether developers will choose to take advantage of SB 79. The law requires them to build high-density apartments or condos, not the lower-density townhomes that offer the highest rate of return in the West Valley. Nor does SB 79 require cities to meet specific goals for new housing, unlike other state housing laws.<\/p>\n \u201cI agree that we need housing, but development has to be balanced,\u201d Vice Mayor Anne Bybee said at the March 24 meeting. \u201cWe can\u2019t just create 40,000 units in the city. To me, it\u2019s an unattainable goal. It\u2019s not going to happen in my lifetime. Our infrastructure can\u2019t handle that unless the state provides the money and the resources.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"In-line](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/interactive-321838904008.png\")
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