LAFAYETTE, CALIFORNIA – Lafayette will consider zoning changes allowing taller buildings and more homes downtown at a hearing later this month.
The Planning Commission will consider recommending approval on October 19, according to a city announcement.
How tall could buildings get?
The announcement calls for increasing height allowances alongside housing densities, but does not specify the proposed limits in feet or stories.
Lafayette has previously explored substantial height increases. In a September 2025 city planning memorandum, staff tested a scenario allowing 65-foot buildings in commercial zones designated for 60 homes per acre and 55-foot buildings in other commercial zones.
That analysis was part of a separate effort to meet regional transit-oriented development requirements. Those figures should not be treated as the confirmed height limits for the October proposal.
More homes along Mount Diablo Boulevard
The current package would increase maximum densities from 60 to 65 homes per acre in designated downtown areas and establish additional designations allowing 45 homes per acre.
The changes follow a housing lawsuit settlement announced in June. Lafayette agreed to consider upzoning approximately 130 acres and pay $120,080 in attorney fees after Housing Action Coalition challenged the city’s housing plan.
According to the city’s settlement announcement, the areas under consideration include land north of Mount Diablo Boulevard between El Nido Ranch Road and Pleasant Hill Road, along with specified properties south of the boulevard and around Golden Gate Way. Some properties currently allowing 35 homes per acre would move to 45.
The settlement also calls for considering two additional acres on the DeSilva South property for housing at up to 35 homes per acre.
Mayor Carl Anduri said the agreement was a compromise intended to avoid lengthy, expensive litigation, while maintaining the city’s commitment to additional housing.
Housing advocates see an opportunity to expand access to Lafayette. In a statement from the coalition’s attorneys, HAC advocacy and policy manager Ali Sapirman described planning more homes near transit in Lafayette as a way to address the housing crisis and advance fair housing.
Changing zoning would expand development possibilities. It would not establish a construction schedule for those properties.
When residents can weigh in
The hearing is scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday, October 19, in the Don Tatzin Community Hall at the Lafayette Library & Learning Center, 3491 Mount Diablo Boulevard.
Residents can attend and comment. The city says the agenda will be posted by October 16.
The upcoming commission hearing is a step toward possible zoning changes. The proposal has not yet received final approval.
