Campbell City Council voted 4-1 Tuesday night to tighten the city’s interpretation of state housing law by requiring the land for a proposed project be vacant at the time a developer submits an application.
In 2025, Campbell adopted an interim ordinance to comply with the passage of two state laws that enable cities to fast-track developments for starter homes, which are small housing projects with up to 10 units. The ordinance, which is scheduled to expire on July 31, allows for starter homes to be built on certain vacant single-family parcels. Even if a parcel has a structure on it, developers could still propose a project if the lot might become vacant in the future.
This has led to developers submitting applications for single-family lots that currently have houses on them. Residents called on the council to repeal the ordinance due to the perception that these starter home projects are displacing existing homes and changing the character of single-family neighborhoods…