West Covina | Three or More Homes

West Covina, California Three or More Homes: MF and Mixed-Use Zones, Precise Plans, By-Right Approval, the Density Bonus and SB 79

West Covina has no special program for triplexes or fourplexes. Three or more homes on one lot are a "multi-family residence," and the Development Code allows that use in eight zones: the four MF zones and the four mixed-use zones. This page covers what each zone allows, the design and unit-size rules, how a project is approved, the shorter process for projects with affordable homes, the density bonus, a large project the City Council approved in 2026, and how the state transit law SB 79 fits. The West Covina overview has the summary.

Where Three or More Homes Are Allowed

Table 2-2 marks "Multi-family residence" allowed by right, with no use permit, in MF-8, MF-15, MF-20 and MF-45. Table 2-12 does the same in the OPMU, NMU, RMU and SMU zones. The use is blank, meaning not permitted, in R-A, R-1 and the M-1 manufacturing zone.

Sources: West Covina Municipal Code Sec. 26-48 (Tables 2-5, 2-6 and 2-7), 26-52 (Table 2-13) and 26-54, Supplement 94.

Three more settings sit outside these tables. Downtown lots follow the Downtown Plan and Code, where the T-4 Urban Neighborhood zone lists a multiplex of three to six homes. Land in a numbered specific plan follows that plan. And an R-1, MF-15, MF-20 or MF-45 site with a planned residential development overlay may group homes on lots as narrow as 24 feet. The zoning districts page covers all three.

Unit Sizes, Open Space and Building Form in the MF Zones

Section 26-48 sets a minimum floor area for each home by zone and bedroom count. The figures are in square feet.

Source: West Covina Municipal Code Sec. 26-48, Table 2-11 (Supplement 94). Each bedroom over four adds 200 sq ft in MF-8, 150 in MF-15 and MF-20, and 125 in MF-45.

• Private open space. "A minimum of two hundred (200) square feet per dwelling unit of usable private open space shall be provided," at least five feet wide and deep. Balconies and patios reached from the home count.
• Common open space. It "shall be provided in conformance with the standards set forth in the West Covina Multi-Family Objective Design Standards (2022)."
• Yards around buildings. In MF-8, MF-15 and MF-20 each main building needs a yard of "ten (10) feet plus two (2) feet per additional story in height above the first floor plus one (1) foot per each twenty (20) feet of linear exterior wall." The yards of two buildings added together are the minimum distance between them.
• Building length. No building may be longer than 200 feet in MF-8, MF-15 and MF-20, or 400 feet in MF-45.
• Micro-units. A micro-unit project follows the same standards. Each unit needs its own kitchen with a two-burner stove, a refrigerator and a sink, a bathroom with a shower, and a closet. Projects of 15 or more units need 24-hour on-site management.
• A table that is missing. Section 26-48(c)(2) says ground coverage, counting buildings, carports and paved parking, "shall conform to the following table." No table follows in the Municode copy or in the ordinance PDF on the City's website. The building coverage limits in subsection (c)(1), 45, 55 and 70 percent, are stated in full.

How a Project Is Approved

A precise plan is West Covina's site and design approval. Under Section 26-210 it must be approved "before the issuance of any building permit for the new construction or expansion of an existing use." There are two ways to get one.

• Approval by the Planning Commission. Table 6-1 lists the Planning Commission as the decision body for a precise plan, with appeal to the City Council. Notice goes by mail to owners "within a radius of five hundred (500) feet" at least 10 days before the hearing. A residential project "with five (5) or more units requiring Planning Commission and/or City Council review" must also post a notice board on the site. Section 26-213 lists five findings, including that the project "is consistent with adopted development standards for the zone" and that its architecture and layout "are compatible with the existing and future land uses."
• Approval by staff. Section 26-212 says that for projects eligible under the state law SB 35 "and/or multi-family residential projects providing a minimum of twenty (20) percent of the total dwelling units reserved for lower income households subject to deed restriction, the Community Development Director shall approve or deny the ministerial precise plan based on the West Covina Multi-Family Objective Design Standards (2022)." The Director reports the decision to the Planning Commission within 30 days. A deed restriction is a recorded limit on how the property may be used.
• Why staff approval exists. The staff report for Ordinance No. 2525 lists it among changes required by the state Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD): it "Ensures that multifamily projects with at least 20-percent of the units reserved for lower income households are approved 'by-right.'"
• How long an approval lasts. A precise plan expires if no action is taken "within two (2) years of its effective date," with extensions "in one-year increments, up to a maximum of two (2) additional years." A precise plan approved by staff under this rule is valid for three years with one extension of a year.

Source: City of West Covina, Master Fee Schedule effective January 1, 2026. Each fee is a base fee; attorney and City architect costs and added staff hours are charged against a deposit.

The objective design standards are a separate City document. Section 26-168 calls them "minimum design requirements that apply to new multi-family residential and mixed-use development" in the MF and mixed-use zones, and says they "apply to site and building design only." An objective standard is one that can be checked by measurement, with no personal judgment. The Community Development Director may allow deviations that "are approved by the Planning Commission." This guide did not find the 2022 standards document on the City's website, so ask the Planning Division for it.

Homes in the Mixed-Use Zones

Section 26-54 holds the residential standards for OPMU, NMU, RMU and SMU sites.

• Density and commercial space. No more than 20 homes per gross acre, and at least "0.15 of leasable commercial square footage" measured as a ratio of the site. Parking structures do not count toward that ratio.
• Front doors. "A minimum of fifty (50) percent of the proposed dwelling units shall have direct pedestrian access from the dwelling unit to an exterior walkway." A shared hallway does not meet the rule. Eastland Center is exempt.
• Design standards. A project where "at least sixty-six (66) percent of the proposed new square footage is intended for residential occupancy" must follow the Multi-Family Objective Design Standards.
• Setbacks. Table 2-17 sets 15 feet in front, 10 feet at an interior side, 15 feet at a street side and 15 feet at the rear. Next to R-A, R-1 or a single-family use, the side and rear setback is 15 feet for one story, 25 for two and 40 for three.
• Parking study. Section 26-92 says "All mixed-use projects shall include a parking study prepared by a qualified traffic or parking consultant."

The Density Bonus

The state density bonus law gives a project extra homes above the zone's limit when it includes affordable homes. West Covina's Division 3 "shall be interpreted in a manner supplementary to, and consistent with," that law. Section 26-145 applies it to "a housing development consisting of either five (5) or more general dwelling units."

• The base number. "The base density shall be the allowed gross density of the property allowed under the applicable zoning code," and "All calculations are rounded up for any fractional numeric value" (Section 26-147).
• The state table. Government Code 65915 sets the bonus by the share of affordable homes. Its low-income column reads 35 percent at 20 percent of the homes and 50 percent at 24 percent.
• Larger bonuses by choice. Section 26-148 lets the City grant more than the state requires, case by case: up to 100 percent for projects with more than half the homes for seniors or with a mix of very low income, lower-income and senior homes, and up to 200 percent where "all of the units are reserved for and affordable to very low- income households and/or lower-income households." That section speaks of bonuses "greater than thirty-five (35) percent" as ones the City may grant or refuse. The state table now reaches 50 percent as a right, and Division 3 says it is to be read consistently with Government Code 65915, so the statute controls between 35 and 50 percent.
• Incentives. Section 26-149 lists reduced lot sizes, setbacks and open space, more lot coverage, more height or stories, and reduced objective design standards as incentives a project may ask for.
• The agreement. The owner signs a recorded agreement that keeps the affordable homes affordable "for a minimum of fifty-five (55) years" (Section 26-157).

A 2026 Example: 232 Homes at Del Norte Street

The staff report of June 16, 2026 describes a project on the former Del Norte School site at 1501 W. Del Norte Street. The site is 13.62 acres and was zoned R-1. The applicant first filed 282 homes, reduced the plan to 260 before a December 9, 2025 hearing, and then to 232. The final plan has "34 single-family houses" and "198 attached, three-story townhomes" on 11.74 acres, which the report gives as "19.76 dwelling units per acre," plus "a 1.45-acre park dedication."

• What it needed. An amendment of the General Plan, the City's long-range plan for land use, to "Neighborhood Medium Residential (up to 20 units per acre)," a zone change to a new specific plan, a precise plan, a tentative tract map and a tree removal permit.
• The form. House lots "range from 2,646 square feet to 3,379 square feet." Townhomes reach 37 feet 10 inches. The plan has 530 parking spaces, "which is 2.28 spaces per unit."
• The votes. The Planning Commission recommended approval 3 to 1 on April 28, 2026. The City Council minutes of June 16, 2026 record 3 to 2 votes on the environmental document and the General Plan amendment and a 4 to 1 vote on the precise plan resolution. The zone change, Ordinance No. 2541, was adopted on July 7, 2026.
• What it shows. A site outside the MF and mixed-use zones can reach townhome density through a specific plan, with hearings at both the Planning Commission and the City Council. The first Planning Commission hearing was on December 9, 2025 and the last City Council vote on July 7, 2026.

The Housing Element and SB 79

A housing element is the part of a city's General Plan that shows where its share of the region's new homes can be built. HCD reviews it. The staff report of May 6, 2025 gives West Covina's share for 2021 to 2029 as 5,346 homes: 1,653 very low income, 850 low income, 865 moderate income and 1,978 above moderate income. HCD's letter of September 18, 2024 said the element "meets the statutory requirements" but "will remain out of compliance until the rezoning has been completed." The May 2025 report says certification "is pending the adoption of Ordinance No. 2525, which was adopted by the City Council on March 18, 2025," and that the ordinance "was sent to HCD for confirmation." City Council records read through October 6, 2026 do not show HCD's answer, so ask the Planning Division for the current status.

SB 79 allows taller and denser housing near major transit. HCD's SB 79 advisory says the law's provisions that raise allowed height and density "will take effect on July 1, 2026, in Alameda, Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and San Diego Counties." West Covina is in Los Angeles County. Under Government Code 65912.156, a qualifying stop is one served by heavy rail, light rail, commuter rail with "at least 48 trains per day," or bus service that meets a state test. The advisory describes that bus test as "full-time dedicated bus lanes or operation in a separate right-of-way" with service every 15 minutes or less at peak hours. The statute calls a stop served by light rail, high-frequency commuter rail or qualifying bus service a Tier 2 stop. Within one-quarter mile of a Tier 2 stop, Government Code 65912.157 bars a height limit under 65 feet and a density limit under 100 homes per acre.

The 2016 Downtown Plan says Foothill Transit runs eight routes Downtown, "including one Bus Rapid Transit or BRT service (Silver Streak)" that "operates on Interstate 10." This guide did not check whether any stop in or near West Covina meets the SB 79 tests. Chapter 26 has no SB 79 section, and a search of the City's agenda system for "SB 79" from 2024 through the October 6, 2026 City Council meeting returned no items. The advisory says each regional planning agency "must create a map of TOD stops and zones within its region by tier," so check that map for your site.

Where City Documents and the Code Differ

• The City's Housing Element Update page gives the 2021 to 2029 housing share as "5,334 total housing units." The May 2025 staff report gives 5,346. The two lists differ by two to four homes in every income group.
• Section 26-48(c)(2) refers to a ground coverage table that is not printed.
• Section 26-148 treats a density bonus over 35 percent as one the City may grant or refuse; Government Code 65915 grants up to 50 percent as a right. The statute controls.
• Section 26-54 caps mixed-use housing at 20 homes per gross acre, while the MF zones count per net acre. On the same site a gross count gives the larger number.

Where to Go Next

Related on VanPlex: the West Covina overview, the SB 79 page and the duplex to fourplex guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

Official sources (checked October 2026)