Infill development encourages building within existing urban areas to efficiently use land and infrastructure, reduce sprawl, and support sustainable transportation. Under CEQA, infill development generally refers to projects on vacant or underutilized land within an urbanized area where at least 75% of the surrounding land uses are considered “qualified urban uses”. These uses typically include residential, commercial, public institutional, and transportation facilities.
Infill development places housing, jobs, and services closer together, reducing the distance between origins and destinations. Reduced distances can encourage walking, biking, and transit use.
For more details, see CAPCOA, T-55. Infill Development, pg. 224-227 for VMT reduction quantification.
Equity-driven infill development should support affordable housing near job centers, schools, and transit corridors. Prioritize investments in areas with high need for mobility and access, while including anti-displacement policies and community benefits agreements to protect long-term residents from rising land values and gentrification pressures.
Local jurisdictions can support infill development through development incentives, reduced regulatory barriers, streamlined project review, fee reductions or deferrals, public land disposition, and infrastructure investments. Potential state and federal funding sources include the California Department of Housing and Community Development’s Infill Infrastructure Grant Program, Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities Program, Permanent Local Housing Allocation, and other programs supporting infill housing and transportation improvements. Federal Community Development Block Grant and HOME Investment Partnerships Program funds may also support eligible infill and redevelopment projects. Local transportation agencies can additionally coordinate infrastructure investments to improve pedestrian, bicycle, transit, and roadway connections serving infill areas.
Downtown Turlock provides an established urban area where additional development can occur without extending the City’s urban footprint. The City’s General Plan identifies downtown as a mixed-use activity center and emphasizes maintaining Downtown Turlock as a focal point for commercial, civic, cultural, and community activity. The area provides an opportunity to accommodate additional housing, employment, and services near existing infrastructure and transit rather than requiring development at the urban edge.
StanCOG’s Draft 2026 RTP/SCS provides the strongest regional example of infill development. Compared to the current scenario, the preferred scenario increases the share of infill development from 84 percent to 90 percent while reducing farmland conversion by approximately 460. The scenario increases multifamily housing and improves multimodal connections between residential areas and major employment centers ultimately reducing VMT and GHG.
