Saint James
Orinda, California
Saint James is a clean example of SB 9 moving from abstract policy into a real market test. The property owner is an experienced, old-school realtor who has sold hundreds of homes and understands the local market from decades of direct experience. He used SB 9 to split the lot of his own home, creating a new buildable parcel.
The home showcases some of our signature design features: the entryway unfolds into a spacious, open living and dining area, with abundant natural light from the south-facing windows.
Details
- 1,600 exterior square feet
- Two-story layout
- Three bedroom, two-bathroom
- Full-size built-in kitchen
- Large attached balcony
Saint James is an SB 9 project that moves from lot creation to housing creation. An experienced realtor split the lot of his own home under SB 9, but when the new parcel did not sell, he chose to develop it himself. The resulting townhome was designed under Orinda’s objective SB 9 standards and positioned for a young family moving from a more urban context into Orinda.
The policy story is about how SB 9 and local objective standards create a narrow but real path for new ownership housing on underused residential land. The human and market story is about translating that path into a finished home that a buyer can actually evaluate, finance, and live in. Together, the project illustrates the practical next step for SB 9: not just creating lots, but creating homes that fit the market.
Saint James begins with one of the clearest uses of SB 9: an owner splitting the lot of an existing single-family property to create a second residential parcel. Because the project proceeds through SB 9, the entitlement framework is not based on a conventional discretionary planning negotiation. Instead, the design is shaped by state law and Orinda’s adopted objective SB 9 standards.
This distinction is important. The project is not an attempt to maximize density through a large multifamily entitlement. It is a small-scale infill project that works within the familiar physical language of low-density residential neighborhoods while adding a new ownership housing opportunity.
The design challenge is that an SB 9 parcel is not simply a smaller version of a conventional lot. Once the lot is split, the new homesite has tighter dimensional constraints, a more precise development envelope, and less tolerance for inefficient planning. The house needs to satisfy objective standards while still feeling like a complete, market-worthy home.
For Saint James, the result is a townhome that translates SB 9’s legal possibility into a buildable residential product. The lot split creates the opportunity; Orinda’s objective standards define the rules; the design process turns the constrained parcel into a legible, family-oriented home.
The client story gives the project unusual credibility. The owner is not a speculative outsider or a first-time developer. He is a prolific local realtor who has sold hundreds of properties and understands how buyers evaluate homes, lots, neighborhoods, and long-term value.
After splitting the lot through SB 9, he initially tried to sell the vacant parcel. When the market did not absorb the lot on its own, he made a practical decision: develop the home himself and sell a finished product instead of an abstract development opportunity.
That shift is central to the case study. Many buyers may be interested in a new home in Orinda, but fewer are prepared to purchase a small SB 9 lot and manage design, permitting, financing, and construction themselves. A finished townhome solves that problem. It converts an entitlement opportunity into something a normal household can understand and buy.
The imagined buyer is a young family moving to Orinda from a more urban environment over the hills. They may be looking for more space, better schools, a quieter residential setting, and a stronger connection to landscape and neighborhood life, but they may not want or need a large estate-style property. A compact new townhome offers a more attainable and lower-maintenance entry point into a community where conventional single-family homes are often expensive, large, and difficult to access.
