Are you sure that the zoning laws are driven by developers and real estate investors?
In most Bay Area cities, they are the wishes of the residents who do not want more development.
My neighborhood in Sunnyvale was recently rezoned to be single story only and that process is entirely driven by the residents, not the politicians. It was the 25th neighborhood in Sunnyvale to do so, and it cost around $200 per resident to file an application. No a single resident was against it.
50 ft is plenty, 3 stories, and has little to do with greed.
The new zoning rules in our neighborhood limit height to 17 ft.
And greed wasn't the driving factor either.
People are much more concerned about the new neighbor tearing down the single story house next door and building an ugly two story McMansion from which you can look straight down in their garden/pool.
In most Bay Area cities, they are the wishes of the residents who do not want more development.
My neighborhood in Sunnyvale was recently rezoned to be single story only and that process is entirely driven by the residents, not the politicians. It was the 25th neighborhood in Sunnyvale to do so, and it cost around $200 per resident to file an application. No a single resident was against it.