SACRAMENTO — A state bill to replace surface parking lots with housing at East Bay and San Francisco BART stations passed the California Senate on Thursday, propelling the proposal one step closer to becoming law.

After a passionate debate on the Senate floor, the bill passed 26-13.

“This is about the future of our state,” said state Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco. “It’s about our kids and our grandkids and whether they are going to have a place to live.”

Championed by housing, transit and business interests but fought by some cities and others wary of losing local control over land-use decisions, Assembly Bill 2923 would force cities and counties to zone BART property in accordance with an ambitious policy the transit agency adopted in 2016. That policy calls for 20,000 new apartments and town homes — 35 percent of them to be rented at below market rate, system-wide — by 2040.

Perhaps more significantly, the bill would also fast-track the approvals of such developments, a process that has been known to take decades. One of the changes to the bill last week, a concession to opponents, would make that provision only applicable to projects that are no more than one story higher than the tallest buildings allowed in the surrounding area.

The proposal was also changed to require a replacement-parking policy ensuring that suburban stations remain accessible to commuters who drive to the station.

The bill’s authors, Assemblymen David Chiu, D-San Francisco, and Tim Grayson, D-Concord, say it would alleviate both the shortage of affordable housing and — by allowing more people to commute by train — the horrific traffic that has only worsened as workers are forced to live further afield to find homes they can afford.

Opponents, including Lafayette’s mayor Don Tatzin and state Sen. Steve Glazer, D-Orinda, say the proposal gives the transit agency unprecedented land-use authority, when it should be focusing on better running its trains. They also argue that cities are not standing in the way of housing development at BART and that the bill is not necessary.

Related Articles Meet the Valley Link: Your ticket out of mega-commuting hell

New S.F. icon: ‘Grand Central station of the West’

‘The Oakland we knew is not going to remain:’ Massive building boom tears through city In a 15-minute floor speech that he opened with a story about a homeless couple he met at a Martinez park, Glazer implored his colleagues to vote against the bill, saying it was a misguided effort to ease the housing crisis.

“It’s a sledgehammer,” he said. “It tramples the rights of towns and cities with no good reasons.”

The amended bill next goes back to the Assembly — which passed an earlier version — for final approval. It would then would go to Gov. Jerry Brown’s desk. The governor has until Sept. 30 to sign or veto bills.