Eureka council reviews draft zoning map, flags overlapping parcels and mixed zones

Eureka officials received a draft zoning map and discussed how to handle parcels that overlap the town boundary and contain multiple proposed zones. Shay, a staff member, told the council she had completed a draft but needs to clarify how to draw lines where buildings sit on multiple parcels and parts of parcels fall inside and outside the town boundary.

Why it matters: the map will guide future land use decisions, rezones and the general plan update that the planning commission is advancing.

Shay said the issue arises where a single parcel is partly inside the town boundary and partly outside, or where a building sits across parcels with different proposed zones. "There's buildings that overlap multiple parcels, and the parcels have different proposed zoning," Shay said. She recommended sending the draft to parcel owners and to the planning commission for review and proposed a follow-up Zoom meeting with staff.

Council members and staff discussed options including using mixed-use zoning for edge cases or cutting a specific piece of a parcel to assign a different zone. Brad, a staff member, said multiple zones on one parcel are "not the best practice, but it's not uncommon" and suggested meeting with property owners to develop options. Shay said she will email the draft to Mayor Deaver, Scott and Brad and asked that the planning commission review and make a recommendation.

The council also discussed related planning work including accessory dwelling units, short-term rentals and the general plan update. Shay said the planning commission is "pushing forward" and is focusing first on the general plan before addressing ADUs and STRs. Shay offered support for public surveys and formatting the plan materials for public use.

Council direction: staff will share the draft zoning map with council and schedule a short Zoom session to resolve overlay issues, and the planning commission will review the draft and make a recommendation for council action at a future meeting.

The council did not take binding action in the work meeting; any formal zoning changes will require public notice and a vote at a regular council meeting.