Planning commission recommends council approve 61‑unit Parcel B small‑lot development

The City of Soledad Planning Commission on Sept. 11 voted 3–1, with one absence, to recommend the City Council approve a planned unit development (PUD‑23001) and vesting tentative subdivision map (TM‑23002) for Parcel B, a proposed small‑lot subdivision east of Orchard Lane and Cedar Lane. The project, as presented by city staff, would create 61 residences — 37 small‑lot single‑family units and 24 multifamily units — on a site the staff described as about 4 acres and located next to Orchard Lane Park and near Hartnell College.

The recommendation advances a staff position that the city should prioritize housing production to help meet state‑mandated RHNA targets. Ariana Mora, a city planner with the City of Soledad, told the commission that staff’s “recommended actions at this time is to receive the staff report and make, consider a staff recommendation to approve the original plan for Parcel B, as proposed.” Mora said staff recommended the original 61‑unit design because reducing units would diminish the number of housing units counted in the city’s housing element pipeline and would reduce impact‑fee revenue used for public projects.

Commissioners debated two of the project’s key deviations: reduced on‑site recreational open space and a shortfall in multifamily off‑street parking. Under the subdivision code cited…