Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Use Design topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
La Mesa council adopts objective design standards for multifamily housing
Summary
The La Mesa City Council unanimously approved an amendment to Title 24 and adopted objective design standards that create a ministerial checklist for multifamily projects, aiming for clearer, more consistent design review and local control while complying with state law.
The La Mesa City Council on Sept. 9 unanimously adopted an ordinance amending Title 24 of the La Mesa Municipal Code to add Chapter 24.05 and approved a companion set of objective design standards for multifamily housing.
City planning staff said the standards were written to meet state requirements while giving La Mesa clearer, measurable rules for building materials, colors, shapes, layouts, size and massing. “They provide clear, measurable standards that regulate things like building materials, colors, shapes, layouts of buildings, size and massing,” staff said during the presentation.
The standards apply to multifamily housing with three or more units that require design review and will not apply to single-family homes or most duplexes. Planning staff explained the rules are meant to refine how buildings look without changing what can be built under the zoning ordinance. The new review process is ministerial: applicants complete a checklist and staff can approve compliance as part of the building permit process rather than forwarding every project to the Design Review Board.
Staff emphasized the standards include site, building and landscape design sections and provide flexibility mechanisms. “We wanted to provide an opportunity for those folks that provide us, stay within our height limitations and do the step back of those taller buildings. They would qualify for up to 4 administrative exceptions,” staff said, noting additional flexibility for projects that include deed-restricted affordable units and a process for non‑substantive edits vetted with the Design Review Board.
Councilmembers praised the community engagement process and the draft’s level of detail. “I think this is gonna make a huge difference in development in La Mesa,” one councilmember said, citing council and staff outreach and workshops that informed the standards.
The council also asked that the Planning Commission return within one year with a progress report on implementation. The ordinance was introduced on first reading and the standards were adopted in the same meeting; the council voted unanimously to approve the measures.
The standards are intended to make design review more predictable and to preserve La Mesa’s character while complying with the Housing Accountability Act and state housing law. Staff said the checklist and user guide are meant to reduce discretionary review and speed permit processing for qualifying projects.
