Santa Cruz Planning Commission approves package of zoning changes to multifamily design, accessibility and housing-use rules

Santa Cruz — The City of Santa Cruz Planning Commission on April 3 unanimously approved a staff-recommended package of amendments to the general plan, municipal code and Local Coastal Program that update objective design standards for multifamily housing and make related changes to density bonus, reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities, licensed community care facilities, low-barrier navigation centers and historic-preservation rules on Mission Street.

The action forwards the package to City Council (scheduled for May 27) and, after council review, to the California Coastal Commission for any Coastal Act review. Commissioners voted 5-0 both on the original motion to approve the draft amendments and on a subsequently adopted friendly amendment directing staff to refine a corridor-frontage diagram (Figure 15) and related dooryard/curb-zone language in coordination with Public Works before the council hearing.

Why it matters: the package is intended to make design review more predictable, to reduce unnecessary barriers to housing development (especially affordable housing), and to ensure local rules reflect state requirements. Staff told commissioners the changes aim to encourage design variety while making the objective standards clearer and more implementable by staff, developers and the public.

Staff presentation and key proposals

Bennett Williamson, a planning technician in the Advanced Planning Group, summarized the technical portion of the package, explaining objective standards are “specific and measurable” so staff can reach a yes-or-no determination on design submissions. Williamson told the commission the proposed changes refine the 2023 objective standards and respond to developer and current-planning feedback gathered since implementation.

Major design-standard changes include: - Modulation ("changes in plane"): for buildings three stories or fewer, the draft requires one change in plane per 30 feet of public frontage with a minimum 2-foot depth; for buildings taller than three stories, one change in plane per 50 feet with a minimum 4-foot depth. For very long frontages (over 100 feet), the draft adds a deep notch option (described by staff as at…