City staff proposes zoning text amendment to simplify high‑occupancy housing rules; open house June 5

Tiffany Antolf, a city planning staff member, presented a zoning code text amendment to the Housing Commission on May 20 aimed at simplifying and realigning high‑occupancy housing (HOH) standards with the forthcoming regional plan.

Antolf said HOH standards were originally updated to address large mixed‑use student housing projects and that a coming regional plan redraws land‑use categories the code currently depends on. She told commissioners the amendment will simplify density tables, replace several layered density tiers with a single maximum, and modify the HOH definition by replacing an “or” with an “and” to allow form‑based projects to exceed a units‑per‑acre threshold if they do not exceed a specified bedrooms‑per‑acre cap.

Antolf described the change as a technical fix that would “bring back a bit more life into our form based code” and said it would allow projects composed mainly of one‑bedroom or studio units to avoid HOH designation if they stay below the bedrooms‑per‑acre limit. Using Village at Aspen Place as an example, Antolf explained how current overlapping rules (resource protection overlay, activity‑center classification) can produce different allowed densities for the same site under the present code.

She said the draft amendment would remove the requirement that large HOH projects provide alternative floor plans, delete the strict requirement that such projects be located within an activity center (instead relying on the conditional use permit process and conformance with regional plan goals/policies), and remove size limits tied to activity‑center categories that the regional plan no longer contains. Antolf said some location provisions — such as a prior requirement to be within 300 feet of a commercial corridor — would be reframed to emphasize proximity to collector or arterial roads appropriate for large mixed‑use projects. Waste‑management and crime‑prevention requirements were revised to require consultation with sustainability and police staff and an enforceable safety plan rather than the prior prescriptive lists.

Antolf said the changes are intended to “simplify and clean up that density table” and to make single, consistent maximums across zones rather than a complex set of conditional tiers tied to the regional plan. She told commissioners the draft will be posted after the meeting, that a public open house is scheduled for June 5 and that the amendment will advance to the Planning and Zoning Commission and City Council in August and September for formal consideration.

Commissioner Tyler Denham asked whether the amendment would remove minimum densities. Antolf replied, “Nope. It doesn't get rid of the minimums.” Denham and other commissioners also discussed the relationship between units‑per‑acre versus bedrooms‑per‑acre metrics and how bedroom caps better track population for service provisioning; Antolf said staff is still exploring broader density reforms and that this amendment is one step in a staged approach intended to reduce the risk of Prop 207 claims.

Antolf clarified that existing Prop 207 waivers would remain in place and that this amendment did not automatically negate previously issued waivers. The measure was presented for feedback; no formal commission vote occurred. Antolf asked for commission feedback and public input at the June open house.