Ukiah planning commission requests staff draft open-space zoning options after wide-ranging workshop

The City of Ukiah Planning Commission on Jan. 8 held a workshop on creating an open space zoning district and asked staff to return with draft regulatory options that reflect the commission’s guidance.

The discussion, led by Jesse Davis, the city’s chief planning manager, focused on how a new zoning district could protect natural open space — with particular emphasis on the Western Hills watershed — while balancing recreation, ecological function, utilities and public safety. Davis told commissioners the item is intended to “establish our primary objectives for proposed open space designation” and to identify “the most critical criteria for an open space zoning designation within Ukiah.”

Why it matters: the city owns roughly 700 acres in the Western Hills and staff and the commission said a zoning tool is needed to implement open-space policies in the general plan, protect groundwater recharge and habitat, and guide public access and fire-safety measures. Commissioners stressed that the zoning language, permit triggers and review level will determine whether uses such as trails, utilities or other installations are allowed and under what environmental review.

Most important facts

- Staff presentations: Jesse Davis (Chief Planning Manager) presented the zoning rationale and options; Blake Adams (chief resilience officer) framed links to the Climate Action Plan and groundwater sustainability; Neil Davis (director of community services) reviewed parks and the Western Hills Watershed Protection Area Management Plan.

- Public input: Susan Knuff, a Ukiah resident, urged preservation of the Western Hills watershed, warning that roads, utility access and trail construction can degrade recharge and habitat. Dennis Azeltine, a member of the Western Hills Fire Safety Council, said the council wants to remain an active partner on fire-safety and conservation work.

- Key tensions: commissioners and members of the public repeatedly flagged potential conflicts between multiple uses identified in the county-derived open-space definition (for example, mineral extraction, utilities or solar installations) and the city’s stated goal of preserving natural, low-impact open spaces. Several commissioners said utilities or other high-impact uses should be disallowed or require a major discretionary permit and CEQA review.

- Direction to staff (not a formal vote): the commission expressed consensus for staff’s Option 2 — return with draft regulatory ideas and specific definitions (for terms such as “channelization”) and bring a draft back in about a month to six weeks for further review.

Discussion highlights and staff responses

- What open space would cover: Davis explained the general-plan intent is to align a zoning district with the open-space land-use designation already in the general plan. He noted the city has not yet applied the open-space land-use designation to any properties but pointed to one example of land set aside through a mitigation measure near Costco as a precedent for protected wetland/open-space treatment within the city.

- Climate, groundwater and watershed functions: Blake Adams said the Climate Action Plan and the Ukiah Valley Basin Groundwater Sustainability Plan provide measures that an open-space district could help activate, including protecting riparian habitat and groundwater recharge opportunities. Adams said those documents are intended to be coordinated with any open-space implementation.

- Parks and public access: Neil Davis summarized the parks gaps analysis and the Western Hills management plan (approved by city council about a year ago). He said the gap analysis will be released for initial public comment in the coming weeks and that the Western Hills plan prioritizes ecological protection, fire mitigation and limited public access as complementary goals.

- Review thresholds, CEQA and allowed uses: commissioners pressed staff on how and when particular uses (for example, trails, cell towers, utility lines, or large-scale solar) would be permitted. Staff replied that some activities might be allowed if accompanied by environmental review; others could be prohibited outright or require discretionary major-use permits. Davis noted the county’s open-space definition historically includes items such as mineral extraction, which the city may treat differently.

- Private property and constitutional issues: commissioners cautioned against automatically rezoning private parcels without landowner coordination, noting that applying open-space restrictions to private land can affect property value and may raise takings or compensation issues. Staff said redesignation on private land would typically require owner agreement or additional protections such as conservation easements.

Public comment

- Susan Knuff (Ukiah resident) urged the commission to prioritize watershed protection, argued that development-related access needs (roads, clearing for utilities) degrade recharge and habitat, and warned against proposals such as towers or extensive trail cuts that would increase disturbance.

- Dennis Azeltine (Western Hills Fire Safety Council) thanked staff for outreach and said the council intends to remain an active partner on protection and fire-safety measures.

Commission direction and next steps

- The commission did not adopt any ordinance or formal regulation at the meeting. Commissioners expressed preference for an open-space district that prioritizes habitat protection, watershed recharge and low-impact recreation and for a review framework that treats high-impact infrastructure as either prohibited or subject to a major discretionary permit and environmental review.

- Staff (Community Development and Planning) were asked to prepare draft regulatory options, a definitions list (including terms such as “channelization”), and recommended permit thresholds and bring those materials back to the Planning Commission in approximately one month to six weeks for further direction.

Votes at a glance

- Approval of minutes (Item 5): motion to approve the Dec. 11, 2024 minutes passed 3-0 on a roll call. (No ordinance or code change was adopted at this meeting.)

Ending note

The workshop is a staff-led step toward translating the general plan’s open-space policies into zoning regulations. Commissioners and the public repeatedly tied the discussion to groundwater protection, fire risk and public access; staff will return with concrete regulatory options and requested definitions to guide a more detailed ordinance-drafting process.