Capitola planning commission asks staff to refine multifamily zoning proposals, consult legal and return with revisions

Capitola Planning Commission members on March 3 received an update on proposed amendments to the city's residential multifamily (RM) zoning and directed staff to review public comments, consult the city attorney and return with a draft ordinance and formal rezoning hearing with mailed notice.

The work session centered on Program 1.6 of the city's adopted housing element, the consultant Ben Noble told the commission, a program that calls on the city to "review and revise as appropriate requirements such as the minimum unit size, setbacks, parking requirements, and height restrictions to ensure they are necessary and pertinent and do not pose constraints on the development of housing." Noble said staff had developed a map identifying seven RM "housing opportunity areas" and draft development standards that would accommodate up to 30 dwelling units per acre (with 40 units per acre previously considered).

Why it matters: the City must keep its housing element certified by the state's housing agency to avoid penalties that can include the loss of state grants or limits on local approval authority. Commissioners stressed that any changes must both address state requirements and respond to neighborhood impacts.

Staff and consultant presentation Ben Noble, the city's consultant on the zoning amendments, summarized past work: nine meetings in 2024 addressing housing element implementation, including three focused on RM zones. He said the city currently divides RM into three subzones ' RML, RMM and RMH ' allowing about 10, 15 and 20 dwelling units per acre respectively. "This includes…