Selma planning commission recommends zoning change to meet state housing rules, discusses SB 9 impacts

The Selma Planning Commission voted unanimously Monday to recommend that the City Council amend the multi-family section (11-2.3) of the Selma Municipal Code to add development standards for housing projects located on priority sites listed in the city's housing element.

Staff said the draft amendment responds to a follow-up request from the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) after the city adopted its 2023—2031 housing element on Nov. 18 of last year and forwarded the document to HCD for certification review. A draft notice of exemption under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) was prepared for the proposed ordinance change, staff added.

The change is a narrow text amendment to add a clarifying note in the residential use table for sites the housing element lists as vacant or underutilized. Jerome, a city staff member who presented the item, said the wording implements Government Code 65583.2, subsection (i), which sets minimum development expectations for sites included in an inventory used to demonstrate compliance with state housing law. Jerome told the commission the note would not itself change how individual projects are permitted but would clarify how properties on the inventory should be developed under state law; any reallocation of units among sites would require state approval.

Commissioners asked for and received staff explanations about how the amendment relates to affordable housing definitions and program differences. Jerome and the commission distinguished between "affordable housing" as a planning category (often tied to minimum densities and long-term affordability covenants) and Section 8, a federal rental-assistance voucher program. Staff noted affordable projects often use tax credits or other subsidies and carry inspection and long-term affordability requirements that market-rate projects do not.

The commission also discussed recent state housing legislation (SB 9) and how the city might further update local code to align with SB 9 provisions. Staff described key SB 9 features mentioned in the meeting: the option to allow up to four dwelling units on qualifying single-family parcels (two primary units plus two accessory dwelling units or a combination that yields four units), reduced side and rear setback minimums in certain cases (four feet), and a one-space-per-unit parking standard in many instances. Staff said the city already enforces objective design standards for some developments and that some SB 9-related changes would be primarily clarifying edits to the municipal code rather than wholesale rewrites. The commission was told the city has received several SB 9 inquiries and that staff had added a question to planning applications asking whether applicants were invoking SB 9.

Votes at a glance

- Approval of consent minutes for the Jan. 27, 2025 meeting. Motion to approve recorded on Feb. 24, 2025; roll-call vote recorded as unanimous (6-0). Outcome: approved.

- Recommendation to City Council: zoning text amendment to Section 11-2.3 (multi-family) adding development standards for priority housing sites per the housing element and HCD comments. Motion to recommend approval recorded on Feb. 24, 2025; roll-call vote recorded as unanimous (6-0). Outcome: recommended to City Council; item to be forwarded to the March 18 City Council meeting.

Why it matters: The amendment was presented as a compliance step to secure HCD certification of Selma's housing element and to make clear how the city will treat sites listed for lower-income housing in its inventory. Certification affects the city's standing under state housing law and can influence future funding and permitting for projects on the inventory.

What comes next: The commission's recommendation will go to the City Council on March 18, where council members will consider the ordinance amendment and the associated CEQA notice of exemption. Staff indicated other zoning text amendments related to SB 9 and recent state housing laws may be discussed with the council for broader code updates.

Sources and context: The discussion referenced Government Code 65583.2 (subsection (i)), the California Environmental Quality Act, the Housing and Community Development Department (HCD), SB 9, and Selma Municipal Code section 11-2.3. Staff named several housing-related organizations in explanatory remarks, including Fresno Housing Authority and Self-Help Enterprises, as examples of entities that commonly manage affordable projects with subsidy and inspection requirements.