Architectural committee selects members for city development-code steering committee; 18–24 month update timeline discussed

City staff told the Cathedral City Architectural Review Committee on Feb. 5, 2025 that the city has kicked off a development code update and is seeking one or two ARC members to serve on a steering committee that will guide the process.

Associate Planner Cynthia Schultz said the city is rebranding the project as a “development code update” and has retained a consultant. She told the committee the update is on an aggressive schedule, is expected to take 18 to 24 months, and will include multiple public input opportunities, workshops and staff-led technical advisory meetings. Schultz said the steering committee will meet six times in total: the first meeting in person with the consultant and five additional meetings held virtually, and that meetings are anticipated to begin in March.

Schultz said the steering committee will include representation from city leaders, the Planning Commission, the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians and other community members. She asked for one or two ARC volunteers to serve on the steering committee; two committee members volunteered during the meeting and the committee then made a motion to appoint the two members who had expressed interest. The transcript records a motion to appoint the two volunteers and a second, but it does not record the committee’s final vote in the meeting record.

Schultz said several public input opportunities will be scheduled early in the process, and the city will hold workshops and sessions with Planning Commission and City Council that will be open to the public. She described the steering committee’s role as helping identify key issues the community wants addressed and ensuring the process stays on track.