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Calistoga planning commission approves municipal code changes to implement 6th-cycle housing element
Summary
The Planning Commission voted 5-0 on Oct. 8 to approve municipal code amendments that implement parts of the city’s sixth-cycle housing element, including rezoning lower-income RHNA sites by right and correcting an earlier draft’s inclusion of moderate-income sites.
The Calistoga Planning Commission on Oct. 8 voted unanimously to recommend amendments to the Calistoga Municipal Code that implement 14 programs from the city’s sixth-cycle housing element, including rezoning required lower-income RHNA sites for by-right approval.
Staff told the commission the draft ordinance was largely unchanged from the version considered at the July 23 hearing but included two corrections: the ordinance now limits “by-right” rezoning to lower-income RHNA sites required under state law and removes moderate-income parcels (sites F and G) from the by-right requirement. Staff also said one APN listed in the written materials was incorrect and would be verified.
A staff presentation noted that “state law requires cities to amend their zoning ordinances to allow by right approval of lower income RHNA sites, not moderate-income RHNA sites,” language staff said guided the revisions. Staff also confirmed that Site 3 on the map had been rezoned last year and that the only parcel being rezoned in this action is the one identified as Site E.
Commissioners asked staff to confirm Assessor’s Parcel Numbers (APNs) after noticing inconsistent APNs in the staff report; staff agreed to verify the APN for Site E and correct the written materials. Commissioner Kaiser asked about a provision treating ground-floor residential adaptive reuse as a use requiring a use permit; staff said the adaptive-reuse provisions are driven by state law incentives that facilitate conversions (for example, converting hotels to multifamily) and that staff would confirm the ordinance language adopted previously.
Commissioners also discussed several sites that have pending applications: staff said there is an active application using Sites A and B for a proposed clinic and that Site 4 (Site E) is the parcel proposed for rezoning in this action.
The commission approved the amended code language by motion (moved by Commissioner Keiser, seconded by Vice Chair Pinsky) and recorded a unanimous roll-call vote.
Staff described the action as a compliance measure with state housing law. The commission’s approval will be transmitted to the City Council for final action where required by municipal procedures.
