Moraga planning commission backs zoning changes to scenic-corridor rules, sends recommendation to council

The Moraga Town Planning Commission voted 3–1 on Oct. 21, 2025, to recommend that the Town Council adopt amendments to Title 8 of the Moraga Municipal Code governing scenic corridors, including a staff-proposed reduction of certain Moraga Center setbacks from 40 feet to 25 feet and removal of an 8-foot stepback requirement above the first floor.

The commission’s action also endorses reducing the scenic-corridor study area in some places from 500 feet back from the right-of-way to 200 feet, removes an outright ban on portable signs in the corridor front 20 feet, and directs most corridor projects to follow the standard (staff-level) design-review process rather than an automatic Planning Commission hearing. The commission’s recommendation, approved by a 3–1 vote, is advisory to the Town Council; staff aims to bring the ordinance to council on Nov. 12, with a second reading and adoption to follow, and an ordinance effective 30 days after adoption.

Why it matters: the changes are part of the town’s housing-element follow-up work and are intended to reduce regulatory barriers that, staff and some commissioners said, can make infill housing and commercial improvements more costly and time-consuming. Opponents said the existing 40-foot setback and the 8-foot stepback protect scenic character, reduce front-of-site parking, and preserve options for future road widening and evacuation improvements.

Barry Miller, a consultant to the Town of Moraga who led the staff presentation, said the housing-element requirement was to “study the effects that these requirements have on the ability to build housing” and to amend standards only if they demonstrably reduce achievable housing yield. ‘‘The housing element program does not say the town of Moraga shall eliminate the 40-foot step back or 8-foot step back,’’ Miller said; ‘‘it simply says study the effects that these requirements have on the ability to build housing on these sites.’’

Staff outlined specific impacts on representative parcels in the Moraga Center Specific Plan area. On a roughly three-quarter-acre site identified for about 15 townhome units, staff calculated that the 40-foot setback covers about 21% of the parcel while a 25-foot setback covers about 13%, shrinking the area available for buildings and influencing where drive aisles or parking might have to be located. On a larger 5.3-acre site, staff said topography and grading—not only setback width—drive increased cost and complexity for housing development.

The ordinance packet before the commission includes multiple alternatives: (1) adopt staff’s original September 2 recommendation (25-foot setback, remove 8-foot stepback); (2) limit reduced setbacks/stepbacks to designated housing opportunity sites; (3) allow reductions only for projects that include a specified number of affordable units; (4) retain the 40-foot setback but require stepbacks only above the third floor; or (5) adopt staff’s recommendation now and reconvene after an evacuation study with potential follow-up changes. The commission vote approved the staff position presented on Sept. 2 (option 1) as the recommendation to council, with the package of sign-related edits that had been prepared in the revised packet.

Commissioners and members of the public debated several recurring points: the metric used to measure setbacks (staff recommends measuring from the recorded edge of the right-of-way rather than the road centerline), whether the town’s scenic-corridor rules are unusually restrictive compared with peer jurisdictions, and whether changes should wait until an evacuation study clarifies potential future right-of-way needs for road widening and egress. Commissioners who supported the change emphasized housing goals and regulatory streamlining; commissioners and members of the public who opposed it emphasized scenic character, potential for front-of-site parking, and evacuation concerns.

The motion approved by the commission instructs staff to forward the ordinance package to the Town Council for a November hearing. The commission record shows a 3–1 vote in favor; individual roll-call votes were not recorded verbatim in the meeting transcript.

Looking ahead: the council will consider the commission recommendation at a public hearing; ordinances become effective 30 days after final adoption. The town will report actions taken under the housing-element program to the state’s housing department through the annual report process.