Planning commission continues debate on draft stream corridor protection ordinance after hours of public comment

City planning staff returned Aug. 27 to the Planning and Transportation Commission with a draft ordinance intended to update Palo Alto’s municipal code for stream corridor protection; commissioners did not vote to forward the ordinance and instead continued the item to a date uncertain after lengthy questions and public comment.

Senior Planner Kelly Cha presented the draft and said it implements comprehensive plan policies and council priorities. "Tonight, staff is asking the planning and transportation commission to recommend that the city council adopt the draft ordinance, which updates Palo Alto's existing stream quarter protection ordinance," Cha said, and explained staff’s outreach and biologist consultation dating to early 2024.

Key proposed changes in the draft included: establishing a single "streamside setback" distance of 30 feet recommended by project biologists for urbanized areas; enlarging the slope stability protection area in open-space, rural and Baylands areas to 30 feet (from 20 feet); adding applicability to some residential developments not subject to discretionary review; specifying exemptions (including limited exemptions for single-family properties on Edgewood Drive); and an exception process that would require a qualified environmental assessment, demonstration that no reasonable alternatives exist and mitigation.

During…