Pacifica council adopts rezoning, EIR and general plan changes; excludes Sanchez Art Center from immediate rezoning

The Pacifica City Council adopted a programmatic environmental impact report (EIR) and approved land-use and zoning changes Aug. 11 that implement the city’s 2023–2031 housing element. The council also accepted the Planning Commission’s recommendation to remove Site 23 (the Sanchez Art Center campus) from the current rezoning program, a decision that satisfied many public speakers who said the arts campus and adjacent athletic fields should be preserved.

Community Development Director Samantha Updegrave led the staff presentation on the rezoning program and the EIR, telling the council the rezoning package is the regulatory step required to align zoning with Pacifica’s Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) of 1,892 units. Updegrave said the package rezones 30 of the 31 sites identified in the housing-element sites inventory, creates new high-density and mixed-use general plan categories (R30–R60, MU30–MU60, MUI30–MUI60), and adopts objective development standards and new zoning districts to match those land-use designations.

“Site 23 has been removed from the rezoning program,” Updegrave told the council. She said the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) confirmed that, because the city still retains a buffer of lower-income capacity, removing Site 23 from rezoning would not prevent the housing element from being found in substantial compliance — and would not prevent the city from seeking certification once the rezoning package is adopted.

The Planning Commission conducted multiple study sessions and three public hearings on the ordinance and related standards. Vice Chair Berman summarized the commission’s position and highlighted three issues that arose during the commission review: (1) the planning commission recommended removal of the Sanchez Art Center from the rezoning program; (2) planning commissioners sought to streamline the “by-right” approval provisions while remaining…