Planning commission backs narrow change to allow single-family homes on small RM lots, adds safeguard

CATHEdRAL CITY — The Cathedral City Planning Commission on Wednesday voted to recommend the City Council approve a narrowly drawn amendment to the RM (multiple-family residential) zoning rules and to Specific Plan 87-26c that would allow single‑family dwellings on certain small RM lots, after adding an amendment limiting the change to lots with developed properties on both adjacent sides.

The action grew out of a building permit application for a roughly 9,500-square-foot lot on Olancha Road that staff said could not be developed under current RM standards. Dom Camps, associate planner, told commissioners the amendments “proposed to add single family dwellings as a permitted use in the RM District for lots no greater than 10,000 square feet and that do not have frontage on an arterial highway,” and to amend Specific Plan 87-26c so single‑family dwellings would be allowed where the underlying zoning permits them.

The commission framed the change as a narrow infill fix. Camps said the RM district lists medium density ranges of 4.5–10 dwelling units per acre and includes a 20,000-square-foot minimum lot size for newly created lots; staff found many existing nonconforming lots that are smaller and difficult to develop as multifamily under current code. “We found that this property is one of multiple vacant properties within the RM District that are too small to fully support development as multifamily projects while meeting the density requirements,” Camps said.

Why it matters: the RM district contains 39 lots (staff said), 28 of which are undeveloped; 60 existing RM…