Orinda council introduces ordinances to rezone downtown and five opportunity sites to meet state housing requirements

The Orinda City Council on Sept. 30 introduced two ordinances and directed staff to return with related resolutions to implement required rezonings in the city's sixth-cycle housing element, actions city planners say are necessary to demonstrate capacity for the Regional Housing Needs Allocation.

The council unanimously voted to introduce Ordinance 25-04 (non-downtown opportunity sites) and Ordinance 25-05 (downtown rezonings and objective design standards, as amended) and to have staff return with Resolutions 52-25A and 52-25B for adoption. Vice Mayor Iverson presided over the portion of the hearing covering non-downtown sites while Mayor McAuley recused herself due to a property interest near Miramonte High School; she returned for the downtown discussion.

Associate Planner Darren Hughes told the council the package includes general-plan map and zoning-text amendments for 31 sites to show realistic capacity for 1,359 housing units under the RHNA allocation. "This is not a construction mandate," Hughes said, adding the rezoning establishes where multifamily residential uses would be allowed and sets objective design standards intended to streamline future project review.

Nut graf: The actions are intended to bring Orinda into compliance with state housing-element law and HCD (California Department of Housing and Community Development) review requirements by showing sufficient development capacity. Staff said the rezoning would give the city the regulatory framework to accommodate housing in downtown and at five opportunity sites (three church properties, one Miramonte High School parcel and the Caltrans gateway site), while the EIR's mitigation measures would address traffic, wildfire and other impacts.

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