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Council advances ordinance and programs to clarify city water allocation and create new residential-infill and ADU rules
Summary
Council introduced an amendment to Chapter 13.24 to move water-allocation program details into resolutions and adopted program resolutions establishing a residential-infill water category and revised ADU water rules to encourage more smaller accessory units while preserving council priority-setting authority.
The Seaside City Council moved forward on a change to how the city allocates limited water resources: staff introduced an amendment to Chapter 13.24 of the municipal code to standardize roles and delegate program details to council-adopted resolutions, and the council adopted two related resolutions establishing a residential-infill water category and revising the accessory dwelling unit (ADU) program.
Ordinance change (first reading): Andrew Myrick, economic development and community planning manager, presented a proposed ordinance that clarifies that council will set high-level allocation priorities and may adopt program-specific rules by resolution. Under the proposed approach the council would continue to set category priorities; programs (for ADUs, small-business allocations, West Broadway or other specific categories) would be established and adjusted by resolution to allow faster, clearer changes without repeatedly amending the municipal code.
Residential-infill and ADU program resolutions: Staff proposed creating a residential-infill category to permit water for new single-family and multifamily infill development and to provide rules for retrofits. Myrick said staff would initially offer water to an existing wait list (about 51 properties dating to 1999) for six months before opening the category to new applicants. The staff recommendation included allocating a total of 4 acre-feet to the new residential-infill category by drawing roughly 3 acre-feet from unallocated reserves and shifting 1 acre-foot per year from the ADU allocation (the ADU allocation would move from 3 to 2 acre-feet per year).
Key program details explained by staff: - Single-family infill: an allocation up to 10.1 fixture units (roughly a two-bathroom house with washer) for new dwellings or expansions, with limitations on utility sinks and pools. Lot subdivisions must meet district minimum lot-size rules. - Multifamily infill: an average allocation of 8.1 fixture units (about 1.5 baths on average) to be divided among units; larger requests (more than 0.5 acre-foot) would be reviewed by the Water Allocation Committee. - ADUs: proposed changes would shift the program to rely more on retrofit credits to existing units and provide only the water needed for a single bathroom, kitchen sink, and washer for each new ADU—intended to expand the number of ADUs the city can support by using retrofit savings and lowering the per‑ADU water allocation.
Public comment and council action: Speakers asked for clarification that the council retains final authority over priorities and asked that program materials remain publicly noticed. Carlo Lobo, a commenter, voiced concern that moving program details from ordinance to resolution could reduce public input; staff clarified that resolutions would still be publicly noticed and subject to council action. Council adopted the ordinance on first reading and approved both program resolutions during the meeting.
Why it matters: Seaside operates in the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District (MPWMD) with constrained water supply. These changes aim to create a clearer, more flexible allocation process, prioritize infill development, and use retrofit credits to unlock more ADUs while preserving council oversight of overall priorities.
Ending: Staff will implement the new programs as council resolutions, process the wait list for residential-infill water, and update procedures and application materials for ADU and infill applicants.
