Planning commission recommends denial of Cortez Street rezoning after residents raise concerns about keeping animals and neighborhood character

The Redlands Planning Commission on March 11, 2025 voted to recommend denial to the City Council of Zone Change No. 480, a staff-initiated proposal to rezone parcels along Cortez Street from A-1 (agricultural) to R-E (residential estate).

Proposal and staff rationale

Planning staff presented the rezoning as an effort to reconcile the city’s zoning map with its General Plan land-use designation (the staff report described the General Plan designation as very low-density residential). Staff said the area is largely surrounded by residential development and public open space and that rezoning the properties would promote map consistency.

Staff noted the site area was described in the agenda materials as 18 parcels totaling about 5 acres; in the staff presentation there was also a reference to the site as consisting of 16 lots, eight of which are vacant and eight containing single-family homes. The transcript contains both figures; the number of…