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Council removes residential growth cap from general plan, updates zoning to reflect state housing laws
Summary
The council waived first reading and introduced amendments to the zoning ordinance and adopted a general plan amendment removing Policy 9.3 (a residential growth control), and approved related ministerial changes to bedroom additions, ADU rules, permit timelines and noticing to align with state law.
Walnut Creek city staff and the planning commission recommended — and the City Council adopted — changes to the general plan and zoning ordinance on June 17 to align local rules with recent state housing laws.
Crystal DeCastro, acting principal planner, told the council the general plan amendment removes Policy 9.3, a growth control provision that capped residential development; state law (Senate Bill 330) prohibits local residential growth controls that conflict with housing obligations. DeCastro said the zoning amendments were primarily procedural: allowing ministerial review for certain bedroom additions (AB 916), pausing permit expiration timelines during legal proceedings (AB 2117), lengthening noticing periods for planning commission zoning amendments (AB 2904), and expanding detached accessory dwelling unit (ADU) allowances on multifamily lots (SB 1211).
The planning commission had recommended the changes on June 26, and the council voted to waive first reading of the zoning ordinance amendment, introduce the ordinance (with errata), adopt the general plan amendment removing Policy 9.3, and make CEQA exemption findings. Council recorded unanimous aye votes on the motion.
Why it matters: The amendments remove local barriers that would conflict with state housing law, streamline approval timelines for some interior bedroom additions, and update ADU rules that could increase housing capacity on multifamily lots.
Council members asked staff about how ADU counts treat attached ADUs and clarified that ministerial reviews do not require public hearings for up to two‑bedroom interior additions where the state law applies.
