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Council introduces zoning text amendments to implement certified housing element, approves two clarifying edits
Summary
Lafayette city staff presented zoning‑text amendments implementing eight housing‑element programs; the council voted to introduce the ordinance, with two edits: a grammatical fix to the vacant‑lot definition and an added cross‑reference for ADU height rules.
The Lafayette City Council held a public hearing and voted to introduce (and waive first reading of) zoning text amendments intended to implement several programs from the city’s certified 6th‑cycle housing element.
Senior Planner Stephanie Cervantes outlined the package — described in the staff report as “Zoning Text Amendment 125” — which updates definitions (including family and farmworker housing), adds an activity classification for boarding houses, revises general provisions to conform with post‑2014 state law changes, incorporates the zoning table into the ordinance, clarifies emergency shelter and reasonable‑accommodation language to align with state law, updates the inclusionary housing chapter and clarifies SB 9/SB 330‑related provisions.
Cervantes said the amendments implement roughly eight housing‑element programs, remove unused agricultural district code sections, and update multiple chapters (6.6‑3, 6‑4, 6‑7, 6‑13, 6‑34, 6‑35, 6‑37 and 6‑38). She told the council the amendments had been reviewed by the Planning Commission in April and June and recommended moving the ordinance forward for public review.
Councilmembers asked clarifying questions about the boarding‑house definition (staff said the prohibition is intended to avoid future conflicts), the removal of a finding from the reasonable‑accommodation section (staff said state law prohibits using subjective neighborhood‑impact factors in finding determinations) and whether ADU height limits still apply (staff explained height limits for ADUs are maintained in the ADU ordinance and the zoning amendment clarifies which code section governs ADU height when an SB 9 application is involved).
During deliberation the council approved staff’s motion to introduce and waive first reading and continue the matter to July 28 for second reading and adoption, with two edits: a grammatical change in the vacant‑lot definition (parallel phrasing) and a cross‑reference to the ADU ordinance to clarify ADU height limitations when SB 9 or other applications intersect. The motion was approved by voice vote.
Staff noted there were no public speakers on the item. The package will return on July 28 for second reading and formal adoption, with the edits directed by the council.
