Ukiah Planning Commission unanimously recommends new Open Space zoning district to City Council

The Ukiah Planning Commission voted unanimously Oct. 22 to recommend that the City Council introduce an ordinance creating an Open Space zoning district in the Ukiah City Code.

Planning staff presented the draft ordinance and the commission adopted a resolution forwarding the recommendation to council after questions about permitted uses, enforcement and timing. "The words open space are mentioned 73 times throughout our general plan," Jesse Davis, chief planning manager, told the commission as he framed the ordinance as an implementation tool for the general plan.

The draft ordinance would create an Open Space zoning district that staff said is intended to sit alongside (and in some cases over) existing land-use designations such as public facilities and agriculture. Among the provisions described by staff: residential or caretaker units were removed from the draft; the district would encourage reverse setbacks to buffer adjacent residential uses; mineral extraction would be excluded; and large public-facility installations, such as utility-scale solar arrays or wind turbines, would not be treated as appropriate uses in the district.

Davis told commissioners that some outdoor activities and low-impact uses are "allowed" while higher-impact work — for example, projects that alter the site substantially — would require a discretionary use permit and supporting studies such as habitat, conservation or fuel-management plans. He noted that staff consulted peer documents including the Western Hills watershed protection plan and the Ukiah fuels reduction plan while drafting definitions and use lists.

Commissioners pressed staff on several practical matters. Commissioner Hillacre asked whether grazing would be allowed; Davis said managed grazing was an available tool to reduce fuels and cited modern grazing-management approaches. Commissioner Brown asked when and how the district could apply to privately owned land; staff said a rezone to Open Space would generally be owner-initiated (for example, in conjunction with a conservation easement) and that staff would avoid applying the district against an owner’s wishes because such action could amount to an unlawful taking.

Staff listed several city-owned parcels as likely candidates for future rezones, including Western Hills, the former landfill area, the fish hatchery site and portions of Riverside Park and Logap Park. However, Davis and other staff emphasized the commission would not assign the Open Space zoning to parcels at this hearing; assignment will be considered later as part of a comprehensive zoning-map update that staff said is due after the current drafting effort (the official map was last updated in 2017).

Commissioners also asked about maintenance, policing and funding for city-owned open-space parcels. Davis said present responsibilities lie with the departments that already manage the properties (for example, community services or utilities), and that any additional capital or maintenance needs tied to improvements would be budgeted in the city’s capital-improvement or operating processes. He said director determinations under the ordinance would be noticed and are appealable.

At the end of the public hearing, Commissioner Brown moved to adopt the resolution recommending the ordinance to City Council; the motion was seconded and passed by roll call, 5-0 (Brown, Montano, Johnson, Vice Chair Hillacre and Chair DeGrassi). Chair DeGrassi concluded the action with, "Motion passes. It's unanimous."

The planning commission’s recommendation asks City Council to introduce the ordinance in November and consider adoption in December. Staff told the commission that detailed parcel rezones, trail and management plans, and any parking or access improvements would be handled as separate, subsequent steps and would include public notice and opportunities for appeal.