Encinitas leaders review AB 2011/SB 6 implementing ordinance and objective design standards for downtown and North 101

Encinitas city leaders and planning commissioners on Oct. 15 reviewed draft implementing ordinances and objective design standards tied to AB 2011, SB 6 and AB 2243, a package of state laws that allow multifamily and mixed‑use housing in commercial zones.

The meeting, a joint workshop, featured a staff presentation by Sarah Cadona, senior planner and project manager, and a technical overview by Matt Gelman, senior urban planner with Ascent, the city’s consultant. Cadona said the city received an HCD grant of about $2,329,000 to fund the work and that the grant deadline was recently extended; the draft documents were posted Oct. 15 and the public comment period runs through Nov. 19.

Why it matters: AB 2011 and SB 6 expand where housing may be built in Encinitas but include complex eligibility, affordability, labor and tenant‑relocation rules. The implementing ordinance and objective design standards would clarify which commercial zones are eligible locally and set measurable, non‑subjective design requirements staff can apply consistently during review and approval.

What staff told the bodies: Gelman said the laws create three statutory project types (an AB 2011 100% affordable track, an AB 2011 mixed‑income track and an SB 6 track) with distinct…