The Mendocino County Coastal Permit Administrator on Nov. 19, 2025, approved coastal development permit CDP2024-0023 to add five visitor-serving lodging units to the McCallum House Suites in the town of Mendocino, subject to the findings and conditions contained in the staff report.

Jesse Waldman, project planner for Mendocino County Planning and Building Services, described the application as “a standard coastal development permit request to add 5 additional visitor service serving facilities” and said the work would be internal only, with no exterior alterations proposed. The project would relocate the on-site residence into the Jedidiah Smith Cottage (a two-bedroom unit) and result in a total of 10 lodging units with one single-family residence retained on the parcel.

Waldman said the property, at 10691 Pallet Drive (Assessor’s Parcel 11914032) in the county’s Fifth Supervisorial District, is zoned multiple‑family residential under the Mendocino Town Plan. He told the administrator that the Mendocino City Community Services District had approved the project for adequate water and services and that the Mendocino Historical Review Board raised no concerns because there are no exterior changes.

On lodging capacity, Waldman explained that the Mendocino town allocation is capped at 237 lodging units and that staff maintains an appendix (Table 2) listing visitor-serving facilities; a memo posted to correct a typo in the staff report clarified that, with other retained units counted, 198 visitor-serving units would be recorded for Mendocino town and nine lodging units would remain available if this project is approved. The planner cautioned that single-unit rentals and vacation home rentals follow a different allocation process.

Staff raised parking as a condition of approval: “This site currently has 9 spaces,” Waldman said, and with the addition of five rooms the site would be required to have 12 parking spaces. He noted the applicants have applied for two electric-vehicle charging stations (counted as parking spaces) and recommended a condition that the twelfth space be provided or that an approved alternative be found prior to issuance of building permits.

Applicant Noah Shepherd and agent Barbara Reed (the transcript also records the agent’s name once as “Barbara Reid”) were present; Shepherd asked about remaining available lodging allocations and Waldman and the administrator explained the 237 cap and how the different lodging categories are counted.

After opening the public hearing and receiving no comments, the administrator said he agreed with the staff determination of categorical exemption and approved the project. “So with that, the project is approved,” the administrator said, and he described the appeal periods: 10 calendar days for an appeal to the Board of Supervisors and 10 business days for an appeal to the California Coastal Commission before the permit becomes effective.

Waldman noted that recording a Notice of Exemption is optional but requires a $50 recording fee; recording reduces the statutory challenge window for the environmental determination from 180 days to 35 days. The applicants and the administrator discussed payment of the fee.

The meeting adjourned at 10:25 a.m.