Calistoga — The City Council on Dec. 9 unanimously approved an amendment to the city’s subdivision ordinance to add Chapter 16.21, creating a clearer process for parcel mergers and replacing a hardcoded 5,000‑square‑foot threshold with a reference to the city’s minimum lot area.

Senior Planner Andrew Amelung presented the ordinance, saying it was drafted in response to public inquiries and lessons from recent projects, including the Indian Springs development that required merging eight parcels. "With a well written ordinance for mergers, quite often, it can be almost a ministerial process," Amelung said during his presentation to the council.

The draft distinguishes two types of mergers: owner‑initiated voluntary mergers and city‑initiated involuntary mergers. Amelung told council members the city has largely handled voluntary mergers and that involuntary mergers are rare. He said the city attorney recommended explicit language to address any situation where the city might need to initiate a merger.

Amelung identified two clerical corrections to be made before second reading: change the phrase "comprises less than 5,000 square feet" to "less than the minimum lot area" to avoid hardcoding a figure that could become outdated, and replace a mistaken reference to "Contra Costa County" with the "Napa County Recorder." Council members asked about the scope and safeguards for involuntary mergers; Amelung said city‑initiated mergers would follow the ordinance’s legal procedures and that staff and the director could require additional information in atypical cases.

Council discussion focused on ensuring the ordinance balances predictability with staff flexibility. Amelung noted examples of what the planning director would review, including lot area, density, lot coverage and setbacks, and said mergers that result in full conformity to regulations could be processed ministerially.

Councilman Williams moved to approve the amendment as corrected; the motion was seconded and passed unanimously. The council recorded that the amendment will streamline future merger requests and reduce legal fees associated with unclear procedures.

The legislation will return for a second reading incorporating the clerical corrections noted by staff; the city has not specified an effective date.