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Council adopts broad zoning ordinance amendments — lighting, definitions, buffer for daycare

Berkeley City Council · December 16, 2025

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Summary

Council adopted a package of zoning ordinance amendments including new definitions (medical office, outdoor service areas), removal of egress windows as projections, tighter exterior lighting rules (with holiday exceptions), compact‑car dimensions and a prohibition on gun shops within 1,000 feet of daycare centers; the changes were presented as cleanup and clarification items.

On Dec. 15 the Berkeley City Council adopted a multi‑part update to the zoning ordinance intended to clarify definitions, close identified gaps and add a few new limits.

Planning staff described the package as a second round of clean‑up amendments after recent ordinance implementation. The council approved items including definitions for medical office and outdoor service areas; clarified rules for carports and dimensional requirements for compact parking spaces; removed egress windows from the projections list; clarified sketch‑plan requirements for site‑plan review; and added a provision to prohibit gun shops within 1,000 feet of an existing child daycare or child group daycare home.

Council members raised questions about exterior lighting and whether the change would unintentionally ban holiday lighting. Kaplansky said the lighting ordinance contains an explicit cut‑out for holiday lighting and that current LED outlines would be treated as legal nonconforming installations rather than immediately removed. "They could keep the lights," Kaplansky said when asked about existing LED outlines.

The motion to adopt the package passed unanimously on roll call. Staff said a small number of loose ends remain and additional minor cleanups may follow, but overall the package was characterized as routine clarifications driven by experience applying the ordinance.

What to expect: the clarifications standardize review processes and close a few locational and definition gaps; staff will return with any remaining cleanups.