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Carmel-by-the-Sea consultants outline objective design standards, prioritize ADU rules and fire‑safety limits
Summary
City planners and Opticos Design explained state-required objective design and development standards (ODDS) at a community workshop, stressing measurable rules for ADUs and multifamily projects, coordination with fire‑safety rules, and a schedule that aims for ADU standards this year and full adoption by April 2027.
CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA — City planning staff and consultants from Opticos Design held a community workshop on objective design and development standards (ODDS) aimed at converting advisory design guidelines into measurable, administrable rules for new housing projects.
Marnie Waffle, the city's principal planner, opened the meeting and said the work on ODDS is an implementation measure of the city’s housing-element update. Tony Perez of Opticos Design gave the presentation, saying ODDS “involve no personal or subjective judgment by a public official” and must be “knowable beforehand,” meaning standards should include clear, measurable requirements such as a specified ground‑floor height or maximum façade length.
Why it matters: The state’s 2019 updates to the Housing Accountability Act require objective standards for qualifying multifamily and mixed‑use projects (typically two units or more). When an application meets ODDS, Perez said, it can proceed through a ministerial…
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