Yucaipa residents press council over RM-24 housing permit-by-right approval; staff says state law limits local discretion

City of Yucaipa officials and dozens of nearby residents clashed on Jan. 26 over a proposed multi‑family project in the RM‑24 district that neighbors say has changed since earlier approvals and was not renotified to the public.

City Manager Doctor Moore and planner Ben explained that the site north of County Line Road in the RM‑24 zone allows high‑density development as a by‑right use under the city's development code and state law. Ben told the council the base calculation for the site was 202 units under RM‑24 and that the state density‑bonus statute automatically grants increases if a developer provides deed‑restricted affordable units; staff said the developer’s recent submission invoked that process.

Residents contended the project had been reduced in earlier negotiations (from a previously proposed 200 units to 172) and that it now appears again as a 258‑unit, three‑story proposal under a new business name. Judy Maine, a nearby homeowner, said she and other neighbors were not notified of the December planning commission action and called the change “shady.” “No one knew this was going on,” Maine said during…