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Council lowers animal-keeping separation to preserve equestrian uses in Meadowview and Los Ranchitos
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Summary
The council introduced an amendment to Title 6 (LR25-0382) to reduce the required animal-keeping separation from 75 to 25 feet measured from the property line, a change staff said would preserve equestrian uses on large or irregular lots; council adopted the introduction 5-0 after a brief public hearing.
Senior planner Mark Collins presented a proposed amendment to the city’s animal ordinance (project LR25-0382) that would reduce required animal-keeping separation distances to protect equestrian property viability.
Collins said the city’s 2022 update unintentionally precluded some larger or oddly shaped lots in Meadowview and Los Ranchitos from keeping animals. Staff’s proposal reduces the separation requirement from 75 feet to 25 feet measured from the property line, with a note clarifying that existing barns or animal-keeping structures would be considered legal nonconforming uses.
Collins said the change aligns with local covenants and the expressed desires of equestrian communities, and that the amendment is exempt from further environmental review under CEQA section 15061(b)(3). The council opened and closed the public hearing and then moved approval; the item passed on a 5-0 vote.
Why it matters: The amendment seeks to balance neighborhood compatibility with preserving equestrian traditions and property rights in parts of the city that are zoned and historically used for horse keeping.
Next steps: The council introduced and read the ordinance by title only; staff will finalize ordinance language for subsequent adoption steps and apply the legal nonconforming note to existing structures as described by staff.
