Planning Commission recommends city council adopt omnibus municipal code amendments clarifying ADU and multifamily standards

The Moreno Valley Planning Commission on Feb. 12 recommended that City Council adopt a winter 2026 omnibus municipal code amendment to clarify accessory dwelling unit (ADU) standards and to revise multifamily landscaping requirements.

Senior Planner Miguel Del Rio presented the amendments (PEN26‑0003), saying the package revises Title 9 to clarify by‑right ADU development standards — including number of ADUs per lot, maximum unit sizes and setback rules — and to require applicants proposing ADUs on parcels served by septic systems to coordinate with the Department of Environmental Health. The amendment would also remove a minimum 35% site‑area landscaping requirement for multifamily residential projects and replace it with a requirement that setback areas adjacent to public streets be landscaped and continuously maintained in accordance with city design standards.

Del Rio recommended that the Planning Commission adopt Resolution 2026‑04 finding the amendment exempt from CEQA and introduce and adopt the implementing ordinance for transmittal to City Council. After public testimony and commissioner questions, a commissioner moved to approve Resolution 2026‑04; a second was recorded and the chair announced the motion carried. The transcript does not include a roll‑call vote tally for this motion.

Commissioners asked clarifying questions about whether the setback and other changes were mandated by state law; staff clarified that these changes are local clarifications to align the municipal code with existing state ministerial ADU requirements and to make local code easier to read and apply. The city attorney explained the broader trend: ADUs that once required discretionary review are now processed ministerially under state guidance, limiting discretionary public hearings for qualifying ADUs.

Public testimony raised concerns about potential uses of ADUs to increase project density without public hearings. A commenter who identified himself as George (surname variants appear in the transcript) warned that developers might use ADUs to add units on large parcels and asked that larger ADU proposals be brought before the commission.

Action taken: the Planning Commission approved a motion recommending the City Council find PEN26‑0003 exempt from CEQA and introduce/adopt the ordinance (Resolution 2026‑04). The transcript records the motion and that it 'carries' but does not provide a named roll‑call or numerical vote tally.