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San Clemente planning staff introduces zoning cleanup: landscaping, short-term rental rules and commercial-use table updates
Summary
City planning staff introduced three batches of zoning-code cleanup items—landscaping standards (Section 17.68), short‑term rental clarifications, and commercial use table fixes—seeking commission feedback and promising more detailed proposals and guidance materials on plant palettes and exceptions.
City planning staff presented a multi-part zoning cleanup to the Planning Commission on Feb. 18, asking for commissioner feedback ahead of formal code amendments. The work is organized into three batches; staff said this meeting introduced batch two and previewed material that will be returned to the commission in subsequent meetings.
Landscaping (Section 17.68). Staff proposed clarifications to distinguish planted (living) material from broader "landscaped" treatments, add a provision to allow vertical landscaping in certain nonresidential zones, and to specify that roughly 50% of required landscape areas should be living plant material. Staff noted the code previously cited a 60% reference for California-native species in one subsection. Commissioners probed the definition of "planted" versus "landscaped," whether permeable pavers or artificial turf would count as living material (staff: they would not), and how the state Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance (MWELO) interfaces with local requirements. Commissioners asked staff to prepare a public-facing plant palette and sample yard diagrams to aid applicants and to consider exceptions or phased approaches for remodels so the 50% target would not be overly restrictive in some cases.
Vacation rentals ("STAR" permits). Staff described clarifications to the 300-foot separation rule between STAR permits (short-term apartment rental permits) and STLU allowed areas, explained single-ownership rules for multiple units on a parcel, and noted staff recommends pulling substantive short-term-rental changes from this batch to return with a more comprehensive proposal—partly to consider temporary approaches or council resolutions tied to events such as the Olympics. Commissioners suggested the city could instead use time-limited suspensions or council resolutions rather than broad code rewrites for one-time events.
Commercial use table. Staff said a 2014 general-plan update unintentionally narrowed permitted uses in NC 1.2 and NC 1.3 zones. Proposed edits would realign NC 1.2 with NC 2 permissiveness and add a footnote (’26’) requiring a minor conditional use permit for certain uses when NC 1.2 is adjacent to residential zones. Staff will review related specific plans (for example, the Rancho San Clemente specific plan) and bring back targeted revisions.
Staff invited commissioners to provide written comments or one-on-one feedback over the next month. Short-term-rental revisions will likely be delayed for a more comprehensive later batch; other code tweaks will return for further commission direction before being forwarded to City Council.
