Cloverdale Planning Commission recommends council accept 2025 general plan and housing element reports

The Cloverdale City Planning Commission voted to recommend that the Cloverdale City Council accept the city's 2025 General Plan Annual Progress Report and the 2025 Housing Element Annual Progress Report and forward the housing element submittal to state agencies.

Staff presenter Rafael Miranda reviewed the reports, emphasized the 2025 circulation-element update and related implementation measures, and summarized housing activity for the year. Miranda said the city issued three accessory dwelling unit (ADU) building permits in 2025 and noted work on projects that help implement circulation and park policies; he told the commission the city has added about 232 units toward its current regional housing numbers for the planning cycle. "We issued 3 building permits for ADUs all last year," Miranda said.

Commissioners pressed staff on which affordability categories had been met and which remain outstanding. Miranda said the city has made substantial progress on low- and very-low categories, but "moderate" units remain the harder target to fill. Commissioners and staff discussed how state guidance counts permitted units for RHNA compliance and how some ADUs are categorized. One commissioner noted that ADUs have often been reported as market-rate or "above-moderate" in the local tables but said state guidance can affect classification.

The commission also discussed several large or pending proposals that could factor into future amendments to the general plan and housing element. Miranda described pending or potential submittals that may require general plan or zoning amendments, including the Esmeralda project and a Bay Du Calle phase 2 proposal; commissioners asked how entitlement review, fire and engineering conditions, and tribal land status would affect review and the city's ability to influence project design.

Members raised fiscal and infrastructure concerns associated with a steady flow of affordable housing. One commissioner cautioned that some affordable projects come with infrastructure obligations—"we're gonna acquire lighting and road and infrastructure improvement costs"—and urged the city to seek mixed-use components on affordable projects so developments contribute commercial tax revenue. Commissioners discussed options to encourage moderate- and market-rate development, including pre-zoning and more proactive outreach to developers.

After the presentation and discussion, the commission voted to approve two resolutions recommending that the City Council accept the 2025 General Plan APR and the 2025 Housing Element APR and to submit the housing element materials to the California Department of Housing and Community Development and the Governor's Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation. Staff recorded the motions and the commission approved both recommendations for forwarding to council.