Planning commission recommends City Council introduce zoning changes to limit extended hotel stays

The Weed Planning Commission voted to recommend that the City Council introduce amendments to Title 18 (zoning) of the Weed Municipal Code to clarify how hotels, extended-stay units and transitional-housing placements are defined and regulated.

Planning staff told the commission the proposed changes update definitions and zoning tables so that stays longer than 30 days would be treated differently unless units provide specified amenities. "Before you tonight, there are amendments to title 18 of the Weed Municipal Code," a staff member said, describing the revisions and noting that the commissions action would be a recommendation to the City Council.

Justin Mayberry, acting city manager and chief of police, told commissioners several hotels in the city participate in programs that range from single-night rentals to long-term placements. "I'm the acting city manager, also the chief of police," Mayberry said, and described one property previously used for extended stays that is currently closed for change of ownership and cleanup. He said the city has encountered difficulty distinguishing between a hotel guest, a tenant and a program participant when hotels do not consistently report transient-occupancy tax (TOT).

Staff and the acting city manager said the draft amendment uses a 30-day threshold to distinguish short-term guests from residents or long-term occupants, and requires basic amenities a kitchenette, a sink and laundry services for accommodations intended to house people longer than 30 days. "We're trying to avoid those issues," Mayberry said of problems that can arise when lodging lacks cooking or laundry facilities and people effectively become residents.

Mayberry also put the local proposal in the context of state-funded programs, saying programs such as Project Room Key and Project HomeKey have allowed stays ranging from 30 days up to two years in some transitional settings. He told the commission the local code change would not necessarily prevent state-sponsored placements but would set local standards and definitions that staff could enforce.

A commissioner moved to approve the staff recommendation to forward the proposed Title 18 changes to the City Council; a second was recorded. The commission voted in favor with no opposition and the motion carried. The staff recommendation will be transmitted to the City Council for introduction and possible adoption.

The meeting also included routine business: the commission moved to approve March 19 meeting minutes, a commissioner announced a student-housing groundbreaking scheduled for Oct. 10, 2025, and staff noted one applicant will go before the City Council for a vacancy in May. The commission adjourned following those items.