Planning commission recommends council adopt "Business Friendly Hayward" code and map updates, sets new data center review threshold

The Hayward Planning Commission on a unanimous vote recommended that the City Council adopt a package of municipal-code text amendments, zoning map revisions and master-fee-schedule changes aimed at streamlining permitting for businesses while creating extra review for certain uses.

Senior planner Elizabeth Blanton told the commission the package, the third presentation to the commission, consolidates commercial sections of the code, relaxes permitting for uses such as small markets and breweries, and updates definitions and procedures. "Tonight, assistant planner Sachiko Riddle and I are proud to present you with the final proposed municipal code changes and zoning map revisions for the Business Friendly Hayward project," Blanton said during the presentation.

Staff said the revisions are largely intended to make it easier for desirable businesses to open while preserving public protections. Among the specific changes, staff recommended retaining the existing truck-terminal definition after industry input; requiring a conditional use permit for any massage establishment; and creating a…