Calabasas Planning Commission forwards objective design standards to City Council after package of edits

The Calabasas Planning Commission voted unanimously on March 19 to recommend that the City Council adopt a new ordinance and objective design standards (ODS) intended to make design requirements for multifamily and mixed‑use housing measurable and ministerial.

The commission directed staff and consultants to revise the draft ODS before transmittal to the council, approving several specific changes: a ban on cupolas in the ODS, permission for white gutters and additional off‑white options in the city color palettes, targeted removals from the plant appendix, and a staff‑defined, objective allowance for limited artificial turf usage.

The ODS package — which would add Calabasas Municipal Code section 17.12.0.147 and amend section 17.12.145 — was framed by staff and the city’s consultant, JKA, as a response to recent state laws requiring objective standards for certain housing approvals. A staff presentation summarized the legal context as “a requirement to apply objective standards and a ministerial process” in appropriate cases, and consultants described the ODS structure: a user guide, site/open space standards, massing/bulk standards, and separate chapters for Calabasas Regional and Old Town character.

Ami Bhatt, director of urban design at JKA, said the ODS translate community design values into measurable language: “Everything that we've heard, making sure that we could turn those into objective design standards,” she said during the presentation.

Commission debate focused on how to preserve community character while keeping standards objective and defensible under state law. Vice Chair Washburn framed the tension over state pressure and local discretion: “We are not going to be ultimately bullied for other than a really good cause,” he said, arguing for care in how the commission balances objective wording with local priorities.

On specific items, the commission approved by roll-call: - A motion to define and prohibit cupolas in the ODS (passed 4–1). - A motion to allow white gutters citywide (passed 3–2). - A motion to permit white as an accent option for window and door trim across palettes (majority vote in favor).

Landscaping and plant‑list revisions were a major focus. Commissioners raised fire‑safety and regional appropriateness concerns about several species in the appendix; staff proposed limited director discretion to update the plant appendix based on recommendations from fire and water agencies but with material changes returning to the commission. The commission voted to remove three species it identified as fire hazards (California fan palm, Monterey pine, California juniper) and to add California alder and scrub oak to the recommended list.

Commissioners also authorized staff to include an objective, quantified allowance for artificial turf (for example, limited square footage or a percentage of landscaped area) for uses such as dog runs; staff will return a specific, quantifiable standard to be included in the ODS before the package goes to council.

Staff will incorporate the commission’s edits into the ODS document and the associated ordinance; the Planning Commission then adopted Resolution No. 2026‑816 recommending City Council approval of the revised ODS. The resolution passed 5–0.

The commission’s recommendation is advisory; final adoption would require City Council action and the ODS text will be amended to reflect the commission’s directed edits before that hearing.

What happens next: staff and the consultant will prepare the revised ODS and ordinance language for City Council consideration, including the clarified plant appendix and an objective artificial‑turf allowance. The commission’s written record and the ARP letter will go with the packet to the council for their review.