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Antioch leaders call for overhaul of objective design standards, warn state concessions can undercut local control
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Summary
Council and planning commissioners sharply criticized Antioch's existing objective design standards as subjective and out of step with local character, urged a timely, collaborative rewrite funded ahead of the General Plan timeline, and asked staff to report back on waivers and concessions developers are currently using.
A joint study session of the Antioch City Council and Planning Commission on March 18, 2026, turned into an extended critique of the city's objective design standards (ODS), with multiple elected officials calling the current standards "subjective," poorly illustrated and not reflective of Antioch's local character.
Mayor Pro Tem Freitas opened the critique by saying he was "tired of ugly developments" and called for a wholesale revision. "These guidelines are in desperate, desperate need," he said, urging that photography and examples be localized so staff, commissioners and the public can understand how the standards will shape projects. Several other councilmembers supported a comprehensive update and asked staff to pursue funding to update the ODS documents sooner rather than wait for the General Plan timeline.
Commissioners and councilmembers repeatedly raised one core concern: even if the city tightens objective design standards, the state density bonus law allows qualifying affordable projects to seek waivers and concessions that may remove architectural features or site requirements. Staff confirmed that waivers and concessions are available under state law and that developers can, depending on the affordability commitments and level of density bonus they request, obtain relief from a broad set of local standards. "You can get a waiver or concession from any standard," staff said, noting the number and type of concessions available depends on proposed affordability levels.
Council members asked staff for an inventory of recent projects and the waivers or concessions they used so the city can understand which standards are being routinely avoided. Several councilmembers recommended a three-pronged, collaborative process involving staff, the planning commission and the council to draft new objective standards and to clarify what can legitimately remain "objective" under state constraints.
Staff reported the original ODS work was partially grant-funded and that the city now has an MTC-funded opportunity to update the Hillcrest area plan and parking/access policies; staff said they will explore whether General Plan update funds or other grants can be used to fund an expedited ODS rewrite. The council signaled urgency, noting that multiple projects could be approved and permit-ready within a year.
Outcome: Staff was directed to explore funding and scope for an expedited update of the objective design standards, to return with a proposal for a joint staff-commission-council process, and to provide an inventory of recent waivers and concessions used by developers on recent projects.
