Duarte planning commission backs citywide objective design standards, 4–1

The Duarte Planning and Economic Development Commission voted to forward citywide Objective Design Standards (ODS) to the city council after a presentation and discussion on design metrics, developer outreach and state law implications.

Planning staff introduced the proposal as a city‑initiated effort to adopt objective—"clear and measurable"—design rules that can be enforced without subjective review, citing recent state housing legislation the transcript identifies as "SP 330, or the housing crisis act." Staff told commissioners the ODS would apply to residential developments with two or more units, mixed‑use projects and ADUs except where state law preempts local design rules.

Consultant Phil Burns of the Arroyo Group said the Duarte document was adapted from a San Gabriel Valley regional framework and tailored to local conditions. He described house‑scale and block‑scale standards, including maximum street frontage lengths (about 80 feet for house‑scale zones, 350 feet for block‑scale zones), modulation requirements (wall‑plane breaks every 30 feet in house‑scale areas and every 50 feet in block‑scale zones), limits on materials at building bases, and a cap on building colors (two primary and two secondary colors, with limited exceptions for very large projects). Burns said the standards also define frontage types (for example, stoop frontages) and open space design options.

Staff recommended adoption of Resolution PC 26‑05 and said the project was exempt from CEQA under common‑sense and categorical exemptions. Staff also reported receiving a letter from the California Housing Defense Fund raising concerns that the ODS could impose standards on multifamily ADUs under a cited state provision (transcript reference: "section 66,323"). To address that concern, staff proposed adding language clarifying that the new ODS "will apply to multifamily ADUs as long as they do not conflict with state law." A staff member said the letter "makes a valid point," and described the added clarification as an "easy way to do it."

Commissioners asked about the duration and review of the standards, public participation in the San Gabriel Valley working group, and whether sustainability or energy benchmarking (questions referenced AB 802 in the discussion) had been incorporated. Staff and the consultant said energy and building‑code performance are separate requirements and were not part of the ODS, and that public outreach included postings and a developer/stakeholder meeting with limited general‑public attendance.

Public comment was opened and closed with no speakers. Committee member S4 moved to approve the ODS as amended; S7 seconded. The chair called for a vote and announced the motion carried with four yes votes and one objection. Committee member S2 said of their objection: "my comment on objecting is simply, for public comment. I think we need to do a better job of including public."

The commission’s recommendation will proceed to the Duarte City Council for final action.