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Calabasas council opens review of Old Town zoning to reduce barriers for new businesses
Summary
Councilmembers asked staff to vet changes to Old Town Calabasas zoning after staff said many uses there require conditional use permits and tight parking rules that deter tenants; staff will take council direction to Planning Commission for further consideration and outreach to landlords and tenants.
The Calabasas City Council on Feb. 25 directed staff to take proposed updates to the Old Town Calabasas zoning district to the Planning Commission for further vetting after a lengthy discussion about vacancies, conditional use permits and parking constraints.
Staff told the council that Old Town’s land‑use table treats many otherwise routine commercial uses as conditionally permitted, requiring a costly conditional use permit (CUP) and public hearing that can add months and thousands of dollars to the tenant/owner process. "From experience, [the CUP process] often deters prospective tenants because it's just more time and money," staff said.
Councilmembers and staff discussed three principal paths: align Old Town’s allowed uses with the city’s commercial retail (CR) or commercial mixed‑use zones (which would reduce CUP requirements); selectively remove the CUP requirement for certain uses that could boost vibrancy (for example, alcohol sales or indoor live music) while preserving tailored standards (hours, indoor‑only music); and relax parking standards for existing buildings (not new construction or additions) so that an existing space could change use without triggering additional off‑street parking requirements.
Councilmember Peter Kraut and others said aligning Old Town with CR would be a meaningful first step. Several councilmembers also urged careful study of parking impacts and advance outreach to property owners and tenants before any formal code changes. Councilmember Ed Weintraub warned that relaxing parking standards could worsen Friday‑night and Farmers Market congestion if not paired with shared‑parking agreements or management strategies.
Staff said any code amendments would require municipal code changes, Planning Commission review, CEQA analysis and a hearing sequence back to council. The council asked staff to notify landlords and tenants in the Old Town area and suggested a Planning Commission workshop to collect stakeholder input before drafting ordinances.
Council consensus favored moving forward with staff to the Planning Commission with the direction gathered at the meeting; no final zoning amendments were adopted that night.
