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Winters council approves Olive Grove tentative map amid debate over affordable‑housing in‑lieu fees; council also reaffirms military‑equipment policy and adopts
Summary
Council approved Resolution 2026‑11 to tentatively subdivide ~3.506 acres into 16 single‑family lots (Olive Grove) after public comment raised concerns about a $98,000 in‑lieu fee for very/low‑income units. Council also renewed the military‑equipment policy and adopted the fire department’s five‑year strategic plan.
The Winters City Council on Feb. 3 approved the Olive Grove tentative subdivision map (Resolution 2026‑11) and accepted the related affordable housing plan, while discussion at the public hearing centered on how the plan treats required low‑income units.
Planner Kelly Mumper described the Olive Grove proposal as a reactivation of a stalled subdivision and recommended approval of a tentative map to subdivide roughly 3.506 acres into 16 single‑family lots, with conditions carried forward from prior approvals and a mitigated negative declaration from 2008. The planning commission had unanimously recommended approval.
John Leonard, a developer working for the property owner, told the council the ownership group and a contracted builder are ready to proceed as soon as the map is approved.
During public comment, resident Jeff Tempaz questioned the plan’s use of an in‑lieu payment ($98,000) as a substitute for building the very‑low and low‑income units required by the city’s inclusionary ordinance. Tempaz argued the fee appears unlikely to produce the promised units and asked the council to require a written plan showing how the in‑lieu funds will lead to unit production.
Planner Kelly Mumper and council members responded that the city’s inclusionary policy permits in‑lieu payments, which the city pools and later uses—often combined with grant funding such as PLHA or Homekey—to finance larger affordable housing projects. Staff noted the Olive Grove proposal does include one on‑site moderate‑rate unit and emphasized the council may still adjust terms before final map recordation. Multiple council members said staff is working to update gap analyses and in‑lieu fee calculations going forward.
After discussion the council moved to adopt Resolution 2026‑11; the motion passed on a voice vote. The council also held the annual public hearing required for the Police Department military‑equipment use policy (AB 481/Gov. Code 7072) and, with staff reporting no current equipment, readopted the ordinance as a technical matter. Later the council unanimously adopted Resolution 2026‑07 approving the Winters Fire Department’s 2026–2031 strategic plan, which sets seven priority areas including accreditation, community CPR and emergency response planning.
The council closed the meeting after receiving the city manager’s brief update on downtown consultant outreach.
