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Planning staff: pre-approved ADU plans, staffing cuts and new ministerial permit push; board to consider ban on new onshore oil wells
Summary
County planning staff told the Monosto commission that online pre-approved ADU plans are available, long-range planning will lose two positions amid budget shortfalls, a local-preference marketing approach was approved for market-rate housing, and staff will develop more ministerial permits; staff also said the Board will consider a first-phase prohibition on new onshore oil and gas wells on June 23.
At the start of the meeting the Planning Department provided a series of updates that would shape future commission review and county policy.
Director Lisa said the county has posted online pre-approved accessory-dwelling-unit (ADU) plans intended to speed permitting: "we have a set of plans that are designed plan checked already and essentially they can come in, use it for free and they essentially have to do the site prep work...and then they're good to go." She said those plans could reduce time and cost for homeowners seeking to add ADUs.
Lisa said the long-range planning division must reduce staff from 15 to 13 full-time positions because of budget shortfalls; the department has requested restoration of one position and is pursuing a grant that could temporarily fund a role for a year. She warned the cuts will slow long-range work.
The director described a local-preference marketing program the Board of Supervisors approved April 21 for market-rate housing: developers must implement a marketing plan aimed at locals and market units to local applicants for at least 12 weeks before opening to a broader market, coordinating with chambers and local media. Lisa said the policy aims to prioritize local workers for new housing stock in targeted areas, primarily in North County and Eastern Galita Valley.
On ministerial permits, Lisa said the Board directed staff to prepare a package to expand ministerial (non-appealable) approvals for simple projects such as single-family homes, pools and accessory structures, while retaining design review for projects involving significant grading, bulk or scale. Commissioners asked whether ADUs would follow the same process; staff confirmed ADUs are ministerial under state law and that whether a large single-family home bypasses design review will depend on lot size and project-specific standards.
Lisa also said the Board will take a first-phase oil and gas regulatory change to its June 23 agenda that would prohibit drilling any new onshore wells; the board has also directed a longer-term phase-out strategy to be developed with the Community Services Department leading the effort. Staff said the first phase language stating "no new wells" could prevent like-for-like replacement if an existing well experiences catastrophic failure.
