Planning Commission unanimously recommends fence and nonconforming-lot code change to City Council

The La Habra Heights Planning Commission voted unanimously to recommend that City Council adopt an ordinance and resolution to clarify development standards for fences and nonconforming lots.

After opening a public hearing and receiving no public testimony, staff explained the draft ordinance (Ordinance 2026-02) and an accompanying resolution (Resolution 2026-04) intended to reconcile inconsistent code language across chapters 7.5, 7.11, 7.18 and 7.19 and to exempt the ordinance from CEQA. City Manager/Staff (Rafferty) told the commission the draft incorporates prior discussion about standards modifications for water‑tank and other non‑residential lots and proposed updated fencing requirements.

Commissioners pursued detailed line-by-line clarifications, asking whether the new fence rules apply only to new fences (they do), whether existing chain-link fences would be grandfathered (new standards apply to new installations; unpermitted new work can trigger stop‑work orders and code enforcement), and whether screening and time-to‑screen intervals were consistent across the draft (staff agreed to correct inconsistencies such as references to ‘‘less than six feet’’ versus ‘‘six feet or less’’ and to unify screening timelines). Several commissioners noted punctuation, typographical inconsistencies, and the need to explicitly route certain setback modification requests to the Planning Commission.

Following the edits discussed in the meeting, the commission moved to approve the three related ordinances and the resolution recommending City Council approval. The motion passed 5–0.

Next steps: staff will finalize exhibit language and forward Resolution 2026-04 and Ordinance 2026-02 to City Council for consideration.