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Commissioners discuss new state bills and uncertainty over SQA exemption for rezonings
Summary
Commissioners reviewed staff bulletins about recently passed state bills (referred to in the meeting as SB 130 and SB 131) that staff said could exempt some rezonings from local SQA review; staff reported the city attorney advised the bills do not explicitly exempt general plan amendments and staff is seeking clarification.
A commissioner used the announcements portion of the meeting to flag a recent state bulletin that, according to staff, includes newly passed bills the speaker referred to as "SB 130 and SB 131" and that appear to exempt some rezonings from the state's SQA process.
The speaker said they had forwarded the bulletin to staff because the change could make rezoning steps — including procedures relevant to Albany Hill and Measure K — easier for the council to pursue. Staff cautioned that the bulletin's language does not clearly refer to general plan amendments tied to rezonings. Staff reported they had followed up with the city attorney, who told them the bills “don’t actually specifically exempt general plan amendments associated with the zoning from SQA,” and staff said they are awaiting clarification from the Legislature or the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD).
Commissioners discussed the possibility that some upzoning specified in the housing element could be affected but noted it would depend on whether proposed zoning changes require general plan amendments. One commissioner urged a future agenda item to create a roadmap for potential zoning changes in light of the bills; staff said they will scope a work plan to prioritize projects given current staffing levels.
No formal action or direction to change policy was taken at the meeting; staff advised the commission that they will monitor clarifications from state agencies and, if warranted, bring options back for policy or procedural decisions.
