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Albany council orders Measure D amendment onto November ballot to align single-family rules with state law
Summary
City staff recommended and council voted to place a November measure asking voters to remove Measure D's 50% electorate requirement so single-family (R1) development standards can be amended through the regular public-hearing municipal code process; council and public debated whether the change would expand local control or cede authority to state streamlined provisions.
The Albany City Council voted June 1 to place a ballot measure before voters on Nov. 3 asking to amend Measure D (a 1978 voter-approved limit) so the city could modify single-family (R1) development standards through the regular municipal-code public-hearing process rather than by a 50% electorate vote.
Staff told the council the proposed ballot language would not itself change zoning immediately but would remove the special voter-approval requirement in Measure D, allowing future code amendments (for example on setbacks or floor-area ratio) to proceed through advertised planning and council hearings. Staff and council framed the item as a way to conform local procedures to state law changes that have expanded density options (lot splits, duplexes, ADUs and density bonus rules) and to enable the city to consider targeted development-standard changes without a special electorate threshold.
Public commenters urged caution. A resident argued the measure would give the council too much discretion unless specific changes were listed on the ballot, and recommended alternatives such as homeowner incentives to build ADUs or streamlining permits. Staff and council members responded that any future standard change must still go through planning and public hearings and that there are no immediate projects tied to the ballot instruction.
Council voted to adopt Resolution 2026-29 to order the measure onto the ballot; votes were taken by roll call and the motion carried with one member absent.
