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Council introduces zoning text amendments to allow targeted downtown parking and three‑story housing
Summary
The council introduced Ordinance No. 2026‑530 — text amendments to Title 18 — to allow conditional parking lots in the R‑3 zone within the Central Business District, permit three‑story residential buildings, clarify front‑yard paving and porches, and update landscape standards; first reading was waived and second reading continued to July 28, 2026.
The Guadalupe City Council on July 14 held a public hearing and heard a staff presentation on five proposed amendments to the city's zoning code (Title 18) in Ordinance No. 2026‑530. Associate Planner Bill Scott said the changes modernize rules adopted in 1980 and respond to ongoing land‑use needs downtown.
Scott summarized the five revisions: allow parking lots in the R‑3 high‑density zone within the Central Business District by conditional‑use permit; permit a third floor for new residential buildings in certain zones; expand permitted projections for covered front porches; clarify front‑yard paving/parking rules to align fire‑department concerns and planning review; and revise the landscape ordinance to adopt state water‑efficient standards and larger required tree sizes.
On the front‑yard paving amendment, Scott said the proposal replaces the technical term "setback" with "yard" to remove confusion and gives planners limited discretion by replacing a strict "shall" with "should" in one place. He also confirmed staff removed proposed temporary RV unloading language raised in public comments.
After public comment (one speaker raised concerns about RV language), council voted to introduce the ordinance by title, waive first reading, and continue the second reading and adoption to the July 28, 2026 council meeting to allow a final staff revision and inclusion of the deleted RV line.
The ordinance package was presented as exempt from CEQA under standard general exemptions and included attachments highlighting edits in red. The council's action advances the text amendments toward formal adoption while preserving a further review opportunity at the second reading.
Next steps: staff will finalize the redlined ordinance and return it for second reading and adoption on July 28, 2026.
