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Council introduces rezoning for 2170 Columbus Parkway to meet housing‑element obligation
Summary
Council members voted to introduce an ordinance and approve an EIR addendum that would rezone 2170 Columbus Parkway from Mixed Use Infill to a new Housing Opportunity (HC) zone and create a matching HOD general‑plan designation to accommodate higher‑density housing tied to the city's certified housing element.
The Benicia City Council on first reading introduced an ordinance and approved an addendum to the certified environmental impact report that would rezone 2170 Columbus Parkway and amend the general plan as part of housing‑element Program 2.04.
Planning Manager Jason Hade told the council the proposal would create an HC zoning district and an HOD general‑plan land‑use designation to enable higher density at the site, and that the change "would allow an additional 77 units, at this particular site." He said the proposal is intended to implement a program the state highlighted as high priority when certifying Benicia's housing element.
Staff said the project is intended to deliver 75 additional lower‑income housing units across the program's sites and that the Columbus Parkway site lies just outside the four target census tracts but, after consultation with HCD, can be counted if findings about community fabric are met. City staff recommended approving the EIR addendum, adopting the general‑plan amendment, creating the HC zone and re‑zoning the property; the council introduced the ordinance and set a second reading for February 4.
The motion to approve the addendum and introduce the ordinance passed on a roll‑call first reading after a public hearing that included one brief public question about the proposed mix of lower‑income and market‑rate units. The ordinance introduction waives full reading of the text; staff said project‑level environmental review will analyze specifics such as parking and building height when a developer applies for a specific project.
