[00:00:01]
[CALL TO ORDER]
EVENING.THANK YOU FOR JOINING US HERE ON OUR JANUARY 27TH PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING.
WE WILL CALL THINGS TO ORDER AND TAKE ROLE, PLEASE, CLERK.
IN THAT CASE, WE'LL MOVE ON TO GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT.
DURING GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT, THE PUBLIC IS INVITED TO MAKE COMMENTS ON ITEMS OF PUBLIC INTEREST THAT ARE WITHIN THE PLANNING COMMISSION SUBJECT MATTER JURISDICTION, AND THAT ARE NOT LISTED ON THE CURRENT AGENDA.
PUBLIC COMMENTS ARE LIMITED TO UP TO THREE MINUTES PER PERSON.
DEPENDING ON THE NUMBER OF PERSONS WISHING TO ADDRESS THE PLANNING COMMISSION.
TIME WILL BE ALLOCATED IN EQUAL SHARES TOTALING NO MORE THAN 15 MINUTES.
SO WE'LL OPEN GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT, AND IF THERE'S ANYONE WHO WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK, PLEASE BRING THOSE SPEAKER CARDS UP TO THE CLERK AND I'LL ASK IF WE HAVE ANY GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENTS THAT WERE SUBMITTED PRIOR TO THE MEETING.
WE, WE RECEIVED NO GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENTS PRIOR TO THE MEETING.
THEN WE WILL CLOSE OUR PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD AND CONTINUE ON TO PRESENTATIONS OF WHICH WE HAVE NONE.
SO WE'LL BREEZE ON PAST PRESENTATION
[APPROVAL OF MINUTES]
TO THE APPROVAL OF MINUTES.WE DO HAVE OUR MEETING ITEM ONE HERE, APPROVAL OF MINUTES FROM THE MEETING ON DECEMBER 9TH, 2025.
ANY COMMISSIONERS HAVE AMENDMENTS FOR THOSE MINUTES FROM DECEMBER 9TH, 2025? SEEING NONE, I THINK WE CAN GO AHEAD AND APPROVE THOSE MINUTES AS PUBLISHED
[2. Study Session – Recommendation to the City of Petaluma Planning Commission to receive a Staff Presentation and conduct a Study Session to solicit discussion about the City’s forthcoming zoning code update and provide non-binding comments to help identify strategic priorities, align community engagement, and shape regulations to implement adopted policy and community values. MATERIALS FOR THIS MEETING ITEM WERE PUBLISHED ON 01-23-2026.]
AND CONTINUE ON TO OUR PUBLIC HEARINGS OR MATTERS FOR CONSIDERATION OF WHICH WE HAVE ONE MEETING.ITEM TWO, UH, WHICH IS OUR STUDY SESSION.
THIS IS A RECOMMENDATION TO THE CITY OF PETALUMA PLANNING COMMISSION TO RECEIVE A STAFF PRESENTATION AND CONDUCT A STUDY SESSION TO SOLICIT DISCUSSION ABOUT THE CITY'S FORTHCOMING ZONING CODE, UPDATE AND PROVIDE NON-BINDING COMMENTS TO HELP IDENTIFY STRATEGIC PRIORITIES, ALIGN COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND SHAPE REGULATIONS TO IMPLEMENT ADOPTED POLICY AND COMMUNITY VALUES.
THIS ITEM IS NOT A PUBLIC HEARING AND DOES NOT REQUIRE DISCLOSING ANY EX PARTE COMMUNICATIONS.
AND WITH THAT, WE'LL TURN IT OVER TO STAFF.
UM, WE'VE GOT PLANNING MANAGER ANDREW TRIPLE TO PRESENT ON THIS ONE, PLEASE.
UM, PLANNING COMMISSION CHAIR, UH, HEATHER HINES, SPECIAL PROJECTS MANAGER WITH THE CITY.
UM, SO ANDREW AND I ARE GOING TO TAG TEAM THIS ITEM THIS EVENING, UM, TO INITIATE THIS DISCUSSION.
UM, SO HAPPY TO BE HERE, UM, AND LOOK FORWARD TO RECEIVING ALL OF YOUR FEEDBACK.
UM, SO JUMPING IN AND WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT SNAZZY PRESENTATION? UH, SO WE ARE HERE TONIGHT TO TALK ABOUT THE ZONING CODE UPDATE.
UM, THE RECOMMENDATION, AS WAS INCLUDED IN YOUR PACKET, WAS TO CONDUCT A STUDY SESSION, SOLICIT FEEDBACK, UM, AND I WOULD SAY INITIATE AND SOLICIT FEEDBACK.
UM, SO THIS IS THE START OF THE CONVERSATION, UM, ABOUT THE FORTHCOMING ZONING CODE UPDATE AS IS TYPICAL WITH STUDY SESSIONS, NON-BINDING COMMENTS FROM THE PLANNING COMMISSION, AND REALLY HERE TO CLARIFY PRIORITIES, ALIGN COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND DISCUSS SHAPING REGULATIONS TO BEST IMPLEMENT POLICY AND COMMUNITY VALUES.
SO, AS A LITTLE BIT OF BACKGROUND, AND AS I'M SURE, UM, ALL OF YOU ARE PRETTY WELL VERSED IN, GIVEN THAT YOU'RE ON THE PLANNING COMMISSION FOR THOSE, BUT FOR THOSE THAT MIGHT BE LISTENING FROM HOME, UM, THE CITY ZONING ORDINANCE IS ACTUALLY CALLED THE IMPLEMENTING ZONING ORDINANCE.
IT IS THE FOUNDATIONAL DOCUMENT THAT REGULATES LAND USE FOR THE CITY.
UM, IT IMPLEMENTS THE GENERAL PLAN AND IT SERVES AS A TOOL FOR TRANSLATING THOSE COMMUNITY GOALS AND PRIORITIES AT THE HIGHER LEVEL OF YOUR GENERAL PLAN INTO ENFORCEABLE REGULATIONS.
UM, AND REALLY GUIDES DEVELOPMENT DECISIONS FOR THE CITY.
SO THAT'S, YOU'LL OFTEN SEE WHEN A PROJECT COMES BEFORE YOU, AN ANALYSIS OF HOW THE PROJECT IS OR IS NOT CONSISTENT WITH THE, AS WE WILL CALL IT, THE IZO IMPLEMENTING ZONING ORDINANCE.
SO A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORY ON OUR ZONING ORDINANCE.
UH, IT WAS QUOTE UNQUOTE ADOPTED
[00:05:01]
IN 2008, UM, ALONG WITH THE EXISTING GENERAL PLAN, WHICH WAS ALSO, UM, UPDATED AND ADOPTED BY THE CITY IN 2008.BUT REALLY, IT, IT WAS LARGELY A ROLLOVER FROM THE PREVIOUS ZONING CODE.
IT WAS NOT A COMPREHENSIVE UPDATE OF THE ZONING CODE WHEN THE CITY ADOPTED THE GENERAL PLAN 2025.
UM, SO IT REMAINS LARGELY UNCHANGED OVER THE PAST 18 YEARS SINCE THAT, UM, GENERAL PLAN WAS ADOPTED.
BUT REALLY IT REMAINS LARGELY AS IT WAS EVEN BEFORE THAT, UNDER THE PREVIOUS GENERAL PLAN, THERE HAVE BEEN SOME AMENDMENTS THAT HAVE BEEN MADE OVER TIME, MORE SURGICAL AMENDMENTS TO RESPOND TO, UM, CHANGES, RESPOND TO TRENDS.
SO ONE THAT CAME UP IS THE SHORT-TERM VACATION RENTAL WASN'T A THING IN 2008, BUT THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN IT WAS.
AND SO THERE WAS, UM, A ZONING CODE UPDATE THAT CAME THROUGH, UM, TO ESTABLISH REGULATIONS FOR THAT.
OR AT ONE POINT WE, UM, DETERMINED THAT WE REALLY DIDN'T HAVE A LAND USE FOR SMALL FOOD AND BEVERAGE MANUFACTURERS.
WE ONLY HAD IT IN A, AT A VERY LARGE SCALE.
AND SO WE ADOPTED A CHANGE TO OUR ARTISAN CRAFT MANUFACTURING TO ALSO INCLUDE FOOD AND BEVERAGE AND TO ALLOW SOME OF THAT IN AREAS THAT MAYBE WEREN'T, WASN'T APPLICABLE TO HAVE A LARGE FOOD MANUFACTURER, BUT A SMALL, UM, ARTISAN LEVEL.
AND FINALLY, UH, WINE TASTING ROOMS, UM, REALLY WERE, WEREN'T, WEREN'T ADDRESSED IN OUR ZONING CODE FROM 2008.
AND SO AS THAT BECAME MORE OF A MARKET, WE ADDED, UM, SPECIFIC REGULATIONS FOR THAT.
SO THOSE ARE SOME OF THE TYPES.
THOSE ARE NOT, THAT'S NOT ALL INCLUSIVE, BUT SOME OF, SOME OF THE TYPE OF SURGICAL AMENDMENTS WE HAVE MADE, UM, OVER TIME.
SO REALLY WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT NOW IS TO UPDATE THE ZONING CODE.
UM, AND THE PURPOSE IS TO UPDATE IT TO ENSURE CONSISTENCY WITH GENERAL PLAN, WHICH WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF ADOPTING A NEW GENERAL PLAN, UM, AS WELL AS STATE LAWS.
THERE HAS BEEN A NUMBER OF STATE LAWS THAT HAVE COME THROUGH SINCE 2008 THAT OUR CODE IS NOT NECESSARILY CONSISTENT WITH.
SO TO, UM, PROVIDE THE OPPORTUNITY FOR THAT LEGALLY REQUIRED CONSISTENCY BETWEEN THOSE, THOSE TWO.
UH, THE, IT ALSO GIVES US AN OPPORTUNITY TO ADDRESS INTERNAL INCONSISTENCIES IN THE ZONING CODE OR AMBIGUOUS PROVISIONS.
WE TYPICALLY HAVE A COPY OF THE ZONING CODE BEHIND THE DESK WHERE THE PEOPLE THAT ARE AT THE COUNTER AND ANSWERING THE QUESTIONS OVER AND OVER AGAIN.
AND YOU'LL SEE THAT PEOPLE GET STUCK ON THE SAME SECTIONS OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN.
'CAUSE THEY'RE JUST NOT VERY WELL WRITTEN, UM, OR HAVE AMBIGUITY.
AND SO TRYING TO CORRECT ALL OF THOSE MODERNIZE DEFINITIONS AND PROCEDURES.
THERE'S A LOT OF LAND USES THAT WE DIDN'T ACCOUNT FOR.
UM, I, I THINK FOOD TRUCKS IS ANOTHER ONE THAT, BACK IN 2008, THERE JUST REALLY WASN'T A WHOLE LOT OF DISCUSSION ABOUT IT.
AND NOW OBVIOUSLY THERE'S A LOT MORE DISCUSSION IN THE COMMUNITY, UM, ABOUT THAT.
ALSO IMPROVE USABILITY FOR STAFF AS WELL AS THE PUBLIC, AS WELL AS THE DECISION MAKERS.
UM, THOSE WOULD BE OTHER, UM, OUTCOMES OF UPDATING THE CODE.
UM, IT'S REALLY THE UPDATE WOULD BE INTENDED TO STRENGTHEN OUR REGULATORY FRAMEWORK AND SUPPORT THOSE LONG-TERM PLANNING GOALS.
AND THIS IS ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT WITH THE UPCOMING ADOPTION OF THE GENERAL PLAN.
WE HAVE SPENT A LOT OF TIME, UM, SOLICITING INPUT, UM, CREATING NEW LAND USE, UM, POLICIES TO ADDRESS THE COMMUNITY VISION, THE COMMUNITY VALUE, AND REALLY WANNA MAKE SURE THOSE ARE IMPLEMENTED, UM, THROUGH THE ZONING CODE.
SO SOME OF WHAT WE WOULD ANTICIPATE TO BE OUTCOMES, UM, LIKE I HAVE MENTIONED ADDRESSING SOME OF THOSE COMMUNITY VALUES.
SO HOUSING NEEDS, CLIMATE ACTION, ECONOMIC VITALITY, THOSE ARE ALL REALLY IMPORTANT, UM, VALUES IN THE COMMUNITY GIVE US OPPORTUNITY TO BETTER ADDRESS THOSE BALANCE GROWTH WITH CHARACTER.
SOME OF THOSE, UH, KIND OF TENSION POINTS, UM, THAT WE RUN INTO, ESPECIALLY WHEN WE HAVE AN OUTDATED CODE.
UM, AND THAT INTENTION TO ENHANCE THE CLARITY AND PREDICTABILITY AS WELL AS STRENGTHENING WHILE STRENGTHENING THE REGULATORY FRAMEWORK.
SO THIS REALLY IS JUST, UH, AN, AN OVERARCHING LOOK AT WHAT WE SEE AS SOME OF THE DESIRABLE OUTCOMES OF A ZONING CODE UPDATE AT THIS POINT.
[00:10:04]
GREAT.UH, GOOD EVENING, CHAIR AND COMMISSIONERS.
UH, AND THE NEXT FEW SLIDES, I'M GOING TO TALK A BIT ABOUT TRENDS THAT WE'RE SEEING IN, IN ZONING INNOVATION, AND AS WELL AS THEN, UH, FOCUSING IN ON SOME MORE EMERGING TRENDS THAT SEEM TO BE ESPECIALLY, UM, TAKING PLACE OVER THE PAST YEAR.
AND I THINK, I THINK IT'S SAFE TO SAY THAT WE'RE IN AN INTERESTING PLACE IN, UM, LAND USE REGULATION AS WE LOOK AT, UM, THE, THE NEEDS THAT WE HAVE FOR HOW WE USE OUR LAND, WHETHER THAT'S TO ADDRESS CLIMATE, UH, CRISES AND EVENTS, OR TO RESPOND TO HOUSING NEED.
UM, IT'S CHANGING HOW WE'RE USING OUR COMMERCIAL SPACES, WHAT WE EXPECT FROM OUR STREETS AND ROADWAYS AND SIDEWALKS AND HOW WE MOVE ABOUT AND SO FORTH.
SO ALL OF THIS MEANS THAT OUR REGULATORY ENVIRONMENT HAS TO CHANGE AS WELL.
UM, AND, AND I THINK THE FIRST STEP IN THAT IS THAT WE'VE SEEN IS, IS REEXAMINING THIS, UH, TRADITIONAL ZONING APPROACH, WHICH IS REFERRED TO AS EUCLIDEAN ZONING OR SEPARATION OF LAND USES.
AND THAT EVOLVED ACTUALLY OUT OF A PUBLIC HEALTH NEED IN THE, UH, LATE 18 HUNDREDS, EARLY 19 HUNDREDS, WHERE IT WAS UNDERSTOOD OR REALIZED, I SHOULD SAY, THAT, YOU KNOW, MAYBE A RESIDENTIAL USE NEXT TO A MEAT PACKING PLANT WASN'T THE BEST IDEA.
AND SO, UH, YOU KNOW, PLANNERS AND URBANISTS AND SUCH, UH, LAND USE PROFESSIONALS SET FORTH TO SEPARATE THOSE LAND USES.
UH, OF COURSE, WHAT WE'VE SEEN THEN IS, IS A COMPLETE EVOLUTION OF THAT, OR A COMPLETE TRANSFORMATION OF THAT INTO THE STRICT SEPARATION OF LAND USES THAT WE EXPERIENCED, ESPECIALLY IN THE FIFTIES THROUGH THE EIGHTIES, RESULTING IN AUTOMOBILE DEPENDENCY, URBAN SPRAWL, UM, CREATING HOUSING AFFORDABILITY AND SUPPLY CHALLENGES.
AND THEN THE EMERGENCE, UM, OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS OF THE NEED FOR US TO ENGAGE IN CLIMATE ADAPTATION AND BE CONCERNED ABOUT WHERE WE LIVE IN, IN RESPONSE TO THE ENVIRONMENT AND, UM, CHANGING PRIORITIES AS IT RELATES TO, UH, TO CLIMATE.
AND SO THE, THE, UH, THE CURRENT TREND IS IN ZONING REFORMS THAT SEEK TO BETTER ALIGN OUR LAND USE REGULATIONS WITH OUR CONTEMPORARY COMMUNITY NEEDS.
AND I THINK WE SEE THAT WELL HERE IN, IN PETALUMA WHEN WE LOOK AT OUR REGULATORY DOCUMENTS, THOSE BEING THE, UM, THE IMPLEMENTING ZONING ORDINANCE THAT, THAT HEATHER SHARED, AS WELL AS THE SMART CODE.
WE SEE TWO DIFFERENT APPROACHES TO, UM, HOW WE REGULATE LAND IN TERMS OF A PERFORMANCE BASED OR, OR USE BASED ZONING CODE BEING THE IZO, WHICH HAS SOME HINTS OF DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS AND SOME DOES ADDRESS FORM TO SOME EXTENT.
BUT THEN WE GO OVER AND LOOK AT THE SMART CODE, WHICH IS A FORM-BASED CODE PRIORITIZES THE FORM AND SHAPE OF THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT OVER THE USES AND ASSUMES A MORE INTEGRATED USE APPROACH.
I, AND SO THEN SOME OF THE, UH, FOCUSED AREAS OF ZONING INNOVATION THAT WE'RE SEEING AS WE LOOK ACROSS THE NATION AND ACROSS A VARIETY OF JURISDICTIONS THAT ARE RESPONDING TO THE SAME NEEDS.
AGAIN, THIS, UH, LOOKING FOR MORE FLEXIBLE AND INTEGRATED LAND USE PATTERNS, AND HOW DO WE REGULATE TO ACHIEVE THAT? SUPPORTING A WIDER RANGE OF HOUSING TYPES AND DEVELOPMENT FORMS, IMPROVING EFFICIENCY AND PREDICTABILITY AND DEVELOPMENT REVIEW, THAT REALLY GETS TO WHAT WE REFER TO OFTENTIMES AS STREAMLINING.
AND THAT CONSIDERS HOW COST, UM, AND RISK AFFECTS THE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS, ESPECIALLY AS IT RELATES TO HOUSING.
YOU KNOW, REAL ESTATE MARKETS ARE VERY RISK SENSITIVE AND OFTENTIMES RISK AVERSE.
THEY'RE CONSTANTLY TRYING TO REDUCE RISK, REDUCE COST IN ORDER TO MAXIMIZE PROFIT, WHICH IN A, IN A MARKET ECONOMY, WE WOULD EXPECT FROM THE PRIVATE SECTOR.
SO WE DO SEE, UH, SOME OF THAT, UM, SOME OF THOSE THEMES IN THE DEVELOPMENT, UH, PROJECTS THAT WE RECEIVE.
AND THEN ALIGNING ZONING STANDARDS WITH SUSTAINABILITY AND CLIMATE ADAPTATION GOALS.
SO SOMETIMES THE CONFLICT BETWEEN LAND USE AND OUR NEED TO ADDRESS OUR CLIMATE GOALS, UM, BUT THEN HAVING A WAY TO UPDATE REGULATIONS, UM, TO EVOLVE AND REFLECT THE BEST PRACTICES THAT WE'RE SEEING, UH, WE SEE AS INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT.
AND I THINK ONE BENEFIT THAT WE OF, OF, UM, DOING THIS TODAY IS JUST THE ACCESS TO OUR VIRTUAL AND DIGITAL ENVIRONMENTS.
IT'S CHANGED HOW WE CAN WRITE CODES IS CHANGED, HOW WE CAN PRESENT REGULATIONS AND HOW WE CAN INTERACT WITH THE, THE PEOPLE WHO ARE USING THOSE REGULATIONS.
SO MAYBE IN THE PAST WHERE WE WOULD WRITE UPWARD TO REGULATORY AGENCIES TO THE LEGAL PROFESSION AND SUCH, MAYBE NOW WE'RE LOOKING FOR MORE OF A BALANCED APPROACH WHERE WE'RE RESPONDING TO REGULATORY AGENCIES AND THE NEED TO
[00:15:01]
HAVE, YOU KNOW, LEGAL, EFFECTIVE LEGAL DOCUMENTS.BUT AT THE SAME TIME, WE'RE CONSIDERING HOW THE USERS OF THOSE REGULATIONS ARE ABLE TO, TO, UH, UNDERSTAND THEM AND IMPLEMENT THEM.
SO, UH, WHY DO WE WANT TO DO THIS? WELL, CERTAINLY, UH, THE POST-WAR DEVELOPMENT PATTERNS, AS WE KNOW THROUGH, THROUGH SUBURBAN DEVELOPMENT MADE, UH, RESIDENTIAL LAND USE IS THE PREDOMINANT DEVELOPMENT TYPE IN MOST COMMUNITIES.
WHEN WE DO THAT, WE LOOK AT THE LOWER DENSITY USES.
WE LOOK AT AUTOMOBILE INTENSIVE, UH, LIFESTYLES AND SO FORTH.
AND SO, UH, HOUSING DEMAND BECOMES THE PRIMARY DRIVER OF ZONING REFORM AS WE LOOK ACROSS THE NATION, UH, AT, AT MANY, MANY CITIES WHO ARE EXPERIENCING THE NEED FOR ADDITIONAL HOUSING IN THEIR COMMUNITIES, UM, BOTH TO RESPOND TO, UH, ISSUES OF HOMELESSNESS, BUT ALSO TO CONTROL HOUSING COSTS SO THAT EVERYBODY HAS AN OPPORTUNITY TO, UH, TO HAVE ACCESS TO HOUSING.
UM, BUT THEN THE CITYWIDE ORDINANCES, THEY REGULATE ALL OF THE LAND USE AND DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITY.
SO AS WE MOVE FROM THE GENERAL PLAN, THAT BEING THE VISION AND THE POLICIES FOR OUR COMMUNITY, THEN WE, THAT REALLY COMES TO BEAR IN THE ZONING ORDINANCE.
HOW DO WE IMPLEMENT THAT? SO THIS, THIS IS, UH, SORT OF, IF WE THINK ABOUT IT, WHERE THE RUBBER RUBBER MEETS THE ROAD, MEETS THE ROAD, SORRY.
AND THEN WE ALSO SEE THAT, UM, UH, ISOLATING, GOING BACK TO THAT SEPARATION OF LAND USES IS CHALLENGING WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT COMPLEX ISSUES.
SO THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HOUSING NEED, BUT THEN ALSO THE NEED FOR CLIMATE ACTION, THE NEED FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
HOW DO WE DELIVER OUR PUBLIC SERVICES EFFICIENTLY WHEN WE'RE IN AN, UH, ERA OF, OF MAYBE REDUCED REVENUES OR MORE DEMANDS UPON OUR PUBLIC AGENCY BUDGETS? SOME OF THE EMERGING THEMES THAT, UH, THAT WE ARE SEEING, ESPECIALLY IN THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, UM, IS THIS, THIS PRESSURE FROM THOSE DUAL, UH, HOUSING CRISIS AND CLIMATE CHANGE ISSUES.
AND I THINK THAT'S A THEME THAT WE'RE GOING TO FINISH UP WITH, UM, ESPECIALLY SINCE WE'VE ADOPTED OR WE HAVE A CERTIFIED HOUSING ELEMENT, AND WE'VE ADOPTED THE, THE BLUEPRINT FOR CLIMATE ACTION.
SO WE ARE RIGHT THERE AT THE FOREFRONT AND VERY PRESENT ON THOSE TWO ISSUES.
AND THEN WE SEE THAT, UH, SOME OF THESE INNOVATION TRENDS INCREASE INCREASINGLY EMPHASIZE IMPLEMENTATION FOLLOWING ADOPTION.
THAT'S GREAT, YOU'VE CREATED OPPORTUNITIES FOR HOUSING, BUT HOW MUCH HOUSING IS ACTUALLY GETTING BUILT? HOW DO YOU MOVE THE NEEDLE ON PRODUCTION? RIGHT? AND THEN LOOKING AT CLOSER ALIGNMENT BETWEEN ZONING REGULATIONS AND BUILDING AND FIRE CODES, THINKING ABOUT A SINGLE LOADED MULTIFAMILY, UM, THINKING ABOUT OPPORTUNITIES FOR USING DIFFERENT CONSTRUCTION METHODOLOGIES TO, TO ADDRESS THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY NEEDS THAT WE'RE CONCERNED ABOUT.
UM, AS, AS SOME OF US, I THINK ARE KNOW, WE, UH, SOME OF THE CHALLENGES TO DEVELOPMENT IMPACT FEES, AND, UM, HOW LEGAL ARE SOME OF THE FEES THAT WE CHARGE AND HOW ARE THEY CONSTRUCTED AND SO FORTH.
AND THEN THOSE, UH, PERMIT PROCESSING REFORMS THAT GET TO THE STREAMLINING THAT CERTAINLY THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA ADVOCATES FOR.
BUT, UH, WE ALSO HAVE, I THINK, A PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITY AND DUTY TO DELIVER THE BEST, UH, REVIEW PROCESSES TOO, OUR, OUR CITIZENS AND OUR APPLICANTS.
THEN, UM, AS WE EXPERIENCED WHEN WE ADOPTED OUR OBJECTIVE DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS IN MANY OF THE CONVERSATIONS SINCE THEN, AN INCREASING RELIANCE ON, ON THESE, UH, OBJECTIVE STANDARDS, WHETHER THAT'S DRIVEN BY STATE HOUSING LAW, UM, OR, UH, WHERE WE SEE THAT OPPORTUNITY TO STREAMLINE OUR LOCAL, UH, REVIEW PROCESSES.
UH, THOSE OBJECTIVE STANDARDS BECOME IMPORTANT FROM THE, FROM THE APPLICANT SIDE, THEN THE PRIVATE SECTOR SIDE.
IT, IT IMPROVES PREDICTABILITY.
THEY KNOW WHAT'S EXPECTED OF THEM, AND THEY KNOW WHAT, UH, WHAT TO EXPECT FROM US.
AND THEN IT ALSO, UH, REDUCES THE, THE RISK OF AN APPEAL.
AND SO THAT'S THE OBJECTIVE STANDARDS ARE VERY, UM, CERTAINLY A TOOL THAT THE PRIVATE SECTOR SEES AS ADVANTAGEOUS.
AND THEN ALSO, UM, HERE LOCALLY, WE'VE HAD A CON, UH, EXTENSIVE CONVERSATION ABOUT ECONOMIC AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT NEEDS.
SO AS WE MOVE OUT OF OUR HOUSING RELATED ISSUES, UM, HOW ARE WE USING OUR ZONING REGULATIONS TO ADDRESS OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT NEEDS, SUPPORT BUSINESSES WHO WISH TO LOCATE OR RELOCATE WITHIN PETALUMA, THEN IN, IN A DIFFERENT AREA, WE KNOW THAT, UH, PARKING IS IMPORTANT TO, UH, LAND USES AND TO THE COMMUNITY.
AND SO MAYBE WE'RE TRANSITIONING AWAY FROM, UH, MINIMUM PARKING STANDARDS OR MAXIMUM PARKING STANDARDS BEING THE SOLE CRITERIA BY WHICH WE, WE ADDRESS,
[00:20:01]
UH, THE NEED FOR PARKING.BUT WE START TO LOOK AT PARKING AND CURB MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES TO MAXIMIZE THE USE OF AVAILABLE PARKING, UH, FOR EVERYONE AT ALL TIMES OF THE DAY.
WE'RE LOOKING FOR ZONING FRAMEWORKS FOR ADAPTIVE REUSE, SO WE CAN ENCOURAGE INFILL DEVELOPMENT AS OPPOSED TO, UH, YOU KNOW, GREENFIELD DEVELOPMENT AND SPRAWL AT THE EDGE OF OUR CITIES.
WE'RE LOOKING FOR, AGAIN, THAT STRONGER INTERACTION BETWEEN HOUSING AND CLIMATE REGULATION, WHERE WE NEED TO LOCATE HOUSING IN THOSE AREAS THAT ARE LOW RISK AND WELL-SERVED, UH, BY TRANSIT, BY ACCESS AND SUCH, AND AWAY FROM THE THREATS OF FLOODING OR, OR WILDFIRE THAT WE SEE UP HERE IN THE NORTH BAY.
AND THEN FINALLY, UM, INCREASINGLY, YOU KNOW, JURISDICTIONS REALIZE THE INCREDIBLE TIME AND COST OF DOING THESE ZONING CODE UPDATES.
SO HOW DO WE ESTABLISH LIVING ZONING CODES THAT CREATE OPPORTUNITIES TO UPDATE REGULARLY, TO BE MORE RESPONSIVE, TO BE MORE FLEXIBLE AND MORE NIMBLE, UH, AS WE LOOK AT WHAT THE COMMUNITY NEEDS AND WHAT WE NEED, UH, TO BEST, UM, REGULATE ORDERLY DEVELOPMENT.
SO WE HAVE ALREADY TOUCHED ON THE FACT THAT, UH, THE CITY IS OVERDUE FOR A COMPREHENSIVE UPDATE OF THE IZO.
UM, AND I'M GONNA TAKE THE NEXT COUPLE SLIDES TO TALK ABOUT THE, THE LOCAL POLICY ENVIRONMENT THAT REALLY ARE PRIMARY INPUTS INTO THAT CODE UPDATE.
SO I'M GONNA START WITH THE BIG ONE, WHICH IS THE GENERAL PLAN UPDATE.
SO THIS PROCESS STARTED IN 2021, AND WE ARE TENTATIVELY MOVING TOWARDS, UM, ADOPTION HEARINGS IN THE FALL OF 2026.
SO WE ARE, WE'RE GETTING CLOSE.
UM, SO EARLY VISIONING PROCESS, UM, ESTABLISHED A VISION STATEMENT, PILLARS, GUIDING PRINCIPLES, AND THOSE REALLY HAVE BEEN WHAT WE KEEP GOING BACK TO, TO INFORM THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE GENERAL PLAN AND SEE IT AS SOMETHING WE CONTINUE TO GO BACK TO WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT ZONING CODE UPDATES, BECAUSE THOSE ARE WHAT THE COMMUNITY TOLD US IMPORTANT WHAT WE SHOULD BE WORKING TOWARDS, UM, THE, THE VISION OF PETALUMA IN 2050.
UM, SO WE HAVE THESE PRETTY RECENT, VERY ROBUST, UM, VISIONING MATERIALS THAT ARE A GREAT INPUT TO USE INTO THE ZONING CODE.
UM, THE GENERAL PLAN IS GOING TO HAVE AN IMPLEMENTATION MATRIX, UM, AND THAT IS GONNA LAY OUT ALL OF THE ACTIONS THAT ARE IN THE GENERAL PLAN.
AND ONE OF THE, UM, FILTERS THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT FOR THAT IS IDENTIFYING THOSE ACTIONS THAT NEED A ZONING CODE UPDATE TO IMPLEMENT.
UM, SO IT WILL GIVE US A REALLY QUICK AND, AND, UM, EXPLICIT FRAMEWORK, UM, TO MOVE INTO THE COMPREHENSIVE ZONING CODE UPDATE AS WELL.
UM, AND IT WILL ALSO HELP US IDENTIFY TIMING, WHICH OF THOSE THINGS ARE PERHAPS MORE IMMEDIATE IMMINENT NEEDED, UM, VERSUS, YOU KNOW, A, A MIDTERM VERSUS A LONGER TERM, UM, UPDATE NEED.
UM, SO WE ARE CURRENTLY REVIEWING ADMIN DRAFT OF, OF THE GENERAL PLAN.
UM, THAT ADMIN DRAFT CAME OUT OF THE POLICY FRAMEWORKS THAT WERE PUBLISHED.
WE RECEIVED, UM, A LOT OF INPUT FROM THE COMMUNITY FROM THE, UM, BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS, THE CITY COUNCIL.
AND SO THOSE POLICY FRAMEWORKS ARE EVOLVING INTO, UM, THE ELEMENTS IN THE GENERAL PLAN.
SO WE KNOW, UM, EVEN THOUGH WE DON'T HAVE A A PUBLISHED GENERAL PLAN YET, WE KNOW THERE'S A LOT IN THERE THAT DOES REQUIRE CODE UPDATES.
UM, SO LISTED A FEW EXAMPLES IN, UM, YOUR STAFF REPORT, BUT THERE IS LANGUAGE ABOUT NEW USE DEFINITIONS AND STANDARDS FOR THINGS LIKE SMALL LOTS, SMALL LOT DEVELOPMENT, MICRO UNITS, FRACTIONAL DENSITY, SOME OF THOSE DIFFERENT HOUSING CONFIGURATIONS, BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE WE OFTEN GET STUCK WITH OUR EXISTING ZONING CODE AS WELL.
WE DON'T, WE DON'T SAY ANYTHING ABOUT THAT.
SO, YOU KNOW, WE KNOW THAT THAT IS ONE THING.
UH, THERE IS LANGUAGE ABOUT REDUCING PARKING, UH, AND ENCOURAGING INCENTIVIZING REDEVELOPMENT OF EXCE EXCESS PARKING AREAS.
AND WE TALKED A LOT ABOUT THAT DURING OUR HOUSING ELEMENT UPDATE AND SOME OF THE EXISTING, UM, SHOPPING CENTERS IN TOWN, UH, REDUCING THE MINIMUM LOT SIZE AND RESIDENTIAL ZONES, UH, EXPEDITING PERMIT PROCESSES TO REALLY, UM,
[00:25:01]
INCENTIVIZE INFILL PROJECTS.SO WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THIS, UM, I DON'T THINK I'M LETTING ANY CAT OUT OF THE BAG OF WHAT SOME OF THE THINGS THAT ARE IN THE GENERAL PLAN, BECAUSE THEY WERE IN THE FRAMEWORKS, THEY WERE IN RESPONSE TO THE VISIONING, THEY WERE RESPONSE IN RESPONSE TO COMMUNITY INPUT.
SO THAT IS ONE REALLY IMPORTANT INPUT THAT IS GOING TO BE COMING UP, THAT WILL BE, UM, WILL NEED ZONING CODE UPDATE TO IMPLEMENT.
WE ALSO HAVE A FEW THINGS THAT WE'VE ALREADY ADOPTED.
THEY'RE ALREADY THE CITY HAS COMMITTED TO SAID THIS IS IMPORTANT TO US.
UM, SO FOR INSTANCE, THE BLUEPRINT FOR CLIMATE ACTION.
UM, THIS WAS ADOPTED AHEAD OF THE GENERAL PLAN, UM, AND IT SERVES AS THE CITY'S GREENHOUSE GAS REDUCTION STRATEGY.
IT WAS, UM, ADOPTED AHEAD OF THE GENERAL PLAN BECAUSE OF THE URGENCY, UM, TO REDUCE GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS.
AND THAT WAS A COMMUNITY VALUE.
AND SO WE DID THAT, UM, AHEAD OF, UM, WITH THE CERTIFICATION OF THE GENERAL PLAN UPDATE, ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT.
THE BLUEPRINT WILL BECOME A QUALIFIED ACTION PLAN, UM, A QUALIFIED CLIMATE ACTION PLAN, AND IT'LL PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR STREAMLINING FOR PROJECTS THAT ARE CONSISTENT WITH THE MEASURABLE CRITERIA, UM, IN, IN THAT CLIMATE ACTION PLAN.
SO IT IS GOING TO HELP US STREAMLINE SOME OF THE THINGS WE WANT TO SEE AND MAKE SURE THEY ARE ALIGNED.
UM, BUT THE BLUEPRINT ALSO INCLUDES A NUMBER OF, UM, ACTIONS, ACTION PLANS THAT CALL FOR ZONING CODE UPDATES, THAT CALLS FOR, UM, ZONING CODE UPDATES TO FACILITATE AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND TRANSIT ORIENTED COMMUNITY, OR, UH, CREATE PERMIT STREAMLINING FOR HOUSING THAT EXCEEDS AND, UM, EXCEEDS OUR INCLUSIONARY AND SUSTAINABILITY REQUIREMENTS.
SO THERE'S ALREADY THINGS IN THERE THAT TO GUIDE SAYS WE NEED CODE UPDATES TO DO THIS AND, AND TO GUIDE, UM, THE ZONING CODE UPDATE.
UM, EVEN ONE OF THE CORNERSTONE ACTIONS IN THE BLUEPRINT, UM, CALLS FOR THE ADOPTION OF A REVISED ZONING CODE BASED ON THE UPDATED GENERAL PLAN.
SO THE, THE BLUEPRINT IS, UM, AN EX EXCELLENT EXAMPLE OF AN ADOPTED POLICY DOCUMENT, UM, THAT CAN BE AN INITIAL INPUT INTO, UM, A COMPREHENSIVE ZONING CODE UPDATE.
SIMILARLY, OUR HOUSING ELEMENT.
SO IN 2023, THE CITY COUNCIL ADOPTED, UH, THE SIXTH CYCLE HOUSING ELEMENT, AND IT WAS SOON AFTER CERTIFIED BY THE STATE.
UM, THIS IS A REQUIRED ELEMENT OF THE GENERAL PLAN.
IT WAS ADOPTED AHEAD OF THE GENERAL PLAN UPDATE BECAUSE IT IS THE ONE ELEMENT THAT HAS ONE OF THE ELEMENTS THAT HAS A STATUTORY, UM, TIMING REQUIREMENT.
UM, SO THE HOUSING ELEMENT IS ANOTHER ALREADY ADOPTED POLICY PLAN THAT THE CITY HAS A NUMBER OF ACTIONS, UM, OUTLINED IN THE HOUSING ACTION PLAN WITHIN THIS DOCUMENT.
AND A LOT OF THEM CALL FOR ZONING CODE UPDATES.
SO THINGS LIKE AMENDING THE ACCESSORY DWELLING UNIT ORDINANCE, OR MODIFYING RESIDENTIAL PRODUCT TYPES IN HIGHER DENSITY ZONES AND UPDATING THE PARKING REGULATIONS TO REDUCE BARRIERS TO HOUSING DEVELOPMENT.
SO YOU'RE STARTING TO SEE A LOT OF SIMILAR BUCKETS BETWEEN THESE DOCUMENTS, BETWEEN SOME OF THE THINGS THAT ANDREW TALKED ABOUT IN TERMS OF, UM, ZONING CODE INNOVATION AND THEMES.
UM, SO AGAIN, THIS IS AN EXCELLENT INPUT INTO THE COMPREHENSIVE ZONING CODE UPDATE.
AND THEN FINALLY, WANTING TO TOUCH ON OUR CITYWIDE GOALS AND PRIORITIES PROCESS, UH, WHICH IS A EVERY TWO YEARS.
UM, AND IT, IT IS A, UH, A PROCESS THAT ALLOWS THE COMMUNITY TO ENGAGE WITH CITY COUNCIL TO ENGAGE WITH STAFF ON PRIORITIES.
A LOT OF TIMES IT'S SHORTER TERM PRIORITIES OR MORE IMMEDIATE PRIORITIES, UM, AND LOOKING AT THE MORE IMMEDIATE STAFF RESOURCES AND FUNDING BUDGETARY RESOURCES, UM, TO PROVIDE SOME INPUT AND TO GUIDE THE THINGS THAT THE CITY IS GONNA PRIORITIZE WORKING ON.
UM, SO SOME RECENT EXAMPLES OF THAT, UM, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND URBAN FORESTRY WERE BOTH, UM, PRIORITIES BROUGHT UP, UM, BY THE COMMUNITY.
AND SO AGAIN, THIS PROCESS AND THE, THE, THE OUTPUT OF, UM, THE CITYWIDE GOALS AND PRIORITIES PROCESS WILL BE ANOTHER IMPORTANT INPUT TO INFORM THAT STRATEGIC APPROACH TO THE ZONING CODE UPDATE.
ALONGSIDE THESE ADOPTED DOCUMENTS OR ONGOING, UH, WORK ARE THE SPECIFIC PLAN
[00:30:01]
PROJECTS THAT WE HAVE IN PLACE, THE PETALUMA NORTH SMART STATION PRIORITY DEVELOPMENT AREA SPECIFIC PLAN, UH, THAT'S FOCUSED AROUND THE, THE PETALUMA NORTH STATION UP AT, UM, CORONA AND MCDOWELL.AND THEN ALSO WE'VE, WE HAVE RECEIVED MTC FUNDING FOR THE CENTRAL PETALUMA SPECIFIC PLAN, DOWNTOWN STATIONARY MASTER PLAN, AND SMART CODE UPDATES, UH, THAT, THAT FUNDING HAS BEEN APPROVED.
THEY ARE IN THE PROCESS OF ORGANIZING THE, UH, CONSULTING TEAMS WHO WILL WORK ON THOSE UPDATES.
SO WE ARE, UH, WE'RE LOOKING AT ONE NEW SPECIFIC PLAN THAT WILL NEED TO BE INTEGRATED INTO THE ZONING CODE, UM, AS WELL AS UPDATES TO EXISTING, UH, POLICY AND REGULATORY DOCUMENTS THAT WE ALREADY HAVE IN PLACE.
UM, IT IS STATE LAW THAT THESE SPECIFIC PLANS ARE CONSISTENT WITH THE GENERAL PLAN THAT THEY ESTABLISH DETAILED LAND USE, CIRCULATION DEVELOPMENT STANDARD REGULATIONS, AND THAT THEY PROVIDE IMPLEMENTATION MEASURES TO GUIDE COORDINATED DEVELOPMENT.
THE IMPETUS FOR THE FUNDING FOR BOTH OF THESE PLANS IS, UH, TRANSIT-ORIENTED COMMUNITIES POLICIES THAT HAVE BEEN ADOPTED BY MTC THAT SEEK TO ENSURE HIGHER DENSITY RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT, UH, IN WALKABLE ENVIRONMENTS WITHIN HALF A MILE OF PUBLIC TRANSIT.
HOWEVER, UM, BECAUSE THEY ARE PRIORITY DEVELOPMENT AREA SPECIFIC PLANS, THOSE THAT AREA SORT OF, UH, IS NOT A, A CONCENTRIC HALF MILE RADIUS AROUND THE STATION.
IN THE CASE OF THE PETALUMA NORTH PLAN, IT EXTENDS FROM CORONA DOWN TO EAST WASHINGTON CORRIDOR.
AND THEN THE, THE DOWNTOWN OR, UM, CENTRAL PETALUMA PRIORITY DEVELOPMENT AREA ACTUALLY EXTENDS ABOUT FROM THE RIVER, MAYBE A BIT WEST OF THE RIVER, BUT ALL THE WAY OVER TO, UH, 1 0 1 AND CONNECTS UP WITH THE PETALUMA NORTH STATION PRIORITY DEVELOPMENT AREA.
SO THE, THE PLANNING AREAS ARE QUITE A BIT MORE EXPANSIVE THAN JUST HALF THAT MILE RADIUS AROUND THE STATION.
AND THEN ALSO, AS, AS YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE'RE WORKING ALWAYS TO RESPOND TO STATE HOUSING LEGISLATION, UH, TO STAY ON TOP OF IT AHEAD OF IT, UH, AND TO BE THE BEST RESOURCES FOR, UM, POTENTIAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR OUR CURRENT APPLICANTS, FOR OUR REVIEW AUTHORITIES AND, UM, AND FELLOW CITY STAFF.
UM, AND THEN, UH, SOME CONSIDERATIONS ALSO THAT WE HAVE AS WE THINK ABOUT THE INPUTS.
UH, IN 2025, UM, PLANNING STAFF ASSESSED THE CITY'S LAND USE REGULATORY ENVIRONMENT, UH, TO LOOK FOR OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT.
UH, WE NOTED THAT WITH REGARD TO THE GENERAL PLAN UPDATE, IT WOULD BE ADDING NEW LAND USE DESIGNATIONS.
THESE NEW LAND USE DESIGNATIONS WILL NEED TO BE, UM, IMPLEMENTED THROUGH, THROUGH ZONING DISTRICTS.
SO THERE'S A LOT OF WORK THERE THAT WE DO WITH REGARD TO RECONFIGURATION OF OUR ZONING DISTRICTS, ALLOWABLE LAND USES AND SO FORTH.
UH, ADDITIONALLY TO, IN ADDITION TO OUR 18 ZONING DISTRICTS, WE ALSO HAVE 75 WRITTEN INTERPRETATIONS OF THE ICO THAT HAVE COLLECTED OVER THE YEARS.
AND THEN WE HAVE OVER 150 PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENTS AND 15 PLANNED COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENTS.
EACH OF THESE, PUDS AND PCDS, AS WE REFER TO THEM, REPRESENT SORT OF A MINI ZONING ORDINANCE IN, IN WAYS THEY ARE NOT CONSISTENT WITH ONE ANOTHER.
UM, OFTENTIMES THEY'LL REFERENCE ALLOWABLE LAND USES, UH, BOTH PERMITTED BY RIGHT, AS WELL AS ALLOWED SUBJECT TO CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT, BUT THEN THEY MAY NOT, THEY MAY PROVIDE DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS FOR THE INITIAL DEVELOPMENT, UM, OF THE AREA FOR WHICH THEY WERE ADOPTED, BUT NOT GIVE ANY REFERENCE TO ONGOING, UH, MODIFICATIONS OF THAT DEVELOPMENT.
SO WE REALLY ARE LOOKING, AND WE, AND I SHOULD ADD, STAFF SPEND A LOT OF TIME INTERPRETING THESE PUDS AND PCDS, UH, FOR PROPERTY OWNERS, FOR PEOPLE INTERESTED IN DEVELOPING AND ESTABLISHING LAND, UM, NEW BUSINESSES AND SO FORTH.
SO TO BE ABLE TO, UM, FIND AN OFF RAMP OR AN EXIT RAMP FOR SOME OF THOSE WOULD BE, UH, WOULD BE HELPFUL, AS WELL AS TO HAVE MORE EXPLICIT REGULATIONS FOR HOW WE INTERPRET AND APPLY THEM WOULD BE HELPFUL AS WELL.
AND SO THEN WE'LL, WE'LL NEED TO, OF COURSE, UH, CREATE AND ENSURE THAT WE HAVE THE APPROPRIATE NUMBER OF ZONING DISTRICTS, AND AS I MENTIONED, UH, CONSOLIDATE THE PUDS AND PCDS.
UM, AND THIS IS A GOOD POINT, I ALSO WANT TO POINT OUT, WHEN WE DO THESE PRESENTATIONS, AND THIS CAME UP LAST EVENING, WHEN WE DO THESE PRESENTATIONS, THERE'S NO NEW INFORMATION INCLUDED IN THE PRESENTATIONS.
IT'S ALWAYS COMING FROM THE STAFF REPORT, FROM THE ATTACHMENTS AND SO
[00:35:01]
FORTH.SO IT'S, AS A MATTER OF PRINCIPLE, WE DON'T INTRODUCE NEW INFORMATION.
WE'RE SIMPLY PRESENTING THE INFORMATION YOU'VE ALREADY RECEIVED IN A DIFFERENT FORMAT.
UM, THEN OTHER KEY CONSIDERATIONS THAT, THAT WE WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE AND BE VERY CONSCIOUS OF ARE THE AVAILABLE BUDGET AND FUNDING FOR THE PROJECT.
UH, AND THAT'S, THAT'S DRIVEN BY THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE AND FINANCE, AS WELL AS, UH, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR BRIAN O THAT AFFECTS THE SCOPE AND PHASING OF THE ZONING CODE UPDATE.
AND THAT'S ONE OF THE, UH, POINTS OF CONVERSATION WE WANT TO HAVE THIS EVENING IS, IS HOW DO WE, HOW DO WE LOOK AT PRIORITIES THAT WE HAVE AND START TO THINK ABOUT SOME PHASING AND, UM, TIMELINES ASSOCIATED WITH THAT.
AND THEN AS THE, UH, SINCE THE HOUSING ELEMENT WAS ADOPTED IN 2003, WE HAVE, UH, BEEN REQUIRED TO IMPLEMENT THAT HOUSING ELEMENT.
AND SO WE'RE ALWAYS VERY CONSCIOUS OF THE NEED TO RESPOND TO STATE REQUIREMENTS FOR IMPLEMENTATION.
WHY DO WE WANT TO UPDATE THE IZO? OF COURSE, IT'S TO IMPLEMENT THE VISION AND POLICIES CONTAINED IN THE GENERAL PLAN UPDATE, AS WELL AS THE, THE, UH, CERTIFIED HOUSING ELEMENT AND THE ADOPTED BLUEPRINT FOR CLIMATE ACTION.
WE WANT TO INCENTIVIZE AND STREAMLINE AND FACILITATE PREFERRED DEVELOPMENT THAT REFLECTS THE COMMUNITY'S VALUES, BOTH TODAY AND INTO THE FUTURE.
WE WANNA ENSURE THAT OUR REGULATIONS ALIGN WITH, UH, THE CITY'S CURRENT POLICY DIRECTION, WHETHER THAT'S IN OUR ADOPTED POLICY DOCUMENTS OR IN THE, UH, IN THE GOALS THAT THE CITY REVIEWS ON A BIANNUAL BASIS.
AND THEN WE WANNA ENSURE THE EFFICIENT ADMINISTRATION OF ADOPTED POLICIES AND REGULATIONS FOR ALL OF OUR APPLICANTS AND FOR PROPERTY OWNERS THROUGHOUT THE CITY, MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE EFFECTIVELY EXERCISING THE RIGHTS OF PRIVATE PROPERTY OWNERS CONSISTENT WITH CITY GOALS AND POLICIES, UH, TO ENSURE ORDERLY DEVELOPMENT.
AND THEN THAT, THAT LAST POINT IS, IS SORT OF A, HOW DO WE GO ABOUT THIS? HOW DO WE CREATE THAT ZONING CODE THAT IS, IS USEFUL TO EVERYBODY AS APPROACHABLE AND IS TRANSPARENT? UH, AS HEATHER MENTIONED, WE'RE LONG OVERDUE FOR A COMPREHENSIVE UPDATE.
WE HAVE HAD SOME SURGICAL UPDATES, UH, AS WELL AS WE CONTINUE TO BRING THOSE FORWARD.
LAST NIGHT, WE JUST BROUGHT FORWARD A RESIDENTIAL CARE FACILITIES, UH, LAND USE ZONING AMENDMENT TO CITY COUNCIL.
UH, IT IS IMPORTANT THAT WE CONTINUE TO MOVE FORWARD.
SO ONE OF THE QUESTIONS WE HAVE FOR THIS EVENING IS, HOW DO WE MOVE FORWARD? HOW DO WE, WE CREATE A CONSTANT STREAM OF, OF, UM, UPDATES THAT WE CAN BRING TO YOU FOR REFLECTION FOR REVIEW? DO THEY NEED STUDY SESSIONS? HOW MUCH COMMUNITY, UH, ENGAGEMENT DO WE WANT TO DO OUTSIDE OF A PUBLIC HEARING? THESE ARE ALL, ALL SOME QUESTIONS THAT WE HAVE THAT RELATE TO TIMELINE AND SO FORTH.
AND THEN OF COURSE, UH, OUR, OUR POLICY DOCUMENTS DO CALL FOR, UM, STARTING THE ADOPTION IN THE SPRING OF THIS YEAR, EXTENDING THROUGH 2027.
SO TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE, THE, UM, ENERGY BEHIND THE GENERAL PLAN UPDATE.
SO THIS IS, AGAIN, A LITTLE BIT OF A RECAP.
SO, UM, IN ADDITION TO THE POLICY PLANS, AS, AS ANDREW MENTIONED, WE, THE OTHER INPUTS WE'RE LOOKING AT GENERAL PLAN, BLUEPRINT, UH, HOUSING ELEMENT, CITYWIDE GOALS AND PRIORITIES, BUT ALSO THOSE ZONING INTERPRETATIONS, SOME OF THE KNOWN OPPORTUNITIES AND NEEDS, UM, GETTING INPUT FROM STAFF WHO USE THE CODE, UH, EVERY DAY, DAY IN AND DAY OUT, UH, REVIEW.
HOW DO WE BEST UTILIZE THE REVIEW AUTHORITIES TO SOLICIT INPUT, UM, ON THOSE AREAS THAT ARE THEIR EXPERTISE, UH, ENGAGING WITH LAND USE PROFESSIONALS AND THE COMMUNITY.
UM, WE ALSO NEED TO BE COGNIZANT OF BUDGET, RESOURCES, STAFFING, AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT.
THOSE ARE GOING TO BE THINGS WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO MAKE SURE TO ALIGN, UM, THE SCOPE AND THE TIMELINE, UM, WITH THE CITY.
UM, AND ONE THING THAT IS IN YOUR STAFF REPORT, BUT THAT WE DIDN'T COVER THIS EVENING IS, UM, THE CONCEPT OF A PEER CITY'S REFERENCE GROUP, UM, TO REALLY LOOK AT, OR MAYBE THAT'S STILL COMING, UM, THAT ANDREW WILL COVER IN A MINUTE.
BUT LOOKING AT, LET, LET'S, LET'S THINK ABOUT SOME OF THE COMMUNITIES THAT REALLY STAND OUT AS BEING INNOVATED, UM, AND LEARN FROM THEM.
AND, AND NOT, NOT HAVE TO PULL EACH CODE REQUIREMENT FROM FROM THIN AIR, BUT LOOK AT OTHER JURISDICTIONS THAT, UM, HAVE, HAVE USED IT AND HOW IT'S WORKED OR HOW IT HASN'T WORKED.
SO, UM, THOSE ARE SOME OF THE OTHER INPUTS.
[00:40:01]
HOW DO WE ORGANIZE THIS WORK? HOW DO WE MAKE SURE, UM, YOU KNOW, WHAT THE, THE BUCKETS TO BRING THOSE FORWARD? THAT'S WHAT WE WANNA TALK ABOUT, UM, SOMEWHAT TONIGHT.UH, WE'VE DEFINITELY RUN THROUGH WHY IT'S IMPORTANT TO UPDATE 'EM, UM, REFLECTED ON SOME TREND TRENDS.
UM, WE HAVE TO PULL IT ALL TOGETHER WITH THOSE TIME AND BUDGET, UM, CONSTRAINTS WE REALLY WANT TO WORK OFF OF AND BUILD OFF OF WORK THAT HAS ALREADY BEEN DONE.
WE'VE DONE A LOT OF WORK AND WE'VE DONE A LOT OF OUTREACH.
SO DURING THE HOUSING ELEMENT, WE DID A LOT OF OUTREACH DURING THE BLUEPRINT, WE DID AN, AN EXTRAORDINARY AMOUNT OF OUTREACH, UM, THROUGH THE PARTNERSHIP WITH OUR, UM, COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS, UM, THROUGH THE GENERAL PLAN.
SO HOW DO WE USE THAT INPUT BUILD ON THOSE THAT INPUT AND FIND, UM, THE BEST WAYS TO ENGAGE WITH THE PUBLIC WHERE WE NEED ADDITIONAL INPUT.
UM, SO THOSE ARE ALL THE THINGS WE'RE HOPING TO CHAT ABOUT.
AND WE'LL BE, UH, UH, A PROCESS THAT WE WILL BE JUMPING INTO.
OBVIOUSLY THE BLUEPRINT AND THE HOUSING ELEMENT GIVE US TWO REALLY GOOD DOCUMENTS TO START.
UM, AND THEN THE GENERAL PLAN, UH, TO KIND OF CROSSWALK THAT.
UM, AND ONCE THAT IS ADOPTED TO BE READY TO HAVE THOSE NEW ZONING DISTRICTS, UM, TO IMPLEMENT THOSE NEW LAND USE DESIGNATIONS AND SOME OF THE IMPORTANT WORK THAT'S GONE INTO THAT.
UM, SO I THINK I GOT LOST, UH, ZONING OUT ON THIS IMAGE IN THE OTHER SLIDE.
UH, IT'S, IT'S, UH, EXTRACTED FROM THE MURAL AT THE TEEN CENTER AT THE FAIRGROUNDS, AND IT'S JUST, THERE'S SO MUCH THAT YOU CAN, SO MUCH STORY IN IT THAT YOU CAN READ ABOUT OR THINK ABOUT.
SO AS, AS HEATHER MENTIONED, WE PRESENTED IN THE STAFF REPORT THIS IDEA OF ESTABLISHING A PEER CITIES REFERENCE GROUP.
AND PART OF THE APPEAL OF THAT IS TO LOOK AT WHAT OTHERS ARE DOING.
YOU KNOW, HOW DOES, HOW DOES A A PARKING MANAGEMENT STRATEGY LOOK IN ANOTHER JURISDICTION THAT MAYBE IS OF SIMILAR SIZE AS PETALUMA IN TERMS OF POPULATION, IN TERMS OF, UH, A THRIVING DOWNTOWN DISTRICT, OR PERHAPS IT'S ASPIRATIONAL IN TERMS OF WHERE WE WANT TO BE, UM, SOMETHING THAT WE'VE EXPERIENCED AND, AND WOULD LIKE TO CONSIDER HERE.
SO WE CAN USE THESE, UH, PEER CITIES, UM, FOR, FOR INSIGHTS FOR REFERENCE TO, UM, YOU KNOW, SEE HOW THAT WORK HAS BEEN DONE IN OTHER PLACES.
AND, AND HOPEFULLY, UH, ANSWER QUESTIONS THAT WE HAVE OR, UM, GIVE US A SENSE OF, OF STRUCTURE TO OUR THOUGHT AND SO FORTH.
WE, I BELIEVE WE INCLUDED 10 CITIES IN THE STAFF REPORT, AND THEN JUST EXERTED A FEW OF THEM HERE.
THESE, WE, WE WOULD LIKE TO, IF YOU FEEL THAT THIS WOULD BE VALUABLE TO YOU AND HELP YOUR DECISION MAKING PROCESS AND REVIEW PROCESS, UH, WE WOULD LIKE SOME INPUT ON WHAT YOU THINK THOSE CITIES, UH, MAYBE THAT WE SHOULD LOOK AT AND COME BACK TO YOU WITH THAT REFERENCE GROUP.
SO THE ONES IN THE STAFF REPORT, WERE REALLY JUST TO HIGHLIGHT HOW WE COULD LOOK AT EMORY EMERYVILLE AND WHAT THEY'RE DOING WITH REGARD TO THEIR FORM-BASED AND PERFORMANCE ZONING ELEMENTS, AND THEN HOW THAT'S RESULTING IN, UH, THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT THAT WE CAN EXPERIENCE IF WE GO TO EMERYVILLE, FOR EXAMPLE.
SO JUST, UH, THOSE WERE REALLY INCLUDED JUST TO, UH, SPARK SOME, SOME CURIOSITY AND SOME COLLECTION.
AND THEN WE'RE GOING TO TAKE A DIVE HERE INTO THE GENERAL PLAN VISIONING DOCUMENT.
THIS IS ONE OF THE FIRST FOUNDATIONAL DOCUMENTS OF THE GENERAL PLAN, WHERE TO ESTABLISH THE VISION AND THE PILLARS, AND THEN THE, UH, GUIDING PRINCIPLES.
SO THIS IS, DO WE HAVE MULTIPLE OF THESE? WE DO.
UM, SO AS I MENTIONED EARLY IN THE GENERAL PLAN UPDATE PROCESS, UM, THERE WAS A NUMBER OF COMMUNITY, UM, EVENTS TO, TO HEAR FROM THE COMMUNITY ON WHAT WAS IMPORTANT, WHAT THEIR VISION WAS, WHAT THEY WANTED TO SEE, AND HOW THEY WANTED TO SEE THE COMMUNITY EVOLVE.
THE GENERAL PLAN ADVISORY COMMITTEE SPENT A INCREDIBLE AMOUNT OF TIME, UM, NARROWING THESE DOWN.
UM, UM, AS, AS, UM, ANDREW MENTIONED INTO A SET OF VISIONING MATERIALS THAT THEN WENT, UM, BEFORE THE COUNCIL WERE ACCEPTED BY THE CITY COUNCIL AND HAVE BECOME, UM, THE FOUNDATION FOR THE GENERAL PLAN UPDATE.
SO, UH, IT'S, IT'S INSPIRATIONAL, UH, IN TERMS OF THE, THE LANGUAGES EVEN WE ARE, UM,
[00:45:01]
TO WHERE, WHERE WE WANNA BE.SO BEING FORWARD THINKING LEADERS, WE'RE SITTING HERE TALKING ABOUT THE RIGHT WAY TO APPROACH THE ZONING CODE UPDATE, LOOKING AT, UM, OTHER LEADERS TO, UH, AS OUR PEERS LOOKING, UM, FOR INNOVATIVE STRATEGIES, UM, TO GET US WHERE WE WANNA BE, BUT REMINDING OURSELVES THAT WE ARE FORWARD THINKING LEADERS, AND THAT'S HOW THE COMMUNITY WANTS THE CITY TO MOVE FORWARD.
UM, I THINK WE PUT THE LINK INTO THE STAFF REPORT FOR THE, FOR THE WHOLE THING.
UM, SO THEN THE, THE PILLARS, UM, GO INTO, YOU KNOW, DIFFERENT THINGS ABOUT THE CONTACT AND SENSE OF PLACE CLIMATE ACTION SUSTAINABILITY.
YOU'LL SEE THAT, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, COMING IN A LOT ALSO, EQUITY, JUSTICE, DEMOGRAPHIC CHANGES, UM, PARTICIPATORY DECISION MAKING AND GOVERNMENT TRANSPARENCY.
SO I WOULD LIKE TO THINK THAT WE WILL USE THESE VISIONING DOCUMENTS AS THAT GROUNDING, UM, TO THINK THROUGH THE ZONING CODE UPDATE, AND THAT IT IS SOMETHING THAT, UM, THE COMMUNITY HAS, HAS GIVEN TO US AND, AND SAID, THESE, THESE ARE, UM, THE WAY WE'D LIKE TO MOVE FORWARD.
UM, UH, SO CARBON NEUTRALITY IS A BIG ONE ALSO.
UM, THAT WAS THE IMPETUS FOR THE BLUEPRINT, UM, WAS MOVING TOWARDS CL CARBON NEUTRALITY SO THAT IT CONTINUES TO BE A, UM, GUIDING PRINCIPLE.
AGAIN, AS I MENTIONED, THE SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC JUSTICE INTEGRATING AND CONNECTING THE EAST AND WEST SIDES, THAT WAS A, UM, A BIG ONE.
UM, IN, IN THESE VISIONING, UM, PRIORITIZING INFILL DEVELOPMENT, UM, YOU KNOW, HISTORIC PRESERVATION THROUGH HONORING, CELEBRATING AND PRESERVING PETALUMA'S HERITAGE AND HISTORIC CHARACTER.
AND THEN AGAIN, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, ADVANCING A FORWARD-LOOKING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY.
SO WORKING ALL OF THESE, ALL OF THESE IN.
UM, AND THEN A HOUSING ACTION PLAN.
WE'VE TALKED A LOT ABOUT THIS.
THIS WAS ALSO A LINK, UM, OR AN ATTACHMENT IN YOUR PACKET, UM, FOR THE FULL, THE FULL, UM, VIEW OF THAT.
BUT, UM, REALLY LOOKING TO REDUCE LOCAL REGULATORY BARRIERS.
WE WANNA MAKE HOUSING PRODUCTION SOMETHING, UM, THAT IS ATTAINABLE SO THAT, UM, ALL PETALUMA HAVE HOUSING, UM, EXPANDING ALLOWABLE RESIDENTIAL DENSITY.
SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT HAS BEEN TALKED A LOT, A LOT ABOUT AS PART OF THE GENERAL PLAN LAND USE DESIGNATIONS, AS WELL AS STREAMLINING PROJECT APPROVALS.
AND AGAIN, THIS, THIS TOPIC IS BROUGHT UP IN THE BLUEPRINT IS BROUGHT UP IN THE HOU HOUSING ACTION PLAN, IS BROUGHT UP IN THE GENERAL PLAN, UM, LOOKING AT ZONING CODE UPDATES TO ALIGN WITH THOSE OBJECTIVES.
SO LOOKING AT, UM, GREATER DENSITY, SIMPLIFYING DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS, REDUCING THAT DISCRETIONARY REVIEW.
UM, A LOT OF DISCUSSION ABOUT ADUS, UM, ACCESSORY DWELLING UNITS, AS WELL AS JUNIOR ACCESSORY DWELLING UNITS AND STATE DENSITY BONUS LOSS.
SO THERE'S A NUMBER OF THINGS IN THIS HOUSING ACTION PLAN THAT WE COULD START WORKING WITH IMMEDIATELY.
UM, THE HOUSING ACTION PLAN HAS 102 SPECIFIC ACTIONS, UM, UNDER 29 PROGRAMS, AND THEY SUPPORT THE PLAN SIX GOALS.
THESE ARE ALL THINGS THAT WE HAVE AS A COMMUNITY COMMITTED TO, UM, WITH OUR CERTIFIED HOUSING ELEMENT.
SO THESE ARE RIPE FOR IMPLEMENTATION.
UM, AS I MENTIONED, THE BLUEPRINT FOR CLIMATE ACTION, THERE IS A TRANSPORTATION AND LAND USE COORDINATION STRATEGY, UM, THAT TALKS SPECIFICALLY TO A LOT OF THE THINGS THAT MIGHT BE IN THE ZONING CODE.
UM, AND THEN INCLUDING A FEW OF THE CORNERSTONE ACTIONS, UM, AND THEN ADDITIONAL ACTIONS.
UM, AND THESE GIVE A LOT OF TIMELINES.
SO 20 26, 20 27, UM, WHICH IS, UH, THE TIMELINE THAT, UH, WE'VE MENTIONED EARLIER IN THE, IN THIS PRESENTATION BLUEPRINT ALSO, UM, TALKS ABOUT PARKING MANAGEMENT STRATEGY, WHICH IS ANOTHER THING THAT ANDREW BROUGHT UP AS PART OF THE DISCUSSION ABOUT, UM, ZONING CODE INNOVATION.
UM, AND HAS, UM, A NUMBER OF ACTIONS SPECIFIC TO THAT SPECIFIC ABOUT PARKING STANDARDS AND REFORMING, UM, PARKING STANDARDS AS WELL AS PUBLIC PARKING SUPPLY AND MANAGEMENT.
SO I THINK WITH THAT, WE'VE TALKED FOR A LONG TIME AND IT'S YOUR TURN TO TALK.
WE'RE AVAILABLE FOR QUESTIONS AND WE WOULD LOOK FORWARD TO A ROBUST DISCUSSION CHAIR.
[00:50:01]
ON OUR SORT OF ORDER OF OPERATIONS HERE, I THINK WE'RE GOING TO DO PUBLIC COMMENT AND THEN BRING IT BACK TO THE COMMISSION TO HAVE A DISCUSSION, UM, AS OPPOSED TO THAT SORT OF AWKWARD QUESTIONS THAT TURN INTO COMMENTS AND THEN PUBLIC COMMENT AND THEN BACK TO THE COMMISSION.SO WITH THAT, WE WILL MOVE OVER TO PUBLIC COMMENT ON THIS ITEM.
THE PUBLIC IS INVITED TO COMMENT ON THIS ITEM.
PUBLIC COMMENTS ARE LIMITED TO THREE MINUTES PER PERSON.
IF YOU HAVEN'T DONE SO ALREADY, PLEASE FILL OUT OUT A SPEAKER CARD AND BRING IT TO THE CLERK.
SEEING NO ONE RUSHED THE CLERK.
UH, HAVE WE RECEIVED ANY COMMENTS PRIOR TO THE MEETING? WE RECEIVED? NO PUBLIC COMMENTS PRIOR TO THE MEETING.
THEN WE WILL CLOSE OUR PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD FOR THIS ITEM AND BRING IT BACK TO THE COMMISSION FOR ANY QUESTIONS.
UM, AND THEN OBVIOUSLY WE'LL SORT OF MORPH INTO DISCUSSION AND, UH, I'M SURE HAVE A LOT TO SAY.
THIS IS A, THIS IS A, A BIG ONE.
I'LL ASK A COUPLE QUESTIONS TO KICK IT OFF.
UM, ON THE PUD UH, PLAN, UNIT DEVELOPMENT PLAN, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND UPDATING THOSE, ARE YOU ENVISIONING THAT THOSE ARE GONNA HAVE TO BE TAKEN IN SORT OF A, LIKE A ONE-OFF OR GROUPS OF THEM? OR IS THAT, ARE YOU LOOKING AT MORE LIKE A UNIFORM APPROACH TO HOW WE TREAT SORT OF THE PUDS AND THE PCDS IN TERMS OF LIKE CLARIFYING WHAT'S ALLOWABLE AND PROVIDING MORE CERTAINTY ABOUT WHAT CAN HAPPEN IN THOSE? UH, THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.
UH, I THINK AS, AS WE LOOK ACROSS THE, ALL OF THOSE, UM, POLICY STATEMENTS, YOU KNOW, THERE WE CAN GROUP THEM.
AND SO THERE'S, THERE'S SOME PUDS THAT WERE, UH, ADOPTED EXPRESSLY FOR DEVELOPMENT OF A SUBDIVISION.
AND THAT SUBDIVISION HAS BEEN DEVELOPED AND, YOU KNOW, EVERYTHING'S REMAINED FAIRLY CONSISTENT IN TERMS OF, YOU KNOW, THE GENERAL PLAN LAND USE DENSITY, UH, AND SUCH SINCE DEVELOPMENT, WHETHER IT WAS THE SEVENTIES OR EIGHTIES OR NINETIES.
SO THOSE, UH, WITH THE APPROPRIATE PROCESS TO EXPIRE THEM AND, AND THEN HAVE A STRATEGY FOR JUST REFERRING THEM OVER TO THE STANDARD ZONING CODE, UH, REGULATIONS FOR FUTURE MODIFICATIONS OR DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITY, UH, COULD TAKE CARE OF PERHAPS EVEN UP TO A THIRD OF THEM.
THEN, UH, THERE'S OTHERS THAT ARE MORE ROBUST AND PROVIDE FOR THE ONGOING, UM, USE OF THE LAND.
BUT, BUT WE MAY FIND THAT, YOU KNOW, ESPECIALLY THE PCDS, WHICH ARE ALL COMMERCIAL ORIENTED, A LOT OF BUSINESS PARK LIGHT INDUSTRIAL PCDS, UM, WHERE IT ALSO MIGHT BE ADVANTAGEOUS TO GO AHEAD AND EXPIRE THOSE, UH, AND TO MOVE THOSE SITES INTO THE STANDARD ZONING DISTRICTS SO THAT WE HAVE GREATER ACCESS TO THE FLEXIBILITY OF THE ZONING DISTRICTS IN TERMS OF ALLOWABLE LAND USES AND STREAMLINING FOR, FOR PERMIT, UM, PURPOSES.
AND THEN OF COURSE, THAT I THINK THE THIRD BUCKET WOULD BENEFIT FROM JUST SOME CLARITY AND REGULATIONS FOR HOW WE INTERPRET, UH, ESPECIALLY WHERE THERE'S GAPS BETWEEN THE REGULATIONS CONTAINED IN THE PUD OR PCD AND THEN WHAT WE'RE BEING ASKED TO REVIEW.
UM, WE DON'T HAVE A CLEAR PATHWAY ON HOW WE REFER TO THE ZONING CODE, UH, IN THOSE CASES WHERE PUD OR PCD MIGHT BE LACKING IN GUIDANCE.
AND, AND WE NEED THAT BECAUSE WE NEED THAT AUTHORITY FROM THE ZONING CODE TO SAY, IF THE PUD OR PCD DOESN'T ADDRESS THIS, THEN YOU HAVE THE FULL AUTHORITY TO IMPLEMENT THE STANDARD ZONING DISTRICT AND THOSE ASSOCIATED ALLOWABLE LAND USES AND DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS.
SO ALL OF THAT TO SAY, I THINK SOME, SOME ARE FAIRLY LOW HANGING FRUIT TO BE ABLE TO PROCESS, UM, AND, AND EXPIRE WHILE OTHERS, UM, PERHAPS A THIRD OF THEM ARE GOING TO BENEFIT JUST I THINK IN FROM A PERCEPTION OF TIME AND INVESTMENT FROM JUST CLARIFYING HOW WE INTERPRET THEM AND, UH, AND CREATING SOME STANDARDS IN THE ZONING CODE.
UM, SO MY NEXT QUESTION ON THE, I, I REALLY LIKE THE IDEA OF HAVING A GROUP OF CITIES THAT WE SORT OF LIKE PULL FROM.
UM, ARE WE LIMITING OURSELVES TO CITIES IN CALIFORNIA? I NOTICED, I THINK ALL OF THE ONES THAT WERE IN THE STAFF REPORT WERE, I, I WOULD SUGGEST THAT WE SHOULDN'T, I THINK WE, I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF LESSONS TO LEARN.
FOR INSTANCE, IF YOU LOOK AT AUSTIN'S CODE NEXT PROJECT, UM,
[00:55:01]
A LOT OF WHAT THEY LEARNED ABOUT TRYING TO, TO ATTEMPT A VERY AGGRESSIVE OVERHAUL OF THEIR ZONING CODE, I THINK, UH, CAN BE REALLY INSTRUCTIONAL FROM A STORYTELLING PERSPECTIVE.THERE'S SOME POINTS OF FOR CONSIDERATION THERE, BUT THEN ALSO HOW THEY'RE GOING ABOUT MORE OF AN INCREMENTAL CHANGE APPROACH.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT, WE'VE GOT SOME OTHER CITIES THROUGHOUT ESPECIALLY, UM, THE, THE EASTERN AND, AND KIND OF INTER MIDWESTERN PORTIONS OF THE UNITED STATES THAT ARE DOING SOME REALLY, REALLY INTERESTING WORK WITH HYBRID FORM-BASED CODES.
UH, AND THEY'RE SMALLER CITIES, SO MAYBE THEY BECOME EXAMPLES OF HOW TO DO A, A HYBRID FORM-BASED CODE AT A DISTRICT LEVEL IF THAT'S WHAT WE WANT TO ENSURE A CERTAIN DEVELOPMENT PATTERN IN A SPECIFIC PART OF TOWN.
UM, AND THEN I, UM, IN SOME OF THESE LIKE, UH, THE, LIKE GETTING MORE INTO THE WEEDS NOW ON LIKE CITY OF BERKELEY AND YOU SAID THEY ELIMINATED SINGLE FAMILY ZONING.
HOW DOES THAT LIKE WORK WHEN IT FEELS LIKE CALIFORNIA'S ALREADY KIND OF DONE THAT WITH THINGS LIKE SB NINE AND WHATNOT? LIKE HOW, LIKE WHAT'S THE, WHAT'S THE INCREMENTAL LIKE STEP THAT BERKELEY DID? LIKE IS IT THAT YOU DON'T HAVE TO LIVE IN ONE OF THE UNITS OR WHAT, WHAT IS THE THING THAT BERKELEY DID THAT LIKE IS MEANINGFUL GIVEN ALL THE THINGS THE STATE HAS DONE ON THAT? I'D, I'D HAVE TO GO BACK AND REFLECT ON EXACTLY WHAT THEY DID, BUT I DO THINK THAT THAT SB NINE HAS, IT'S NOT BEEN QUITE AS SUCCESSFUL.
THE STATE IS, UH, I I WAS IN A, A HOUSING SEMINAR, UM, LATE LAST YEAR AND THEY COMMENTED ON, ON SB NINE AND SAID THAT IT STAYS ON THE BOOKS, BUT IT'S NOT PERFORMING QUITE THE WAY THAT THEY THOUGHT IT WOULD.
AND SO IN FACT, THAT'S WHY THE STATE HAS KIND OF DOUBLED DOWN ON ITS A DU REGULATIONS BECAUSE THEY WERE SEEING A LOT MORE PRODUCTION ACTIVITY OUT OF A DU TYPES OF, UM, DEVELOPMENT RATHER THAN, UH, SINGLE FAMILY DWELLING UNITS.
BUT I, I THINK THAT WHAT THE STATE HAS ALWAYS SAID IS, THIS IS WHAT YOU MUST DO.
THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT YOU CAN'T DO MORE.
YOU CAN'T, YOU KNOW, LOOK AT THE INTENT OF, OF, YOU KNOW, THE INTENT OF THE STATE HAS ALWAYS BEEN TO STIMULATE AND INCREASE HOUSING PRODUCTION TO RESPOND TO THE HOUSING CRISIS.
SO AT THE LOCAL LEVEL, UH, WE COULD, WE COULD LEARN FROM SB 35 ARE WHAT'S NOW REFERRED TO AS SMAP AND BE MORE INTENTIONAL WITH IT BE, YOU KNOW, INCENTIVIZED IN DIFFERENT WAYS.
WE COULD DO THE SAME THING WITH SB NINE, UM, IF WE CHOSE TO DO SO.
SO I THINK THAT A LOT OF, YOU KNOW, PEER CITIES AND A LOT OF EXAMPLES WITHIN CALIFORNIA CAN SHOW WHAT OTHER JURISDICTIONS ARE EXPERIMENTING WITH, AND MAYBE THAT, THAT, UM, GIVES US A, GIVES US SOME INSPIRATION ON WHAT WE WANT TO DO.
UM, SOME OF THE, WELL, UM, SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, LIKE, I KNOW IT'S A STATEWIDE ISSUE, IS AROUND THE CONDOS AND THE CONSTRUCTION DEFECT AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
AND I'M SURE THERE'S OTHER PIECES TO THAT WHOLE MORASS.
UM, IS THERE, ARE THERE THINGS THAT WE CAN DO THROUGH OUR ZONING CODE UPDATE TO TRY AND PROMOTE MORE FOR SALE MULTIFAMILY HOUSING? UM, AND MAYBE THAT'S RESEARCH THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE, OR IS THERE, YOU KNOW, ARE YOU AWARE OF ANY EXAMPLES? 'CAUSE THOSE ARE THE TYPES OF EXAMPLES I'D LOVE TO BRING IN IF THERE, IF WE KNOW OF ANY.
DID YOU GUYS SEE ANYTHING? I THINK WE'D WANT TO RESEARCH THAT AND COME BACK TO YOU, BUT IT, I, THAT'S A GREAT IDEA.
I THINK, YOU KNOW, WE, WE ARE SEEING SOME JURISDICTIONS THAT ARE IN THE NORTH BAY THAT I THINK ARE BECOMING A LITTLE BIT, UM, OUT OF BALANCE WITH REGARD TO FOR SALE AND FOR RENT.
AND, YOU KNOW, WHILE A FOR RENT PRODUCT DOES PROVIDE A HOUSING UNIT, AND THAT'S INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT TO THE COMMUNITY, IT ALSO DOESN'T ALLOW FOR THAT INTERGENERATIONAL ACCUMULATION OF WEALTH IN THE MANNER THAT A FOR SALE PRODUCT DOES.
AND, AND THE ABILITY OF A, A HOMEOWNER TO INVEST IN THEIR FUTURE.
SO I THINK TO, TO EXPLORE HOW WE CAN HAVE A BETTER BALANCE, BUT DO THAT WITH THAT HIGHER DENSITY PRODUCT SUCH AS A SINGLE FAMILY ATTACHED OR MULTIFAMILY PRODUCT IS, IS DEFINITELY APPEALING.
UM, YEAH, AND EVEN THROUGH DEED RESTRICTION OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT, SOMEONE ONE TIME TOLD ME LIKE, YOU KNOW, CAN WE DEED RESTRICT IT SO THAT LIKE, IT'S LIKE A RENT TO OWN OR SOMETHING, AND THEN AT THE 10 YEAR MARK IT BECOMES, YOU, YOU FLOP IT FROM BEING A RENTAL TO BEING, YOU KNOW, AND LIKE HAVING A LARGE SUPPLY OF 10-YEAR-OLD HOUSING COMING ON THE MARKET ISN'T A BAD THING FOR AN AFFORDABILITY STANDPOINT, RIGHT? IT'S NOT GONNA SOLVE TODAY, BUT IT, LIKE
[01:00:01]
LONG TERM, IT CAN, CAN HELP.I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S REAL, BUT, UM, IT WAS AN IDEA SOMEONE PUT OUT.
UM, SO I LIKE THE IDEA OF A LIVING ZONING CODE.
UM, IT'S ONE OF THOSE THINGS THAT SOUNDS REALLY GOOD.
UM, I JUST WANNA SAY, I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT FOR US TO LIKE THINK ABOUT HOW WE BUILD THAT IN.
UM, BECAUSE I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WILL GIVE US UP HERE ON THE PLANNING COMMISSION AND CERTAINLY PEOPLE ON THE CITY COUNCIL, THE, THE AMBITION TO BE MORE, UM, TO MORE AMBITIOUS IN, IN THE THINGS THAT WE'LL DO IS TO ALSO HAVE CHECKS IN, IN PLACE TO WHERE UNFORESEEN SITUATIONS AND THINGS LIKE THAT CAN BE REMEDIED.
AND, UM, YOU KNOW, NOT JUST LIKE UPDATING AS NEW THINGS COME OR AS WE SEE, YOU KNOW, A NEW CONSTRUCTION PRACTICE OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, BUT ALSO LIKE REALLY BUILDING IN SOMETHING OF LIKE, WE DON'T WANNA SEE A LOT MORE OF THAT, RIGHT? SO I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT, UM, AS WE GO THROUGH THIS PROCESS TO CONTINUE TO BUILD THAT IN AND, AND HONESTLY BUILD THAT INTO THE NARRATIVE OF HOW WE TALK ABOUT THIS SO THAT IT'S, IT'S NOT SET IN STONE FOR THE NEXT 40 YEARS.
IT'S SOMETHING THAT'S GONNA BE REVISITED AND, UM, WE'RE NOT GONNA SEE THAT THE WHOLE TOWN, YOU KNOW, OVERRUN BY SOMETHING BECAUSE WE, UM, YOU KNOW, MADE A MISTAKE 'CAUSE WE WERE TRYING TO BUILD HOUSING OR SOMETHING.
THAT'S A, THAT'S A GREAT POINT, COUNCIL MEMBER.
AND I THINK THAT THAT DOES TAKE PRACTICE, RIGHT? YOU, YOU HAVE TO GET IN THE HABIT OF DOING IT SO THAT YOU, IT'S THAT EPISODIC IS, UM, IT CAN BE TRAUMATIC OFTENTIMES, I THINK, FOR LACK OF A BETTER WORD.
AND, AND CERTAINLY IT THROWS YOU OFF YOUR GAME, BUT IF YOU GET IN THE PRACTICE OF DOING IT, SAY TWICE A YEAR OR ONCE A YEAR, THEN YOU'RE, YOU'RE ACCUMULATING THOSE CHANGES YOU WOULD LIKE TO MAKE.
YOU'RE REFLECTING ON THEM, YOU'RE PLANNING FOR THEM AND YOU'RE MAKING THEM.
THE ONE OTHER POINT THAT I REALIZE DOES NOT COME THROUGH IN THE PRESENTATION IS JUST HOW INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT INCENTIVES ARE TO ACHIEVING THE DEVELOPMENT THAT YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE.
AND WHEN YOU CAN'T PROVIDE THOSE FINANCIAL INCENTIVES, THEN YOU HAVE TO LOOK FOR YOUR OTHER TOOLS THAT CAN INCENTIVIZE THAT DEVELOPMENT AND INCENTIVES CHANGE, YOU KNOW, UH, SO THAT REGULAR PRACTICE OF HAVING A LIVING CODE THAT'S FLEXIBLE AND NIMBLE AND UPDATED REGULARLY CAN ALSO MAKE SURE THAT YOUR INCENTIVES ARE KEEPING PACE WITH WHAT THE MARKET IS LOOKING FOR AND THAT YOU'RE AL ALWAYS TARGETING THAT DEVELOPMENT THAT YOUR COMMUNITY VALUES.
YEAH, I DEFINITELY APPRECIATE THAT.
UM, I WOULD SAY PORTLAND COMES TO MIND FOR MISSING MIDDLE STUFF.
UM, I THINK THEY'VE DONE SOME REALLY GOOD, GOOD WORK ON MISSING MIDDLE.
UM, THE LA ED ONE, I DEFINITELY WANNA SEE AN ANALYSIS OF WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE RELATIVE TO WHAT WE HAVE HERE.
UM, I WAS LIKE BLOWN AWAY WHEN I HEARD SOME OF THE IMPACTS THAT IT HAD IMMEDIATELY.
UM, AND I'D LIKE TO SEE, YOU KNOW, THAT WAS AN EXAMPLE WHERE THEY DID HAVE TO CHANGE IT BECAUSE IT HAD ON, YOU KNOW, UM, ALL, SOME MIGHT SAY INTENDED CONSEQUENCES, BUT, UM, I THINK IT'S SOMETHING FOR US TO LOOK AT HERE.
UH, AND THEN I WOULD SAY PLACES WHERE RENTS ARE, LIKE WHERE CITIES GROWING, CITIES DESIRABLE AND ALSO RENTS ARE, ARE, YOU KNOW, THERE'S DOWNWARD PRESSURE ON RENTS.
PLACES LIKE AUSTIN, MINNEAPOLIS, BERKELEY, THOSE PLACES THAT ARE UM, ARE SEEING, UM, YOU KNOW, STRONG PERFORMANCE ON THE ECONOMICS AND ALSO ON, ON THE AFFORDABILITY SIDE OF THINGS ARE DEFINITELY, UM, CITIES THAT I'D LIKE TO BE LOOKING TOWARD.
I'M GONNA PAUSE AND GIVE EVERY SOME OTHER PEOPLE SOME, SOME ROOM CHAIR.
CAN I FOLLOW UP? ONE OTHER THING THAT I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO, WHEN WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THE LIVING ZONING CODE, TAKING A CODE AMENDMENT THROUGH THE PROCESS IS NOT A QUICK OR INEXPENSIVE PROCESS.
SO IT, YOU KNOW, IT, IT REQUIRES MULTIPLE HEARINGS IN FRONT OF MULTIPLE BODIES.
UM, SO SIMILARLY TO THE IDEA OF BATCHING THIS ZONING CODE UPDATE, LIKE CREATING SOME BATCHES, LET'S START ON THIS AND THEN MOVE TO THIS AND THE, AND GET AWAY FROM LIKE, UH, RESIDENTIAL CARE FACILITIES AS A SINGLE, SINGLE ITEM COMING BEFORE YOU.
AND I KNOW THAT THERE WAS, THERE WAS SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES WITH THAT AND THAT YOU HAD A PROJECT AND IT WAS ALSO CALLED FOR IN THE HOUSING ELEMENT.
BUT THE, I JUST CAN'T UNDERSCORE THE IDEA OF BATCHING THINGS TOGETHER, FOR INSTANCE, AS A LIVING AS WELL AS DURING THIS UPDATE TO BRING MULTIPLE THINGS BATCHED TOGETHER THROUGH THE PROCESS IS, IS A, IS A TIME STAFF RESOURCE AND BUDGETARY RESOURCE, UM, WAY TO LOOK AT THINGS.
AND I DON'T WANT US S LOSE THE
[01:05:01]
NON HOUSING SIDE OF THE CODE UPDATE AS WELL.I REALLY AM LOOKING FORWARD TO DIGGING INTO THAT AND HOW WE CAN CREATE MORE CERTAINTY.
I KNOW THERE'S SOMEONE GOING THROUGH TRYING TO OPEN A BATTING CAGE RIGHT NOW AND THEY HAVE TO COME TO THE PLANNING COMMISSION.
I'M LIKE, WHY THE HELL WOULD THEY HAVE TO COME TO THE PLANNING COMMISSION
UM, SO, UM, JUST TO FINISH UP A FEW THINGS ON BATCHING, I THINK THERE'S LIKE A REALLY LOGICAL BATCH OF LIKE SMALL OT STRATEGIES THAT WE WANT THAT WOULD PROBABLY ALLOW US TO BITE THAT OFF.
UM, I THINK THERE'S SOME OF THE LARGER AREAS OF CHANGE AND THE TOPICS WE TAKE ON IN THE LARGER AREAS OF CHANGE AROUND LIKE LARGE MULTIFAMILY.
SO THINKING FOUR STORIES AND ABOVE PROBABLY, UM, COULD BE BROUGHT TOGETHER IN, IN SOMETHING.
AND THEN UM, PROCESS STUFF, MINISTERIAL APPROVALS, LIKE THAT SORT OF DEFINITION.
UM, AND NOT GET TOO WRAPPED AROUND THE AXLE ON, UH, ON PROCESS WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT FORM.
UM, AND THEN PROBABLY A SEPARATE PARALLEL TRACK FOR NON HOUSING STUFF OR NON-RESIDENTIAL STUFF THAT, AND GROUP THOSE UP.
IF I MIGHT QUICKLY JUST PIGGYBACK ON THE BATCHING, UM, COMMENTS THAT WE HEARD FROM BOTH OF YOU.
IT, IS IT FAIR TO ASSUME, OR AT LEAST HOPE THAT BY TACKLING A COMPREHENSIVE UPDATE, WE WILL REDUCE OUR NEED TO DO THESE CHERRY PICKY KIND OF AMENDMENTS? THAT THAT'S SORT OF THE POINT OF DOING THE COMPREHENSIVE UPDATE IS WE DO A LOT OF WORK WITH COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT NOW TO GET EVERYTHING SORT OF UP TO THE MODERN ERA.
AND OBVIOUSLY IT'S STILL A LIVING DOCUMENT, UM, BUT IT WON'T BE QUITE SO BURDENSOME TO DO THOSE AMENDMENTS IN THE FUTURE.
I MEAN, IT'LL THE SAME PROCESS, BUT HOPEFULLY YOU WON'T, YOU KNOW, HOPEFULLY TWO WEEKS AFTER ADOPTING SOMETHING.
YOU DON'T REALIZE YOU NEED A CODE UPDATE.
UM, WHERE WHEN YOU DO THOSE KIND OF SURGICAL, UM, AS A WAY TO KEEP YOUR ZONING CODE LIMPING ALONG.
UM, IT'S, IT JUST GETS REALLY CONVOLUTED OVER TIME, RIGHT? IT JUST GETS WHERE IT'S NOT COHESIVE, RIGHT.
UM, SO YES, I WOULD SAY THAT THAT IS ACCURATE TO CONFIRM, GIVEN OUR BUDGETARY TIMELINE CONSTRAINTS, WE WE CAN DO A COMPREHENSIVE UPDATE HERE.
THE GOAL IS TO DO A COMPREHENSIVE UPDATE IN BATCHES.
I, I GOT FIXATED A LITTLE BIT ON THE COMPARISON CITIES.
I JUST WANTED TO TALK ABOUT THAT JUST A LITTLE BIT.
YOU KNOW, IF WE LOOK AT OUR, OUR GENERAL PLAN GUIDING PRINCIPLES TALKS ABOUT PRESERVING, UM, NATURAL ENVIRONMENT AND SURROUNDING OPEN SPACE.
TALKS ABOUT VIEW SCAPES, TALKS ABOUT TREE CANOPY LATER ON.
IT TALKS ABOUT THE RIVER AND THOSE TYPES OF THINGS.
SO WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT COMPARABLE CITIES, WHEN I LOOKED AT THE 10 THAT YOU LISTED, REALLY NINE OR MAYBE ALL 10 ARE NOT, ARE NOT LIKE PETALUMA.
THEY'RE, THEY DON'T HAVE THIS SURROUNDING OPEN SPACE.
AND I'M NOT CONCERNED THAT'S TOO STRONG OF A WORD, BUT IF WE START LOOKING TOWARDS PORTLAND OR VANCOUVER OR THESE OTHER PLACES THAT HAVE SOME PRETTY, YOU KNOW, MODERN PLANNING, IF YOU WILL, OR BEYOND MODERN POSTMODERN, MAYBE, UM, WE DON'T GET LOST IN THAT.
WE'RE NOT THAT METROPOLITAN AREA THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT, THAT WE ARE ACTUALLY SOMETHING DIFFERENT.
AND THAT'S WHAT MAKES US UNIQUE.
AND I'D HATE TO LOSE THAT BY ADOPTING THESE MORE METROPOLITAN PLANNING DECISIONS WITHIN THAT CONTEXT.
AND, YOU KNOW, THE IDEA OF USING, UM, COMPARISON CITY ISN'T JUST TO KIND OF TAKE THEIRS AND, AND USE IT, BUT LIKE WHEN WE ARE STRUGGLING WITH, UH, YOU KNOW, MISSING MIDDLE HOUSING STRATEGIES OR SOMETHING, BEING ABLE TO LOOK AT SOME OTHER JURISDICTIONS, UM, SIMILARLY ARE, ARE THERE CITIES, UH, THAT HAVE DONE A REALLY GREAT JOB ORIENTING AROUND THEIR RIVER THAT MIGHT HAVE GREAT, YOU KNOW, SO THAT MIGHT BE, HEY, LET'S MAKE SURE WE GET SOME COMPARABLE CITIES THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT THAT WE THINK HAVE DONE A REALLY GOOD, GREAT JOB DOING THAT, BUT REMEMBERING THAT WE'RE USING COMPARABLE CITIES JUST AS COMPARISONS, NOT AS A, WE'RE TRYING TO BE LIKE A PORTLAND OR WE WANNA BE AN EMERYVILLE OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
I'M JUST CONCERNED THAT IF WE CONTINUE TO USE THESE METH, BIG METROPOLITAN MODELS, THAT WE START CHANGING THE CHARACTER OF PETALUMA AND INADVERTENTLY YEAH.
I THINK THAT'S WHY, YOU KNOW, ONE, ONE THING WE WOULD LOOK AT WOULD BE POPULATION, UM, WOULD BE, YOU KNOW, DEVELOPMENT COMPOSITION,
[01:10:01]
NATURAL ENVIRONMENT, OPEN SPACES.SO THERE CAN BE A VARIETY OF FACTORS THAT, THAT WE USE IN THAT SELECTION PROCESS.
I JUST KEEP HEARING EXAMPLES THAT ARE BIG CITIES IN, WE'RE NOT A BIG CITY.
I'LL SAY JUST BEFORE WE GET TOO FAR, UM, FROM THE POINT ON THE P PUDS AND PCD CONSOLIDATION, I WOULD LIKE TO PUT MY POST-IT ON THAT AS A BIG PRIORITY.
WHAT I WOULD HATE TO SEE HAPPEN IS WE PUT ALL THIS ENERGY INTO UPDATING THE IZO AND THEN HUGE CHUNKS OF TOWN ARE CARVED OUT AND AREN'T EVEN APPLICABLE BECAUSE THEY'RE STILL IN PUDS AND PCDS.
SO WE ABSOLUTELY SHOULD BE CONSOLIDATING THOSE.
WE'VE COME TO THIS TIME AND TIME AGAIN, ANDREW, YOU KNOW, OF LIKE, WHAT IS THE HIERARCHY BETWEEN THE IZO AND THE SMART CODE AND THE PUDS AND THE SPECIFIC PLANS.
SO TO THE EXTENT THAT WE ARE DOING THIS COMPREHENSIVE IZO, WE SHOULD GET IT TO APPLY
UM, SO AGAIN, BIG BIG STAR NEXT TO, UM, CONSOLIDATING THE PUDS AND BCDS AND, AND SUN SETTING WHERE APPROPRIATE.
I THINK THAT'S A, THAT'S A GREAT POINT THAT, YOU KNOW, IF WE'RE PUTTING THE EFFORT INTO THE COMPREHENSIVE ZONING CODE, IT SHOULD BE AS WIDELY AS APPLICABLE AS POSSIBLE.
OFTENTIMES, I THINK WE LOOK AT PUD AND PCD AS JUST THE ADDITIONAL BURDEN OF INTERPRETATION AND APPLICATION.
SO TO THINK ABOUT IT FROM SORT OF A MORE VALUE ADDED PERSPECTIVE WOULD, WOULD BE REALLY USEFUL AND, AND KIND OF MAYBE CHANGE OUR THINKING OR OUR APPROACH.
COMMISSIONER NEWELL, THANK YOU.
I HAVE A, A FEW QUESTIONS, UM, BUT I WANNA START BY BUILDING OFF OF WHAT, UM, JESSICA JUST SAID, WHICH IS, UM, YOU KNOW, WITH REFORMING THE P-U-D-P-C-D THING.
AND IS IT AS SIMPLE AS, YOU KNOW, THE, THE ZONING NEW DESIGNATION SAYING, YOU KNOW, NOTWITHSTANDING ANY OTHER PROVISION OF LAW, THIS IS WHAT THE, THE, THE NEW REQUIREMENTS ARE.
CC IS THAT HOW THE, THE PROCESS CAN WORK? WHERE, WHERE THE, THE NEW DESIGNATION JUST SORT OF OVERRIDES WHAT THE PUD SAYS? OR DO WE HAVE TO LIKE REALLY GET IN THERE AND, AND GET MESSY AND, YEAH, I, I THINK THERE'S DIFFERENT EXAMPLES.
SO FOR INSTANCE, WE DID DECIDE INTER AN INTERPRETATION THAT EVEN IF A PCD SAYS YOU CAN'T HAVE AN ACCESSORY DWELLING UNIT, HEY, THE STATE SAYS YOU CAN HAVE ACCESSORY DWELLING UNITS.
SO WE HAVE HAD SOME OF THOSE WHERE THERE HAS, YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT A STATE LAW, WE'VE GOTTA RECONCILE IT MM-HMM
UM, SO THAT'S AL THAT'S KIND OF ALREADY LIKE THE, THE, THE PRACTICE.
UM, THERE ARE A LOT OF THE PCD PUDS, UM, PARTICULARLY THE RESIDENTIAL THAT WILL, WILL REFER BACK TO A ZONING CODE THAT'S LIKE THREE ZONING CODES AGO.
AND SO THAT'S REALLY HARD TO, THAT'S REALLY HARD TO IMPLEMENT, RIGHT? BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT QUITE SURE WHAT THEY'RE SAYING.
OR, UH, IT'LL SAY, YOU KNOW, ALL ALL PERMITTED USES THAT WERE ALLOWED IN AND IT'S GOT SOME ZONING DISTRICT NAME THAT ISN'T A THING ANYMORE.
AND SO THEN YOU'VE GOTTA TRY TO FIGURE OUT, HOW DO I FIND WHAT THOSE PERMITTED USES? SO SOME OF 'EM, AND THERE'S A LOT OF 'EM THAT, TO ANDREW'S POINT, THEY WERE, THEY WERE DONE AT A TIME TO GUIDE THE DEVELOPMENT OF THAT SUBDIVISION AND THAT SUBDIVISION IS BUILT OUT.
AND NOW IT'S A REAL, UM, CHALLENGE FOR PROPERTY OWNERS WHEN YOU WANT TO DO SOMETHING IN THAT PCD, LIKE, YOU WANT TO, UH, YOU KNOW, CHANGE AT, YOU WANNA ADD SOME, ADD A SUNROOM ONTO YOUR HOUSE,
WAS THERE A RECENT EXAMPLE? YOU KNOW, AND YOU'VE THEN GOTTA GO THROUGH LIKE A, A DESIGN REVIEW PROCESS, UH, WHEN A SINGLE FAMILY HOME ADDING A SUNROOM ON THE BACK, YOU KNOW, WE'VE ALSO HAD IT FOR THINGS LIKE SOMEBODY WANTING TO CHANGE FROM WOOD SIDING TO STUCCO STUCCO TO WOOD SIDING.
AND IT WAS LIKE, WELL, NO, ALL THE, ALL THE HOUSES MUST BE STUCCO.
YOU KNOW, THERE'S, THERE'S SOME OF THOSE THINGS.
UM, SO I THINK IT'S, TO ANDREW'S POINT, THERE'S SOME OF 'EM, THERE'S A, THERE'S A, THERE'S GONNA BE DIFFERENT APPROACHES FOR DIFFERENT ONES.
SOME OF 'EM WE HAVE TRIED TO UPDATE, LIKE, UM, THE, UM, SHERATON, THE MARINA, THE MARINA MAR, THANK YOU.
UM, WHEN THEY WANTED AN AMENDMENT FOR SOMETHING, WE KIND OF DID A REVAMP OF THAT WHOLE AND PUT IT IN A FORM THAT LOOKED SIMILAR TO AN IIZO LAND USE TABLE.
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AN OPPORTUNITY, WE'VE TRIED TO UPDATE TO CERTAIN STANDARDS AND THAT LANGUAGE THAT TALKS BETTER TO OUR ZONING CODE, UM, WHERE WE CAN, AND THERE MAY BE SOME THAT THERE'S A BENEFIT.THERE IS A UNIQUE REASON WHY YOU HAVE A-A-P-U-D OR A PCD THERE, AND IT REALLY STILL HAS VALUE AND SHOULD STAY, BUT DO WE NEED 150 OF 'EM? I, I DON'T, I DON'T KNOW.
UM, UH, ANOTHER QUESTION IS, I UNDERSTAND THE TIMELINE FOR THE PETALUMA NORTH SMART STATION PRIORITY DEVELOPMENT, UH, AREA SPECIFIC PLAN.
WHAT'S THE TIMELINE FOR THE DOWNTOWN PETALUMA SPECIFIC PLAN AND THE DOWNTOWN STATION AREA MASTER PLAN THAT IS, THAT'S YET TO BE DETERMINED.
UM, IT'S A, IT'S A BIT OF A UNIQUE APPROACH.
WHILE THE CITY RECEIVED THE GRANT FUNDING, UM, MTC CHOSE ON THIS ROUND OF TOC FUNDING TO BRING THE, UM, THE CONSULTING TEAMS TO THE TABLE.
SO WE, THEY, THEY DEVELOPED, I, I THINK SEVEN CONSULTING TEAMS. UM, OVERALL, OVERALL, I THINK, YEAH, YEAH, I DON'T KNOW THE NUMBER, BUT THEY CHOSE, IT'S ALMOST LIKE THEY HIRED A CONSULTING BENCH YEAH.
UM, FOR ALL THE JURISDICTIONS THAT GOT THE FUNDING THROUGH THAT ROUND.
AND SO WE'RE WAITING FOR MTC TO RESPOND AND, AND GIVE US DIRECTION ON WHEN THOSE TEAMS WILL BE ON THE GROUND AND READY TO GO.
AND THEN, UH, WE'LL BE ABLE TO DEVELOP A TIMELINE WITH THEM.
UM, MY LAST POINT IS NOT, NOT A QUESTION, BUT LIKE SOME FEEDBACK ON THE, UH, THE PEER, UM, PEER CITY CONCEPT.
UM, YOU KNOW, MY UNDERSTANDING IS IS PETALUMA IS PRETTY OUT IN FRONT ON HAVING ITS HOUSING ELEMENT CERTIFIED IN MAY OF 2023.
UM, AND ALSO PRETTY OUT IN FRONT HAVING A CLIMATE, YOU KNOW, BLUEPRINT DONE.
ARE THERE OTHER JURISDICTIONS THAT ARE OUT THERE WITH US KIND OF ON THE LEADING EDGE OF IMPLEMENTING THESE, THESE LIKE THE SIX CYCLE HOUSING ELEMENT AND THE CLIMATE THAT, THAT ARE ONES THAT CAN FIT INTO THIS PEER GROUP? I MEAN, THEY'RE ENCOUNTERING SOME OF THE SAME CHALLENGES THAT WE ARE.
I MEAN, WHAT, WHAT WE SEE IS, UM, A LOT OF JURISDICTIONS RIGHT NOW ARE DOING SIMILAR.
WE HAVE TO DO IMPLEMENTATION OF OUR HOUSING ELEMENT.
SO WE DID IT, WE GOT IT ADOPTED, WE GOT IT CERTIFIED, AND NOW, UH, CONSULTANTS, WE NEED HELP IMPLEMENTING IT AND FIGURING OUT HOW TO IMPLEMENT IT.
AND SO, UM, I THINK THERE WILL BE A LOT, UM, A LOT OF OTHER JURISDICTIONS TO TALK TO AND, AND SEE WHERE THEY ARE IN THE PROCESS.
UM, I KNOW WITH THE, THE CLIMATE, UM, AND THE BLUEPRINT, YOU KNOW, WE LOOK, WE HAVE LOOKED AT A NUMBER OF JURISDICTIONS AND THEY'RE NOT NECESSARILY ALL IN CALIFORNIA.
UM, FOR EXAMPLES OF COMMUNITIES THAT HAVE GONE ABOVE AND BEYOND, UM, WITH THEIR, WITH THEIR, UM, THEIR CLIMATE INITIATIVES SPECIFICALLY AND THEIR CODES AROUND THAT, BOTH CODES AND INCENTIVES.
UM, BUT I, I WANNA SAY ONE OF THEM, MAYBE IT WAS DENVER, I CAN'T REMEMBER.
ELLA MIGHT KNOW IF DENVER, I FEEL LIKE, UH, WHETHER DENVER, I FEEL LIKE WE WERE LOOKING AT DENVER AT ONE POINT AS HAVING, UM, A, A GOOD DASHBOARD OF, UM, CLIMATE INITIATIVES THAT THEY HAD ADOPTED.
SO I THINK FOR THAT, MAYBE GOING FURTHER MM-HMM
FURTHER ABROAD, UM, TO LOOK AT EXAMPLES.
OTHER QUESTIONS, THOUGHTS, COMMENTS FROM THE COMMISSIONERS? WHAT WOULD BE HELPFUL FOR YOU GUYS? SHOULD WE SORT OF TICK THROUGH SOME OF YOUR CONSIDERATIONS AND, AND WE CAN GIVE A READ ON WHAT RESONATES UP HERE OR WHAT WOULD BE MOST HELPFUL? I THINK WE'RE ALL SOLD ON DOING A COMPREHENSIVE ZONING
SO YOU'VE, YOU'VE CONVINCED US.
JUST A COUPLE, UH, QUESTIONS AND THOUGHTS.
FIRST ONE TOP OF MIND FOR ME IS HOW DO WE ADDRESS THE KIND OF PARADIGM CHANGE THAT I THINK EMERGING TECHNOLOGY AND AI DOES TO SPECIFICALLY ZONING CODES, NOT NECESSARILY IN THEIR CREATION, BUT IN THEIR IMPLEMENTATION AND MAINTENANCE, AND HOW CAN WE TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THAT? AND WHAT
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I'M THINKING IS, HAVING BEEN ON THE DEVELOPER SIDE MORE THIS PAST COUPLE OF YEARS, YOU KNOW, HOW CAN WE DEVELOP MODELS WHERE PEOPLE CAN INTERFACE WITH EXPERTISE ON OUR ZONING CODE? THAT WOULD BE AN AI MODEL.LIKE HOW DO YOU GROW AND ADAPT AND TRAIN AN AI MODEL THAT CAN ANSWER QUESTIONS AND GET PEOPLE PRETTY FAR DOWN THE TRAIL WHEN THEY ARE EITHER A PERSPECTIVE BUYER OR THEY'RE A PROPERTY OWNER TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THEY CAN AND CAN'T DO? OBVIOUSLY YOU'D HAVE TO BUILD IN LIKE CAVEATS TO SAY, YOU KNOW, NONE OF THIS IS LEGALLY BINDING.
YOU HAVE TO TALK, BUT MAYBE IT CAN THEN DIRECT THEM, SHUTTLE THEM TOWARD AN APPROPRIATE CONTACT.
BUT IS THERE ANYTHING LIKE THAT, THAT WE CAN BUILD IN HERE? 'CAUSE WE TALK ABOUT STREAMLINING AND EFFICIENCY.
THAT FEELS LIKE A BIG ONE FOR ME, ESPECIALLY FOR SMALLER PROJECTS.
I THINK BIGGER PROJECTS, THEY HAVE EXPEDITORS AND THEY CAN GET THIS DONE.
BUT, UH, IS THERE ANYTHING LIKE THAT, THAT WE CAN ADDRESS AND MAYBE IT WOULDN'T BE A ZONING CODE, THIS MIGHT BE MORE OF AN ADMINISTRATIVE THING AT THE CITY? WELL, THERE'S CERTAINLY, THERE, THERE ARE SOME MODELS THAT ARE EMERGING OUT THERE.
THE, UH, THE TAHOE REGIONAL PLANNING AGENCY, I THINK IS, IS, UM, FAIRLY AGGRESSIVE IN THEIR WORK TO UNDERSTAND HOW TO USE AI MODELS TO FACILITATE, UM, YOU KNOW, IMPLEMENTATION OF THEIR, THEIR REGULATIONS.
AND, AND THAT AGENCY'S INTERESTING BECAUSE I BELIEVE IT'S A, A TWO STATE AGENCY.
UM, AND, AND I THINK A COUPLE OF OTHER LARGER JURISDICTIONS ARE LOOKING AT IT.
FOR, FOR MOST JURISDICTIONS, I WOULD SAY IT'S A FUNDING ISSUE.
UM, JUST NOT HAVING THE RESOURCES TO BE ABLE TO ENGAGE WITH, UM, YOU KNOW, THE, THE TECHNOLOGISTS WHO ARE OUT THERE DOING THAT WORK, LOOKING FOR THOSE OPPORTUNITIES, UM, TO EXPERIMENT AND TO INNOVATE AND TO TEST THEIR MODELS.
CERTAINLY IT'S, IT'S POSSIBLE, AND I THINK EVERY, GOSH, I WAS GONNA SAY EVERY YEAR, BUT IT'S ALMOST LIKE EVERY FEW MONTHS, YOU KNOW, WE HIT ANOTHER MILESTONE IN THAT REGARD.
I, I DO THINK THAT AI MODELS LIKE REGULATIONS, BECAUSE TYPICALLY REGULATIONS ARE CLEAR, THEY'RE WELL WRITTEN AND THEY CAN BE APPLIED.
AND SO THE ZONING CODE ENVIRONMENT, THE REGULATORY ENVIRONMENT, I THINK IS, IS WELL SUITED FOR, UM, INTEGRATING WITH AI.
INCLUDING FINDING HOLES, LOOPHOLES, INCONSISTENCIES, THINGS LIKE THAT.
BUT AGAIN, FROM THAT USER EXPERIENCE, HOW DO YOU LEARN MORE ABOUT THE CODE WHEN THE CITY DOESN'T NECESSARILY NEED TO BE OPEN? WE DON'T NEED TO USE STAFF TIME.
SO THAT'S A REALLY INTERESTING ONE THAT I LOVE TO, TO KNOW WHERE WE'RE THINKING ABOUT.
AND AN IDEA FOR ANYONE OUT THERE WHO WANTS TO DEVELOP A PRODUCT.
I KNOW SOMEONE'S GONNA HAVE THAT ON THE, THE MARKET TO CITIES AND OTHER MUNICIPAL UH, CUSTOMERS.
BUT, UM, THE OTHER PIECE I HAD A QUESTION ON WAS, UH, UM, I DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS REALISTIC, BUT IF WE CONSULTED WITH ANY, LIKE LARGE REAL ESTATE AND OR CONSTRUCTION LENDERS IN TERMS OF WHAT THEY HAVE FOUND ZONING IMPACTS ON SUPERIOR OUTCOMES IN LIKE THE MODERN LENDING ENVIRONMENT, UM, YOU KNOW, JUST WHAT THEY ARE SEEING THAT WORKS FOR CITIES WHERE THEY'RE GETTING PROJECTS DONE, WHAT THEIR UNDERWRITERS WANT.
HAS ANY OF THAT BUILT INTO THIS? OR MAYBE IT'S COME THROUGH LIKE THE ACTUAL DEVELOPERS THAT YOU GUYS HAVE INTERFACED WITH, BUT, WELL, WE HAVEN'T, WE HAVEN'T HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO CONVENE AND, AND, UH, POSE THOSE QUESTIONS TO THE LENDER GROUPS.
BUT I DO THINK YOU BRING, YOU KNOW, MENTIONING LARGE, LARGE SCALE LENDERS AND, AND DEVELOPER TYPES, IT IS INTERESTING TO, TO THINK ABOUT WHERE DO WE WANT TO FOCUS OUR EFFORTS IN THE NEAR TERM ON THOSE, THOSE LARGER MULTIFAMILY DEVELOPMENTS OR ON THE SMALL SCALE INFILL DEVELOPMENT.
AND, AND I WOULD, I WOULD THINK THAT THEY'RE ACCESSING TWO DIFFERENT TYPES OF LENDERS.
UM, AND SO SOME GUIDE, SOME, UM, INPUT ON THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL, ESPECIALLY AS WE START OFF WITH SOME HOUSING REFORM.
WHERE DO WE SEE THE GREATEST OPPORTUNITIES AND THE MOST MEANINGFUL OPPORTUNITIES FOR, UH, REGULATORY INVESTMENT? AND I, AND I THINK I'LL JUST SAY, I THINK THE LARGE MULTIFAMILY ARE LESS ATTRACTIVE TO THE MARKET RIGHT NOW, IS WHAT WE'RE SEEING.
PEOPLE DON'T WANNA MANAGE HAVING TONS OF TENANTS.
AND AS WE GO INTO ECONOMIC INSTABILITY, PEOPLE DON'T WANNA HAVE PROBLEMS COLLECTING RENTS ON A LARGE SCALE OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
SO I THINK WE'RE SEEING MORE ACTIVITY IN THE SMALLER SCALE.
SO YEAH, MAYBE TAKE LARGE OUT OF THERE MM-HMM
AND JUST WHO ARE THE LENDERS? WHO ARE THE GROUPS THAT ARE PUTTING THESE DEALS TOGETHER, UH, ESPECIALLY FOR SMALLER DEVELOPERS AND, AND WHAT DO THEY NEED OR WHAT DO THEY FINDS MOST SUCCESSFUL? SO AWESOME.
I'LL, I'LL KIND OF PLANT THAT SEED THERE.
I THINK, UH, YEAH, ONE, ONE COMMENT ON THAT, IT MADE ME THINK AS, AS YOU SHIFT FROM GREENFIELD DEVELOPMENT TO INFIELD INFIELD DEVELOPMENT, OFTENTIMES WHAT YOU FIND IS YOUR SITES GET SMALLER MM-HMM
AND SO YOU REALLY DO HAVE TO START TO LOOK AT THAT SMALL SCALE DEVELOPMENT AND AS AN INFIELD STRATEGY, I THINK ESPECIALLY HERE WHERE, WHERE LAND HAS SO MUCH VALUE AND IT'S SO COSTLY
[01:25:01]
TO TRY TO ASSEMBLE LAND TO CREATE THOSE LARGER SITES FOR LARGER SCALE DEVELOPMENT.WE MIGHT BE BE PIVOTING TO SMALL SCALE JUST BECAUSE IT'S INTERESTING AND SEEMS MORE APPROPRIATE, BUT THERE'S ALSO OTHER FACTORS THAT ARE DRIVING THAT TOO.
THE INCREMENTAL DEVELOPMENT ALLIANCE, UM, THAT WE'VE BEEN FOLLOWING FOR ABOUT A YEAR NOW, UH, IS DOING SOME REALLY INTERESTING STUFF, CONVENING SOME, SOME VERY INTERESTING GROUPS OF LAND DEVELOPMENT PROFESSIONALS.
SO I THINK, UH, WE COULD DIG DEEPER WITH THEM AND, AND, UH, GAIN SOME INSIGHTS.
IT WAS CALLED THE INCREMENTAL DEVELOPMENT ALLIANCE, I BELIEVE SO, YEAH.
THAT'S A, SOUNDS LIKE A REALLY INTERESTING GROUP TO KEEP A BEAT ON.
THANK YOU FOR, FOR THAT RESOURCE.
UM, AND THEN I, I GUESS I'LL JUST HAVE TWO OTHER THOUGHTS.
AND ONE OF THEM IS, UM, YOU KNOW, I DON'T WANNA GET TOO PHILOSOPHICAL, BUT IN COMMUNICATING, YOU KNOW, THE PURPOSE OF ZONING, I WANNA MAKE SURE WE KNOW TOO THAT ZONING IS NOT STRICTLY A NEGATIVE.
LIKE IT'S THERE TO GET CERTAIN URBAN DESIGN OUTCOMES.
I ALSO THINK OF IT AS, YOU KNOW, WE TALK A LOT ABOUT PREDICTABILITY OF NEW ENTRANTS TO A REAL ESTATE MARKET, BUT IT'S ALSO LIKE PREDICTABILITY AND CONSISTENCY FOR EXISTING OWNERS THAT THEY KNOW WHAT A BUILT ENVIRONMENT WILL LOOK LIKE IN THE LONG TERM.
AND KNOWING THAT THE ZONING CODE WON'T HAVE WILD FLUCTUATIONS.
BECAUSE FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE, AND I'LL RAISE MY HAND ON THIS, IT'S THE LARGEST ASSET PURCHASE YOU'LL EVER MAKE FOR FOLKS IN THE MIDDLE CLASS.
AND KNOWING THAT THE ENVIRONMENT YOU BOUGHT INTO OR INVESTED IN WON'T CHANGE WILDLY AROUND YOU.
I DON'T SEE THAT IN HERE, ACTUALLY.
I DON'T THINK WHAT WE'RE PROPOSING IS REALLY ALONG THOSE LINES, BUT I JUST, WHEN WE, WHEN WE COMMUNICATE ZONING, AND, YOU KNOW, I, I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH OF THIS YOU DID ASK FOR FEEDBACK ON COMMS, IT WOULD BE GREAT JUST TO LAY OUT LIKE, HERE ARE THE, HERE'S WHAT ZONING GOOD THINGS ZONING DOES, AND HERE'S THE BALANCE.
BECAUSE I ALWAYS LIKE TO KNOW THE BALANCE WE'RE TRYING TO STRIKE HERE ARE THE KIND OF THE TWO POLLS OF DECISION MAKING.
WE WANT PREDICTABILITY AND ABLE PEOPLE, OR PEOPLE TO BE ABLE TO COME IN AND DEVELOP NEW PROJECTS.
WE ALSO WANT PREDICTABILITY AND STABILITY FOR EXISTING OWNERS.
HERE'S HOW WE'RE STRIKING THAT BALANCE.
I THINK THAT'S REALLY USEFUL FOR PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY IF THEY AREN'T EXPERTS ON THESE TOPICS TO GET THEIR HEAD WRAPPED AROUND WHAT THE, THE EXERCISE IS.
SO, UM, JUST THINKING ABOUT THAT AND THEN KIND OF ALONGSIDE THAT WHEN WE COMMUNICATE TO THE PUBLIC, YOU KNOW, I, I THINK I'VE SAID BEFORE, AND THIS IS NOT AN EASY TASK.
I, I AM SHOCKED BY HOW MANY PEOPLE DON'T KNOW.
I MEAN, ESPECIALLY PROPERTY OWNERS, MUCH LESS JUST EVERY RESIDENT IN PETALUMA DON'T KNOW A GENERAL PLAN HAPPENING, MUCH LESS LIKE THERE IS IZO UPDATES KIND OF ALREADY HAPPENING.
LIKE WE'RE TALKING, OH, COME TO THE WORKSHOP ABOUT THE NEXT 20 YEARS, BUT WE'RE DOING IT, WE'RE IMPLEMENTING THE CHANGES NOW.
SO IF YOU WANT TO BE AT THE TABLE IN THIS CONVERSATION, NOW'S THE TIME.
UM, AND I KNOW WE'RE GONNA HAVE BUDGETARY CONSTRAINTS, YOU KNOW, THESE MASSIVE PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT EXERCISES.
WHO KNOWS WHAT THE ROI IS ON THAT? HOW DO YOU GET PEOPLE TO ENGAGE? I DON'T KNOW.
UH, BUT IN THINKING OF IDEAS FOR THAT, I THINK THERE IS KIND OF A CONSENSUS VISION.
IT SEEMS LIKE FROM THE CORE, LIKE A HUNDRED TO 200 PEOPLE THAT STAFF OUR COMMITTEES, THAT LEAD NONPROFITS THAT COME TO THESE MEETINGS THAT ARE REALLY INVOLVED.
I THINK A VISION OF KIND OF THE, THE VALUES MENTIONED, SOME OF THAT'S EMERGED AND I THINK SOME OF THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL IN COMMUNICATING WITH THE PUBLIC.
LIKE, HEY, HERE'S THE FUTURE OF PETALUMA.
WE'RE, WE ARE SEEING, YOU KNOW, COME PARTICIPATE IN THAT CONVERSATION IF YOU AGREE.
IF YOU DON'T AGREE, LIKE THIS IS YOUR CHANCE TO FEEL LIKE YOU ARE A STAKEHOLDER IN THIS DISCUSSION.
BECAUSE SOMETIMES I READ THIS AND WE, WE TALK ABOUT THE REFERENCE CITIES AND WELL, HERE'S WHAT THEY'RE DOING.
AND THEY'RE TRYING TO GET HEIGHTENED DENSITY AND INFILL AND JUST MAKING IT EXPLICIT LIKE, SO ARE WE, LIKE, THIS IS WHAT, AND, AND MAYBE AND MAYBE, UH, ALONGSIDE THAT, AND THIS IS SOMETHING THAT AGAIN IS USUALLY WE'RE RESISTANT TO BECAUSE WE DON'T WANT PEOPLE TO GET AN IMAGE IN THEIR HEAD THAT ISN'T THE DEFINITE FUTURE, BUT LIKE IMAGERY, RIGHT? SO WHEN WE THINK ABOUT A DOWNTOWN PETALUMA ALONG THE RIVER, RIVER, IS THERE A WAY TO DO MOCKUPS OF DESIRED OUTCOMES? MAYBE NOT JUST IN THAT AREA, BUT MAYBE AREAS OF CHANGE, SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
LIKE, HEY, HERE ARE THE LAND USE POLICIES WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, HERE'S WHY.
HERE'S OUR VISION THAT WE'VE DERIVED AND WE'RE KIND OF BRINGING FORWARD, HERE'S WHAT THAT COULD LOOK LIKE.
I THINK THAT'S A REALLY GOOD WAY TO COMMUNICATE TO PEOPLE, HERE'S WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT AND HELP THEM WEIGH IN.
UM, AND ALSO JUST MAYBE GET MORE ENGAGEMENT FROM PEOPLE WHO DON'T WANT TO READ THE WALL OF TEXT.
SO I'LL KIND OF ENTER THAT INTO DISCUSSION.
THAT'S JUST SOMETHING I'VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT AND HOW TO GET PEOPLE ENGAGED, UM, AND MAKE SURE THAT, AGAIN, WE'RE, WE'RE REALLY BRINGING PEOPLE ON THE, IN, UM, BRINGING PEOPLE TO THE TABLE, NOT THE CORE GROUP THAT WE JOKE IS KIND OF ALWAYS DOING EVERYTHING IN PETALUMA.
UM, AND THEN I, I GUESS AS A FINAL QUESTION, JUST SO WE KNOW, 'CAUSE WE TALK A LOT ABOUT THE IMPETUS OR ONE OF THE DRIVERS BEING HCD AND OUR HOUSING ELEMENT.
CAN YOU JUST DESCRIBE THE ONGOING COMMUNICATION
[01:30:01]
WITH HCD, KIND OF ANY DOWNWARD PRESSURE THEY HAVE ON CITIES, JUST SO WE UNDERSTAND, BUT ALSO PEOPLE WATCHING UNDERSTAND LIKE AS WE MARCH FORWARD, THERE IS A NEED TO IMPLEMENT THE HOUSING ELEMENT.CAN YOU JUST DESCRIBE A LITTLE BIT WHAT THOSE TOUCH POINTS ARE AND HOW THAT WORKS? WELL, WE CAN START WITH, WE'RE REQUIRED EACH YEAR TO GIVE A STATUS UPDATE TO THE STATE.
SO THAT USUALLY COMES FORWARD IN MARCH AND HAS TO BE, I BELIEVE, SUBMITTED TO THE STATE BY APRIL 1ST.
UM, WHICH IS CALLED THE ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT.
SO IT'S REALLY A REQUIREMENT THAT THE CITY HAS TO GO THROUGH AND SAY, HERE'S HOW MANY HOUSING UNITS OF THESE DIFFERENT TYPES THAT WE APPROVED THAT WE, UH, THAT WE ISSUED A BUILDING PERMIT FOR THAT WERE FINALED AND WE ISSUED A CERTIFICATE OF OCCUPANCY.
THIS IS HOW MANY WE'RE DEED RESTRICTED AND HOW DOES THAT MATCH UP WITH OUR REGIONAL HOUSING NEEDS ALLOCATION? WE ALSO ARE REQUIRED TO GO THROUGH ALL OF THE, UM, ACTIONS AND SAY, HAVE WE DONE 'EM YET? AND ALL OF THE ACTIONS HAVE A TIMELINE ON 'EM.
UM, SO IF, YOU KNOW, IF, IF, IF THE CITY ISN'T DOING WHAT THEY SAID THEY WOULD DO AROUND THE TIME THEY SAID THEY WOULD DO IT, THERE NEEDS TO BE AN EXPLANATION LIKE IT'S MOVING TOWARDS ADOPTION.
SO MAYBE IT DIDN'T GET ADOPTED BEFORE DECEMBER, 2025, BUT IT'S SCHEDULED BEFORE COUNCIL ON, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT DID WE JUST DO THE RESIDENTIAL CARE FACILITY LAST NIGHT? LAST NIGHT? SO THAT'S NOT GONNA BE ON THE 2025 ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT, BUT YOU WERE GONNA SAY SOMETHING LIKE, YOU KNOW, IT WAS ACTUALLY HAS SINCE BEEN ADOPTED.
SO THAT'S A PRETTY REGULAR TOUCHPOINT, UM, ON AN ANNUAL BASIS, UM, THAT IS REQUIRED.
UM, THERE IS A LOT WITH, UM, FUNDING, UM, THAT CAN BE TAKEN AWAY.
UM, IF YOU'RE NOT MEETING YOUR HOUSING, WHAT YOU, YOUR HOUSING ELEMENT, UM, AS WELL AS, UM, YOU KNOW, SB 35 WHEN THAT, UH, INITIALLY CAME OUT, IT WAS, UM, JURISDICTIONS THAT WEREN'T MEETING THEIR, THEIR HOUSING, THEIR REGIONAL HOUSING NEEDS, UM, THAT THEY WERE FALLING BEHIND.
AND SO THE, THE STATE STARTED, UM, IMPLEMENTING REQUIRED STREAMLINING, SO REQUIRED MINISTERIAL REVIEW OF CERTAIN TYPES OF PROJECTS FOR CERTAIN JURISDICTIONS THAT WEREN'T MEETING THEIR REGIONAL HOUSING NEEDS.
SO THEY'RE, THEY'RE REAL IMPACTS.
I APPRECIATE THAT, AND I KNOW IT'S A RETREAD, BUT I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT FOR ANYONE TO KNOW THAT THAT IS LIKE A CONSTANT EVER PRESENTS FORCE IN DRIVING THESE CHANGES FORWARD.
UM, AND THEN I, I'LL JUST SAY AS A FINAL CLOSING THOUGHT, I LOVE, AS I'VE MENTIONED WITH MY KIND OF TECHNOLOGY AND AI PIECE, I LOVE BEING RESPONSIVE AND ADAPTIVE STREAMLINING, YOU KNOW, THE ACTUAL APPLICATION PROCESS AND MARCHING THROUGH A PROJECT.
YOU KNOW, I THINK ANYTHING WE CAN DO INTERNALLY AS WELL, WHAT I'VE SEEN IS TO COORDINATE, AND I HAVE NOT DONE A PROJECT WITHIN PETALUMA, BUT TO COORDINATE BETWEEN PUBLIC WORKS FIRE BUILDING AND PLANNING IN A WAY THAT DOESN'T LEAVE LONG LAG TIMES IN BETWEEN.
AGAIN, THIS IS NOT A ZONING CODE THING, SO, BUT I'LL JUST ENTER THAT IN AS WE THINK ABOUT STREAMLINING COLLABORATION, LIKE THAT CROSS-DEPARTMENTAL GETTING ON THE SAME PAGE, I THINK COULD SAVE A LOT OF TIME AND HEARTACHE FOR FOLKS AS WELL AND DOESN'T NEED FANCY, YOU KNOW, LIKE DOESN'T NEED A LOT OF CODE UPDATES OR TIME OR INVESTMENT POTENTIALLY.
SO, UH, THOSE, ANYWAY, THOSE ARE MY QUESTIONS AND THOUGHTS FOR NOW.
UM, BEFORE WE GO ANY FURTHER, I KNOW WE'VE BEEN AT THIS FOR OVER AN HOUR AND A HALF.
DO WE NEED A QUICK BIO BREAK OR ARE FOLKS OKAY TO KEEP CHUGGING? OKAY, COUNCIL MEMBER.
YEAH, I APPRECIATED THE COMMENTS ABOUT TALKING TO LENDERS.
I WOULD ALSO BE INTERESTED IN TALKING TO APPLICANTS WHO HAVE TRIED AND FAILED HERE.
I'M THINKING PROJECTS LIKE EIGHT 90 PIMA BOULEVARD, 1 31.
LIKE IF THEY'RE WILLING TO COME IN HERE AND JUST SHARE THEIR EXPERIENCE AND LIKE WHAT, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE HURDLES THAT THEY HAD, JUST WHAT TO THE POINT THAT STORIES REALLY MATTER, UM, HAYSTACK PROJECT, THINGS LIKE THAT.
LIKE, UM, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LOT OF GOOD PROJECTS THAT ARE SITTING ON ICE RIGHT NOW THAT ARE FULLY ENTITLED THAT ARE NOT GETTING BUILT.
AND IT'D BE GREAT TO HEAR FROM THOSE FOLKS ABOUT LIKE, YOU KNOW, MAYBE THE ZONING CODE'S NOT GONNA LIKE MOVE THEM ACROSS THE LINE, BUT LIKE, I'M SURE IT HAS SOME PIECE OF IT, YOU KNOW, THERE'S SOME PART OF IT THAT, UM, COULD IMPROVE THE ECONOMICS FOR IT.
TO PIGGYBACK OFF THAT, I DEFINITELY, UH, AGREE THAT WE SHOULD LEARN FROM PAST
[01:35:01]
PROJECTS.I ALSO WANNA LEARN FROM PAST PROCESSES UP HERE.
YOU KNOW, WE'VE DEFINITELY HAD A VARIETY OF ITEMS COME FORWARD TO THE PLANNING COMMISSION COME FORWARD TO THE CITY COUNCIL THAT WERE, UM, PERHAPS OVER-ENGINEERED
SO LEARNING THOSE LESSONS, WHERE DO WE NEED TO HAVE, YOU KNOW, THERE IS ONE TABLE IN ONE PLACE SO WE DON'T HAVE TO GO BACK AND UPDATE IT FOUR DIFFERENT WAYS.
UM, AND JUST LEARN THOSE LESSONS FROM THE, THE COMPLICATED, UM, AMENDMENT PROCESSES THAT WE'VE HAD TO BE SURE THAT THE, THE NEXT ROUND IS A LOT MORE SIMPLE AND AS WE'VE BEEN SAYING, YOU KNOW, APPLIES TO AS MUCH OF, UH, THE CITY AS IT CAN.
SIMPLIFYING THINGS FOR APPLICANTS, FOR RESIDENTS, UM, AND FOR STAFF COMMISSIONER GOLDMAN.
UM, SO I'VE BEEN SPENDING THIS TIME JUST GOING THROUGH OUR CODE AS IT IS, UM, SINCE WE STARTED THIS DISCUSSION.
I'M CURRENTLY ON CHAPTER 11 OF GLANCING THROUGH IT.
AND JUST IN SEEING WHAT PROVISIONS ARE KIND OF CARVED OUT THERE, IT SEEMS LIKE THERE'S CURRENTLY A LOT OF FOCUS ON SPECIFICITY OF EITHER SPECIFIC TYPES OF BUSINESSES OR SPECIFIC SITUATIONS, AND REALLY A LOT OF DETAIL IN TERMS OF DEFINITIONS, IN TERMS OF, UM, MEASUREMENTS, IN TERMS OF VERY, WHAT I GUESS AT THE END OF THE DAY, WHAT I'M TRYING TO BALANCE BETWEEN IS THE NEED, NEED FOR OBJECTIVITY IN TERMS OF THOSE DEFINITIONS AND ALSO ALLOWING FOR THAT FLEXIBILITY THAT I THINK WE'RE LOOKING FOR IN TERMS OF CONTINUOUS DEVELOPMENT.
AND I'M KIND OF STRUGGLING IN TERMS OF HOW YOU ACTUALLY ARE ABLE TO DO THAT BECAUSE THEY DO RUN INTO, YOU KNOW, IF YOU DO HAVE TO HAVE AS OBJECTIVE OF A DESIGN PROCESS OR OF A RULE AS POSSIBLE TO ENSURE THAT PEOPLE CAN UNDERSTAND WHAT IT IS THAT THEY HAVE TO DO, WHEREAS YOU'RE ALSO TRYING TO DEVELOP A FLEXIBLE ROUTE TO MEET POTENTIAL NEEDS OF THE FUTURE, YOU KIND OF RUN INTO A TRUE PROBLEM THERE, RIGHT? BECAUSE YOU CAN'T HAVE SPECIFICITY FOR PARTICULAR OUTCOMES AND THEN ALSO ALLOW FOR THAT FLEXIBILITY THAT YOU NEED FOR THOSE OUTCOMES THAT YOU CAN'T REALLY IMAGINE AT THE CURRENT TIME.
SO, AND MAYBE THIS IS JUST BECAUSE I'M NOT SMART ENOUGH TO BE ABLE TO COME UP WITH IT IN THESE FIVE, YOU KNOW, IN A SINGLE PLANNING SESSION, BUT, UM, I'D REALLY LIKE TO TRY TO FIGURE OUT A WAY TO, I THINK WHERE WE WERE GETTING TO IS, UM, A STREAMLINED PROCESS WHILE STILL INCORPORATING AS MUCH OF THAT, UH, BROAD INCORPORATION AS POSSIBLE SO THAT WE DON'T RUN INTO THESE INSTANCES WHERE YOU HAVE TO CONTINUE MAKING INCREMENTAL DEVELOPMENTS IN ORDER TO MEET NEWER OR, UM, YOU KNOW, MODERN ONE-OFF MODERN NEEDS.
YEAH, IT'S, THIS IS SOMETHING I'VE BEEN CHEWING ON A LOT.
UM, C COMMISSIONER GOLDMAN, THE, THE BALANCE BETWEEN, UM, OBJECTIVITY AND, AND OBVIOUSLY DISCRETIONARY REVIEW, UM, WHICH IS INHERENTLY SUBJECTIVE AND WHAT I KEEP COMING BACK TO IS THE, THE THEME THAT WE'VE HAD RECURRING HERE IN CHAMBERS RECURRING AROUND TOWN IN, IN A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT FORUMS IS THE, IS THE, UM, I THINK BENEFIT, UH, THE, THE, THE GOAL TO REDUCE AMBIGUITY, YOU KNOW, HAVING SOMETHING THAT IS CLEAR TO DEVELOPERS, CLEAR TO HOMEOWNERS, HERE'S WHAT YOU CAN DO AND WE'RE GIVING YOU A, A PA PATHWAY TO DO IT.
UM, THAT WILL, AS ANDREW SAID, REDUCE RISK, REDUCE COST.
SO I, I, THROUGHOUT THIS, UM, PREPARATION FOR TONIGHT HAVE BEEN THINKING ABOUT HOW CAN WE REDUCE AMBIGUITY WITHOUT BEING TOO PRESCRIPTIVE? BECAUSE WHAT I DON'T WANNA DO, WHICH IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU'RE SORT OF GETTING TOWARDS, IS WE DON'T WANT TO BOX OURSELVES IN SO TIGHT THAT NOW WE CAN'T INNOVATE AND NOW WE CAN'T HAVE INTERESTING NEW BUILDINGS OR, YOU KNOW, BE IT DESIGN OR, OR USE OR WHAT HAVE YOU, THAT WE WANNA HAVE THAT REDUCED AMBIGUITY, UM, TO FACILITATE REDUCED RISK AND COSTS WHILE STILL HAVING ENOUGH ROOM FOR INNOVATION.
AND TO THE EXTENT THAT STAFF HAS A WAY TO THREAD THAT NEEDLE
UM, BUT IT'S SOMETHING I'VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT A LOT AS WELL.
I THINK THAT'S A, A BEAUTIFUL CONVERSATION, I MEAN, TO, TO BE CURIOUS ABOUT, RIGHT? AND I THINK THAT'S PART OF, OF HOW WE INNOVATE AROUND SOME OF OUR WANTS AND NEEDS IS TO BE CURIOUS AND SORT OF ASK THE
[01:40:01]
QUESTIONS AND SIT WITH THEM FOR A BIT AND THINK ABOUT THEM.UM, YOU KNOW, ONE EXAMPLE THAT COMES TO MIND IS, IS WHILE IT MAY SEEM LIKE IT'S AN ADDITIONAL LAYER OF REGULATION OR PROCESS, IT ACTUALLY CAN BE STREAMLINING.
AND THAT EXAMPLE, FOR INSTANCE, IN SANTA ROSA, UM, YOU HAVE THREE LEVELS OF DESIGN REVIEW.
YOU HAVE ADMINISTRATIVE OR OVER THE COUNTER DESIGN REVIEW, THEN YOU HAVE MINOR DESIGN REVIEW, WHICH IS, UH, REVIEWED BY THE ZONING ADMINISTRATOR.
THEN YOUR MAJOR DESIGN REVIEW IS REVIEWED BY YOUR DESIGN REVIEW COMMITTEE.
AND THAT WE DON'T HAVE THAT ADMINISTRATIVE OR OVER THE COUNTER LEVEL OF DESIGN REVIEW OF A BUILDING PERMIT TO BE ABLE TO TOUCH IT AND SAY, YOU KNOW, THIS IS CONSISTENT WITH SOME GUIDELINES OR THIS WITH, THIS IS WITHIN THE PARAMETERS OF SOME OBJECTIVE STANDARDS, RIGHT? AND, AND SO WHILE WE MAY BE CREATING AN ADDITIONAL PROCESS, WE'RE ACTUALLY STREAMLINING THE OVERALL PROCESS OF DESIGN REVIEW TO ENSURE THAT WE'RE WORKING, YOU KNOW, IN A COLLABORATIVE MANNER, IN SUPPORTIVE MANNER OF PEOPLE WHO WANNA MAKE VERY MINOR MODIFICATIONS, BUT BEING ABLE TO HELP HELP THEM ACHIEVE THAT.
THE SECOND EXAMPLE THAT, UM, THAT DYLAN BROUGHT UP IS, AND I THINK IF YOU REMEMBER FROM OYSTER COVE, THE USE OF WARRANTS IN THE SMART CODE WHERE THE PLANNING COMMISSION WAS ABLE TO, UM, MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS, HAD, HAD OYSTER COVE COME TO YOU THROUGH SPAR, YOU ACTUALLY WOULD'VE BEEN ABLE TO DECIDE THROUGH THE SPAR PROCESS, BUT YOU COULD GRANT CERTAIN WARRANTS TO ALLOW FOR SOME FLEXIBILITY IN THE CODE, IN THE STANDARD ZONING CODE.
THAT WOULD BE CONSIDERED A VARIANCE.
MUCH, MUCH, MUCH MORE DIFFICULT TO ACHIEVE.
BUT BECAUSE THE WARRANTS ARE WRITTEN INTO THE SMART CODE, IT CREATES A TOOL FOR THAT DISCRETIONARY REVIEW TO BE A BIT MORE FLEXIBLE AND RESPONSIVE, PROVIDED THAT YOU'RE ACHIEVING THE FORM BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT SMART CODE WANTS.
SO, UH, AGAIN, I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, CONVERSATION IS IMPORTANT, YOU KNOW, BRINGING IDEAS FORWARD, LOOKING AGAIN AT PURE CITIES AND SEEING WHAT OTHERS ARE DOING, UM, THAT CAN INSPIRE US.
I THINK IT'S ALSO, IT'S CHANGING THE WAY, UM, THE CITY APPROACHES PROJECTS FOR A LONG TIME.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE DO SO MUCH WORK BEFORE ANYTHING GETS BEFORE THIS COMMISSION, RIGHT? TO TRY TO, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A GOOD INSIGHT INTO WHAT, WHAT THE PLANNING COMMISSION AND THE COMMUNITY, THE CITY COUNCIL WANTS TO SEE, WANTS INCORPORATED IN, YOU KNOW, THE, THE ALL ELECTRIC BEFORE, UM, YOU KNOW, IT WAS A THING, YOU KNOW, AND WE WOULD SAY, BUT ONE OF THE THINGS YOU'D OFTEN HEAR FROM DEVELOPERS IS, WELL, I CAN'T DO ALL THAT 'CAUSE I HAVE TO HAVE SOMETHING IN MY BACK POCKET.
'CAUSE I KNOW WHEN I GET BEFORE THE DECISION MAKERS, THEY'RE GOING TO ASK FOR, WELL, IF YOU DID THIS, NOW THE, NOW THE LINE IS HERE.
AND SO IF I GIVE YOU ALL MY FLEXIBILITY AT AS WE'RE TALKING AND TRYING TO GET THIS READY FOR A PUBLIC HEARING, I DON'T HAVE ANY NEGOTIATING IF YOU PRESENT YOUR BEST AND FINAL.
AND WE ARE ALWAYS TRYING TO SAY, NO, LET'S GO FORWARD WITH THE BEST, YOU KNOW, THE BEST THIS PROJECT CAN BE.
UM, SO THERE'S SOME OF THOSE THINGS, AND I KNOW THAT'S A LITTLE ANECDOTAL, UM, BUT KIND OF HEARING FROM DEVELOPERS OR PROJECTS ON, YOU KNOW, I DID THIS AND THIS, AND THEN WE ADDED THIS AND THIS AND, AND THEN THINGS DON'T PENCIL.
SO THAT'S ONE PART OF THE, ANECDOTALLY WHAT WE HEAR.
THERE'S OTHER THINGS, YOU KNOW, SHORTENING, WE ALWAYS HEAR TIME AND MONEY.
TIME AND MONEY, RIGHT? THAT'S, THOSE ARE, THE MARGIN IS SO SHORT THAT HAVING LESS PROCESS OR, UM, LESS TIME HELPS WITH THE BOTTOM LINE.
SO HELPS WITH A PROJECT, UM, PENCIL, IF YOU WILL.
UM, SO THOSE ARE ANECDOTALLY, BUT THOSE ARE SOME OF THE THINGS AND TRYING TO THREAD THAT, THAT NEEDLE TO GET THE BEST PROJECTS WE POSSIBLY CAN.
THAT REMINDS ME THAT IT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO, WHEN WE'RE HEARING EXAMPLES, SO LIKE HEAR EXAMPLES OF HOW MUCH PROJECTS HAVE COSTED IN SOFT COSTS, LIKE IN PROCESSING COSTS AND BRINGING THINGS TO THE PLANNING COMMISSION ESTIMATES OF HOW MUCH COULD BE SAVED.
YOU KNOW, I THINK SOME OF THE PROJECTS THAT ARE ENTITLED THAT HAVE GONE THROUGH THAT PROCESS, LIKE HOW MUCH DID THEY, DID THEY ACTUALLY SPEND IN THE PLANNING PROCESS JUST TO SIT THERE AND NOT GET BUILT? UM, AND SO THAT WE CAN THINK ABOUT LIKE, YOU KNOW, DO WE RAISE THE BAR ON THE NUMBER OF UNITS THAT CAN BE MINISTERIALLY APPROVED WITH CERTAIN, YOU KNOW,
[01:45:01]
OBJECTIVE STANDARDS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.UM, YOU KNOW, REALLY I, I'D LOVE TO HEAR MORE ABOUT THE SORT OF THE COST OF THE PROCESS ITSELF AND WAYS THAT WE CAN, UM, MAKE IT EASIER FOR SMALL DEVELOPERS, UH, TO, TO MOVE THEIR PROJECTS THROUGH COMMISSIONER KUSON.
UH, YEAH, AND I DON'T THINK THIS DISCUSSION WOULD BE COMPLETE WITHOUT MENTIONING DESIGN STANDARDS, BUT IS THE IEO THE TIME TO BRING THAT FORWARD? AND I ONLY SAY THAT BECAUSE WE, IN THIS CONVERSATION BETWEEN LIKE DEFINED OUTCOMES VERSUS FLEXIBILITY, I THINK I'VE SEEN MORE OFTEN THAN NOT THE DEVELOPER WHEN IT COMES TO DESIGN, NOT NECESSARILY SOME OF THE BIG COST, I DON'T KNOW, NOT NECESSARILY BIG COST DRIVERS, LIKE EXACT BUILDING SIZE OR FORM, BUT LIKE DESIGN ELEMENTS LOOK OF THE, THAT'S WHAT, WHEN I THINK DESIGN STANDARDS, THAT'S KIND OF WHAT I THINK ABOUT.
IS IT ITALIAN AID? IS IT VICTORIAN? THOSE KIND OF THINGS.
UM, I THINK THEY WANT TO KNOW AND JUST CHECK THAT BOX.
THEY'RE NOT ALWAYS, I THINK IT'S RARER THAT YOU GET AN ARCHITECT WHO SAYS, NO, NO, NO, MY VISION IS THIS.
THEY'RE MORE LIKE, WHAT DO YOU WANNA SEE? UM, IS THAT COME FORWARD IN AN IZO? IS THAT A SEPARATE DOCUMENT? WE THINK ABOUT DESIGN GUIDANCE FOR PEOPLE COMING IN FOR, UH, NEW PROJECTS? WELL, UM, IT'S A, IT'S A GREAT POINT.
I, I DO THINK THERE, THERE ARE PROJECTS THAT MORE OFTEN, MORE OFTEN THAN NOT, I THINK PROJECTS DO REFLECT WHERE THE DEVELOPER IS AND WHAT THEY THINK IS GOOD DEVELOPMENT.
UM, SOME MAY BE MORE FOCUSED ON DESIGN AND MORE WILLING TO INVEST IN DESIGN, WHILE OTHERS MAY SAY, WELL, YOU KNOW, THIS IS A GOOD QUALITY PRODUCT GIVEN WHAT I'M TRYING TO DELIVER TO THE MARKET.
AND SO, UM, THERE'S, I I THINK THERE'S VERY FEW THAT JUST TOTALLY ARE SO FOCUSED ON COST THAT, AND, AND DON'T CARE ABOUT DESIGN.
UM, BUT HAVING, HAVING SAID THAT THOUGH, I, I THINK THAT THEY OFTENTIMES WANT TO KNOW WHAT IS IT THAT THE COMMUNITY WANTS? WHAT DO THEY VALUE? AND, AND WHILE WE HAVE, WE HAVE VERY ASPIRATIONAL STATEMENTS AND, AND, AND A LOT OF CONVERSATION ABOUT THE VALUES THAT WE WANT.
I DO THINK WE LACK IN OUTSIDE OF OUR HISTORIC DISTRICTS, WE LACK, AND WHAT IS THAT DESIGN ETHOS THAT WE SEEK? DO WE LIKE ECLECTIC DESIGN? DO WE LIKE TO SEE THAT, THAT EXPRESSION OF AN INDIVIDUAL'S, UM, YOU KNOW, INSPIRATION OR PREFERENCE FOR, YOU KNOW, A PARTICULAR PERIOD OR STYLE.
UM, AND, AND IS THAT VALUABLE? AND SOMETIMES YOU LOOK AT A NEIGHBORHOOD WHERE THE STYLES ARE VERY ECLECTIC AND YOU GO, WOW, THIS IS REALLY WHAT MAKES THAT NEIGHBORHOOD INTERESTING IS THAT IT'S NOT ALL THE SAME.
AND I THINK THOUGH, YOU, YOU KNOW, SO WHEN WE THINK THEN ABOUT DESIGN GUIDELINES VERSUS STANDARDS, THE GUIDELINES WE WOULD ADOPT AS POLICIES AND SIMILAR LIKELY ADOPT AS POLICIES.
I WOULD, I SHOULD SAY, AND SIMILAR TO A POLICY PLAN, WE WOULD LOOK FOR CONSISTENCY AS OPPOSED TO COMPLIANCE.
IF, IF WE ADOPT DESIGN STANDARDS WITHIN THE ZONING CODE, THEN WE'RE LOOKING FOR THAT STRICT COMPLIANCE.
SO I THINK IF YOU, IF YOU WANT TO MOVE THE NEEDLE, IF YOU WANT TO SUPPORT AND, AND ADVANCE IDEAS OF PREFERRED DEVELOPMENT, THEN YOU WOULD LOOK AT DEVELOPING THOSE DESIGN GUIDELINES, UNDERSTANDING THAT YOU'RE DOING THAT, UM, WITH, TO GUIDE AND TO FIND CONSISTENCY AS POLICY IS, I THINK WOULD BE THE PREFERRED ROUTE, RIGHT? TO FIND CONSISTENCY, RIGHT? MM-HMM
BUT, BUT HAVING SAID THAT THOUGH, THAT ONE, ONE COMMENT ON IT, THE CHALLENGE OF, OF COMING OUT OF THE BOX FOR, FOR CITYWIDE DESIGN GUIDELINES IS SORT OF IS A CONVERSATION ABOUT HOW DO YOU, HOW DO YOU SCALE THAT UP? DO YOU DO IT BASED? I MEAN, YOU, IT WOULD BE HARD TO DO IT BASED ON GEOGRAPHIC AREA OR NEIGHBORHOOD.
SO DO YOU DO IT ON DEVELOPMENT TYPE, YOU KNOW, RESIDENTIAL VERSUS NON-RESIDENTIAL AND SUCH? UM, AND OR MAYBE YOU HAVE SOME NEIGHBORHOODS WHERE YOU'RE REALLY TRYING TO INCENTIVIZE DEVELOPMENT AND, AND, AND SO YOU DO HIGHLIGHT SOME SPECIFIC AREAS, BUT I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF OPPORTUNITY FOR DISCUSSION THERE.
AND, AND HEATHER, I THINK IS GONNA TALK ABOUT THEN THE ROLE OF OBJECTIVE STANDARDS AND SUCH IN THIS MILLION AS WELL.
'CAUSE I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING WE HAVE TO BE AWARE OF TOO, THAT, UM, THERE ARE PROJECTS THAT ARE GONNA COME THROUGH AND THERE IT'S OBJECT.
DO YOU HAVE AN OBJECTIVE STANDARD? AND IF YOU DON'T, YOU, YOU CAN'T.
AND, AND I KNOW THAT'S REALLY FRUSTRATING AT TIMES FOR THE COMMUNITY TO SAY, WELL, WAIT, WE HAD A GUIDELINE THAT SAID WE
[01:50:01]
WANTED SOMETHING PRETTY.AND, AND YOU'RE LIKE, WELL, I CAN'T, I CAN'T REQUIRE PRETTY, I CAN REQUIRE THIS HEIGHT, THIS FAR, THIS SETBACK, THIS, YOU KNOW, OBJECTIVE STANDARD.
SO, UM, I THINK PROBABLY YOU CAN HAVE BOTH, AND THERE'S SOMETIMES FEW.
IT'S, IT REALLY DEPENDS ON THE PROJECT AND THE DEVELOPER AND THE APPLICANT TO, UM, WHEN THEY COME IN, UM, TO, TO SAY, AND THERE'S TIMES TO ANDREW'S POINT, A LOT OF TIMES THEY, THEY ARE GOING TO REQUIRE THINGS BECAUSE THEY KNOW THE MARKET REQUIRES SOMETHING.
I REMEMBER THAT WITH THE SPANOS PROJECT, THE, UH, LAVIA LAVIA, RIGHT? YEAH.
WE KEPT SAYING, BUT YOU, WE DON'T REQUIRE THAT MUCH PARKING.
YOU DON'T HAVE TO PUT THAT MUCH PARKING.
AND THEY JUST LOOKED AT ME AND WERE LIKE, BUT THE MARKET TELLS ME I NEED ONE AND A HALF PARKING SPACES PER, AND I'M LIKE, BUT YOU ONLY NEED, I DON'T REMEMBER WHAT IT WAS, HALF A PARKING SPACE PER UNIT.
COULDN'T YOU DO SOMETHING MORE INTERESTING WITH THAT? AND THEY'RE LIKE, GO AWAY.
YOU SAY, I, THIS IS MY MINIMUM.
SO IT'S, IT'S A, IT'S A CONSTANT BACK AND FORTH.
WELL, AND IF THOSE GUIDELINES EXIST, YOU'D LIKE TO THINK THAT EVEN THE FOLKS WHO ARE ONLY SUBJECT TO OBJECTIVE STANDARDS MAY HAVE THAT IN THEIR REPERTOIRE TO SAY, LOOK, YOU KNOW, THESE ARE WHAT WE RECOMMEND.
YOU DON'T HAVE TO FOLLOW THEM AT ALL, BUT THE COMMUNITY WILL REALLY LIKE YOU.
UM, BUT I, I GUESS, I GUESS THE QUESTION WOULD BE THEN, DOES IT HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE IEO PROCESS? IS IT SEPARATE AND IS IT LIKE A BUDGET ISSUE? OR HOW DO YOU EVER, HOW DO YOU EVER GET THERE? RIGHT? BECAUSE I KNOW WE TALK ABOUT IT.
I KNOW MILL VALLEY HAD TO PARTNER WITH OTHER CITIES IN MARIN.
THEY HAD A THIRD PARTY CONSULTANT WHO GENERATED THEIR NICE LIKE LOOK BOOK BASICALLY, UM, OF THEIR PREFERRED DESIGN GUIDELINES.
IS THIS SOMETHING THAT YOU SEE AS, AS LIKE A REALISTIC FUTURE WITH EVERYTHING WE'RE STARING DOWN THE PIPE OF WITH GENERAL PLAN AND IZO? OR IS IT SOMETHING THAT WOULD NEED TO COME FROM COUNCIL TO SAY, LOOK, WE REALLY WANNA DO THIS ALONGSIDE THIS.
UM, WHERE, WHERE DOES THAT STAND WITH LIKE THE ACTUAL STAFF WORKFLOW AND WORKLOAD? I MEAN, YOU KNOW, AS STAFF, WE WILL DO WHAT THE DIRECTION FROM THE COUNCIL IS OBVIOUSLY.
RIGHT? UM, ALSO THERE ARE THINGS THAT WE HAVE TO DO.
UM, SO I, I DON'T DISAGREE AT ALL.
UM, UH, BUT PUSH COMES TO SHOVE, LIKE WE HAVE TO CREATE NEW ZONING DISTRICTS TO IMPLEMENT THE NEW LAND USE DESIGNATIONS AND THE GENERAL PLAN.
WE HAVE TO IMPLEMENT OUR HOUSING ELEMENT, AND BASED ON THE DIRECTION FROM THE COMMUNITY DURING THE BLUEPRINT, WE HAVE TO REDUCE GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS IN THIS COMMUNITY.
YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? SO WE'VE GOT ALL THESE, LIKE, YOU HAVE TO DO THIS.
SO LIKE ANY OTHER PROJECT, PEOPLE WHO ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT DESIGN GUIDELINES, WE NEED TO PARTICIPATE IN INCOMING UPCOMING, LIKE COUNCIL PRIORITIES.
IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT WE'RE GONNA ACCOMPLISH IN THE IZO.
DESIGN GUIDELINES AT THIS POINT AREN'T SCOPED TO BE IN THE IZO.
AND TO ANDREW'S POINT, YOU PROBABLY DON'T WANNA CODIFY THOSE.
UM, OBJECTIVE DESIGN STANDARDS ARE IN THE IZO.
AND SO PART OF A COMPREHENSIVE UPDATE, DO WE NEED TO RE-LOOK AT THOSE? DO WE NEED TO THINK WHAT HAS WORKED AND WHAT HASN'T BEEN WORKING AS PART OF THOSE? OKAY, GREAT.
THANK YOU FOR GOING DOWN THE, THE RABBIT HOLE ON THAT.
NOW YOU JUST JOGGED A QUESTION, LIKE, ARE THERE THINGS WE NEED TO LOOK AT IN THE OBJE OBJECTIVE DESIGN STANDARDS THAT ARE LIKE, HAVEN'T WORKED THAT WE WANT TO CLEAN UP? WELL, WE HAVEN'T, WE HAVEN'T REALLY TESTED THEM.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE HAVEN'T HAD ENOUGH PROJECT APPLICATIONS MM-HMM
SO, UM, I THINK IT, I THINK WE WOULD KNOW ENOUGH TO REVISIT, BUT I THINK IF WE'RE GOING TO INVEST TIME AND EFFORT IN, IN UPDATING, EXPANDING, UM, OR, OR GAINING A LITTLE BIT MORE FINE-GRAINED CONTENT TO THOSE STANDARDS, WE SHOULD PROBABLY FIRST HAVE A CONVERSATION ABOUT WHAT WE WANT TO DO WITH STREAMLINING.
BECAUSE IF WE SEE STREAMLINING, YOU KNOW, UM, REDUCING OR, OR RAISING THE THRESHOLDS FOR DISCRETIONARY REVIEW REQUIREMENTS AND SUCH, ALLOWING MORE PROP, MORE PROJECTS TO GO THROUGH MINISTERIAL REVIEW, ALLAH, YOU KNOW, SB 35 SMAP APPROACH, WHICH WE CAN CREATE AT THE LOCAL LEVEL, THEN WE NEED THOSE, THOSE MORE DETAILED OBJECTIVE DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS.
[01:55:01]
NOT SUPPORT FOR STREAMLINING, THEN MAYBE WE DON'T NEED TO INVEST IN THE OBJECTIVE STANDARDS.AND MAYBE IT'S DESIGN GUIDELINES.
I, I WOULD SAY JUST IN TERMS OF LIKE STAGING OUT THE, THE BUCKETS IF WE WILL, I THINK ARE, WHAT DO WE CALL 'EM? BUNCHES, BUNDLES? WHAT? I DON'T REMEMBER THE TERM.
UM, THINGS AROUND THINGS THAT GIVE CERTAINTY AND MINISTERIAL, UM, WOULD BE A GOOD PLACE TO START.
UM, BRINGING IN EXAMPLES OF THINGS THAT, LIKE THE COST OF PROJECTS THAT WE'VE SEEN THAT HAVE NOT MET THAT THRESHOLD AND SEEING LIKE WHAT THE THRESHOLD WE WANT.
UM, DEFINITIONS, THINGS LIKE THAT AS A GOOD FIRST STARTING POINT.
UM, I THINK SMALL LOT DEVELOPMENT MAKES REALLY GOOD SENSE TO GO WITH THAT, BECAUSE THOSE TWO, LIKE, I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING WE'D ALL LIKE TO SEE MORE OF IS MORE LOCAL SMALL DEVELOPERS HAVING CERTAINTY AND MOVING PROJECTS FORWARD.
SO THOSE TWO THINGS IN THAT ORDER.
AND THEN BRINGING FORWARD THE BIG MULTI-FAMILY PACKAGE AT SOME POINT SEEMS LIKE THE NEXT PIECE ON THAT.
UM, IN TERMS OF LIKE THE STAGING OF IT, UH, I'D SAY ANYTHING THE, THE P-U-D-P-C-D STUFF, LIKE FEELS LIKE DEFINITELY MAYBE, I DON'T KNOW WHETHER THAT COMES AS SMALL LOT.
UM, IT, MAYBE I'LL LEAVE IT TO YOU ON THAT OF LIKE, I, I THINK ALSO LIKE YOU'RE THE ONES THAT ARE GONNA BE REALLY UNDERSTANDING LIKE THE SCOPE OF STUFF THAT WE'RE GONNA BE TRYING TO COMPREHEND, AND WE'RE NOT NEARLY AS LIKE STEEPED IN IT AS YOU AND NOT AS SMART AS YOU AND AS EXPERT AS YOU.
SO LIKE BREAK IT DOWN INTO THE CHUNKS THAT LIKE, AREN'T GONNA MAKE OUR HEADS EXPLODE.
AND, UM, BECAUSE WE WILL, RIGHT? LIKE, AND THEN WE'RE GONNA MAKE BAD POLICY BECAUSE WE'RE LIKE, WE'RE TRYING, YOU KNOW, WE'RE JUST OVERWHELMED BY THE AMOUNT OF CHANGE, FOR EXAMPLE.
AND I DON'T WANT US TO GET OVERWHELMED BY THE AMOUNT OF CHANGE.
I WANT US TO BREAK IT DOWN AND LIKE, LIKE REALLY THINK THROUGH THE LIKE, SPECIFIC SUBJECTS.
SO, UM, YOU KNOW, WHETHER WE DO ALL THE PD STUFF TOGETHER OR WHETHER IT NEEDS TO GET BROKEN OUT, YOU KNOW, AND, UM, I THINK THE PUD MIGHT BE SOMETHING THAT WE DO TOGETHER SO THAT WE CAN LIKE SAY LIKE, HERE'S A THIRD OF IT, HERE'S THE OTHER THIRD OF IT, HERE'S THE OTHER SORT OF BESPOKE MADNESS THAT WE WANNA LIKE TRY AND TACKLE.
UM, SO MAYBE THAT'S LIKE ITS OWN THING TOO.
UM, YEAH, MY INSTINCT ON THE, ON THE PUDS AND PCDS IS TO GET THOSE SORT OF REINTEGRATED INTO THE MAP FIRST, AND THEN WE'RE SORT OF ADDRESSING THE MAP AS A WHOLE.
WHAT I DON'T WANT TO DO IS SORT OF GET INTO THE NITTY GRITTY ON VARIOUS RESIDENTIAL ZONING NUMBERS AND THEN RECAST A BUNCH OF TOWN TO THAT SORT OF AFTER WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THAT ASSIGNMENT, IF THAT MAKES SENSE.
LIKE, I THINK WE SHOULD KNOW OUR ADDRESSABLE AREA BEFORE WE ARE MAKING THE CALLS ON SPECIFIC POLICY THAT IS GOING TO TAKE US FORWARD FOR DECADES, IF THAT MAKES SENSE.
AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, IT'LL BE IMPORTANT TO LOOK FOR OPPORTUNITY, LIKE IF YOU'RE GONNA OPEN UP CHAPTER 24 TO TALK ABOUT STREAMLINING, YOU KNOW, IT MIGHT NOT MAKE SENSE TO OPEN UP JUST THIS SUBSECTION IN 24, LIKE TRYING TO THINK OF, OF WAYS TO STREAMLINE THE UPDATE TOO WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT BATCHES JUST NOT STAYING.
SO, UM, FOCUSED ON JUST ONE THING THAT WE KIND OF FORGET TO DO, THE OTHER TWEAKS THAT NEED TO HAPPEN IN THERE.
AND THEN I WOULD SAY ANYTHING THAT CAN HELP US, THAT CAN HELP SMALL BUSINESSES HAVE MORE CERTAINTY AND AVOID HAVING TO SPEND TIME COMING TO PLANNING COMMISSION AND GET THEIR PERMITS FASTER IS ANOTHER THING.
LIKE, WE'RE TRYING TO, YOU KNOW, DO MORE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND GET MORE BUSINESSES OPEN AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
SO IN TERMS OF PRIORITY, I WOULD DEFINITELY ELEVATE ANYTHING THAT CAN HELP US FILL EMPTY STOREFRONTS RIGHT NOW, UM, IS TRY TO AVOID CREATING MORE LIKE BUREAUCRACY FOR, FOR THOSE CASES AND IN GENERAL, LIKE THINK OF THINGS THAT WE GET WINS ON EARLY SO THAT WE BUILD MOMENTUM AND WE'RE LIKE, LIKE THE, LIKE UP HERE WE GET INTO A CADENCE OF LIKE ASKING THE RIGHT QUESTIONS AND YOU KNOW, LIKE WE CAN CELEBRATE, YOU KNOW, OH, WE JUST LIKE MADE IT EASIER FOR THIS.
OR WE JUST HELP MORE SMALL BUSINESSES OPEN.
LIKE THINK ABOUT WAYS THAT WE CAN BUILD MOMENTUM IN THE ZONING CODE, UPDATE WITH THE PUBLIC SO THAT THEY SEE LIKE THE BENEFITS OF UPDATING THE ZONING CODE, I GUESS TOO, LIKE IN A MORE TANGIBLE WAY.
[02:00:05]
I'M HEARING A LOT OF GOOD POINTS ABOUT HOW WE WANT TO PROCEED, AND I AGREE WITH ALL OF THEM.I, I JUST, I ALSO WANT TO EMPHASIZE THAT I SAW IN THE PRESENTATION, IN THE MATERIALS THAT WE HAD TO, TO READ IN ADVANCE, THE ONE THING THAT REALLY STRUCK ME WAS THE LIMITATION ON RESOURCES AND STAFF CAPACITY.
UM, SO CERTAINLY WHATEVER IS THE MOST EFFICIENT WAY FOR STAFF TO PROCEED IN DIGESTING AND MOVING THIS FORWARD IS WHAT I HOPE THAT WE CAN ACHIEVE, UH, AND DEFINITELY DEFER TO YOUR JUDGMENT ON HOW BEST TO, UH, APPLY YOUR RESOURCES AND IN THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAY.
YOU KNOW, THERE'S THE 80 20 RULE, WHAT WHATEVER, UM, UH, I, I DO KNOW WE LIVE IN, IN A, A UNIVERSE OF LIMITED RESOURCES, AND I JUST WANT TO EMPHASIZE THAT I HOPE THAT YOU, UH, MAXIMIZE YOUR EFFICIENCY.
I'D LIKE TO PIGGYBACK ON THAT.
AND IT'S NOT JUST THE EFFICIENCY FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THAT, BUT ALSO FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION AS WELL.
SO IT'S LIKE THE COMBINATION OF THE SHORT AND LONG TERM, BECAUSE ANY DECISION THAT WE MAKE SHORT TERM WILL INEVITABLY IMPACT COSTS GOING FORWARD.
I KNOW THAT, UM, COMMISSIONER KUSON, UM, BROUGHT UP SOME THOUGHTS ABOUT COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT.
UM, THERE'S, WHICH I WOULD LOVE THAT WOULD BE A HELPFUL, UM, THING TO GET SOME FEEDBACK ON.
THERE ARE SOME OF, SOME OF THE THINGS HAVE RECEIVED COMMUNITY FEEDBACK EITHER THROUGH THE BLUEPRINT OR THROUGH THE HOUSING ELEMENT, UM, THROUGH THE GENERAL PLAN ONCE IT'S ADOPTED.
UM, SO TRYING TO THINK OF ALSO HOW TO MAXIMIZE, UM, OPPORTUNITIES FOR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT WITH, BUT ALSO WORKING EFFICIENTLY AND MOVING THINGS FORWARD, UM, EFFICIENTLY.
UM, SO FEEDBACK OR IDEAS, YEAH, ON, ON THAT.
UM, I'D SUGGEST WORKING CLOSELY WITH SCHOOL DISTRICTS ON THIS, UM, IT'S WHERE THERE ARE JUST A TON OF PEOPLE PRESENT AT ANY GIVEN TIME.
SO EITHER THROUGH PRESENTATIONS THROUGH, UH, PTAS OR PTOS WITHIN, YOU KNOW, THE THREE MAJOR SCHOOL DISTRICTS THAT WE HAVE, UM, WOULD BE A GREAT WAY TO GET PARTICIPATION BECAUSE ONE OF THE BENEFITS ABOUT LIVING IN PETALUMA IS THAT PARENTS ARE ENTIRELY INVOLVED.
UM, AND SO BEING ABLE TO REALLY BRING THAT TO PLACES WHERE PEOPLE ARE AND WHO HAVE A LONG TIMEFRAME INVESTMENT IN PETALUMA, I THINK THAT'S AN AREA THAT WE COULD REACH MORE AND BETTER THROUGH THOSE EFFORTS.
UM, IF I MIGHT, UH, DOUBLE CLICK ON THAT RECOMMENDATION, I WOULD, I, I WOULD RECOMMEND THAT WE INFORM INFLUENTIAL INDIVIDUALS IN THOSE ORGANIZATIONS AND THEN LET THEM DISPATCH.
UM, BECAUSE WHAT I DON'T THINK IS GONNA BE EFFICIENT IS HAVING A CITY PERSON, YOU KNOW, PRESENTING AT EVERY PTA, BUT IF WE CAN GET THOSE COMMUNITY LEADERS WHO HAVE THEIR OWN CONSTITUENCIES THAT THEY UNDERSTAND THEIR PRIORITIES AND, AND WANTS AND NEEDS AND HOW TO BEST COMMUNICATE WITH THEM, THEN THEY CAN SORT OF HELP US IN THAT OUTREACH, UM, AND BECAUSE THEY KNOW THEIR FOLKS BEST.
UM, SO LIKE SORT OF STARTING WITH, WITH THE HEAD AND, AND LETTING IT SORT OF GET, GET TO THE ROOTS.
AND, UM, I WOULD SAY FOR THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PIECE, LIKE I DON'T THINK THERE'S A PLACE WHERE WE CAN GET INTO THE WEEDS OF POLICY MAKING IN AN EFFECTIVE WAY, BUT I THINK WHAT WE CAN DO IS REALLY SORT OF BE REALLY TRANSPARENT AND ABOUT THE INTENTION OF IT AND THE VALUES BEHIND THINGS.
SO WE'RE DOING THIS TO TRY AND ADDRESS AFFORDABILITY ISSUES OR CIRCULATION ISSUES OR, UM, I REALLY LIKED WHAT DARREN SAID ABOUT LIKE FINDING THAT BALANCE BETWEEN LIKE CERTAINTY FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE TRYING TO DO SOMETHING WITH THEIR PROPERTY, WITH THE CERTAINTY THAT LIKE, YOUR SURROUNDINGS AREN'T GOING TO DRASTICALLY CHANGE AROUND YOU.
UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK SOME OF THOSE THINGS LIKE, LIKE COMMUNICATING WHAT THE ZONING CODE IS DOING AND WHAT WE'RE DOING WITH IT, LIKE, WE'RE MAKING IT EASIER FOR BUSINESSES TO OPEN IN PETALUMA.
[02:05:01]
A, THAT'S A WIN.YOU KNOW, LIKE, SO I THINK FINDING WAYS TO LIKE EXPLAIN LIKE WHY WE'RE UPDATING THIS, YOU KNOW, LIKE WHEN YOU REFERENCE LIKE HOW OLD SOME OF THE PARTS OF THE ZONING CODE ARE LIKE, AND HOW PIECEMEAL AND HOW HARD TO NAVIGATE AND LIKE, HONESTLY, I, I THINK WITH ALL DUE RESPECT TO THE TWO OF YOU, I DON'T THINK YOU'RE THE BEST PEOPLE TO LIKE COME UP WITH THAT MESSAGING, YOU KNOW, LIKE REALLY WORK WITH JAMESON, WORK WITH THE COMMS TEAM OF LIKE, TRY AND MAKE IT REALLY HUMAN, RIGHT? BECAUSE IT IS, THIS IS LIKE VERY JARGON HEAVY AND TOUGH CONTENT TO COMMUNICATE.
UM, AND HAVING SOMEONE WHO'S LIKE, LIKE THAT'S THEIR PROFESSION, UM, CAN HELP TO LIKE PUT THOSE PRESENTATIONS TOGETHER AND THINGS LIKE THAT SO THAT WE'RE REALLY TALKING ABOUT THE PURPOSE OF ZONING CODE RELATIVE TO THE GENERAL PLAN.
LIKE PEOPLE DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT THE HECK THE, LIKE, I THOUGHT WE REFEREND THE OVERLAY.
IT'S LIKE, NO, ACTUALLY YOU DIDN'T, YOU REFEREND THE GENERAL PLAN, NOT THE, NOT THE OVERLAY, RIGHT? LIKE THE OVERLAY'S STILL IN EFFECT, IT JUST, WE HAD TO AMEND IT, YOU KNOW? AND LIKE, SO THERE'S THINGS LIKE THAT PEOPLE DON'T UNDERSTAND THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE TWO.
AND SO, UM, TALKING ABOUT LIKE GIVING SOME EXAMPLES LIKE THAT I THINK, UM, CAN START TO MAKE IT A LOT MORE APPROACHABLE.
UM, AND THEN IF YOU REALLY WANT TO GET INTO THE WEEDS OF POLICY MAKING COME HERE AND LIKE FALL ASLEEP IN THE CHAIRS OUT THERE,
YOU KNOW, I THINK WE HAVE HAD A VARIETY OF ISSUES COME ACROSS, UM, THIS DAY AS BE IT WITH THE PLANNING COMMISSION OR THE COUNCIL WHERE, YOU KNOW, I OFTEN HAVE THIS SENSATION OF SOMETHING, SOMEONE STANDING AT THAT MICROPHONE AND SAYING, YOU'RE NOT LISTENING TO US.
AND I'M LIKE, YOU'RE GIVING PUBLIC COMMENT CURRENTLY AND I'M ACTIVELY LISTENING TO YOU
YOU KNOW, LIKE, WE'RE, WE'RE HERE LISTENING TO YOU.
THAT'S, THIS IS THE TIME TO VOICE AND WE'RE LISTENING AND WE'RE INCORPORATING YOUR FEEDBACK, UM, WHERE WE FIND IT APPROPRIATE.
SO I JUST WANNA MAKE REALLY CLEAR THAT THE PROCESS IS, IS WELL UNDERSTOOD THAT LIKE, YOU KNOW, MAYBE THERE'S THIS WEBSITE AND MAYBE THERE'S AN EMAIL INBOX, BUT LIKE WHERE THE DECISION WHEN IT WILL BE MADE IS, IS EXPLICIT.
UM, AND FOLK UNDERSTAND THAT, YOU KNOW, THOSE PUBLIC HEARINGS ARE, ARE GONNA BE, UM, AN IMPORTANT OUTLET FOR VOICING OPINIONS.
UM, YOU KNOW, BEFORE THE VOTE.
AND I WOULD JUST ADD TO THAT, LIKE ON MUCH OF THIS, THE POLICY DECISION HAS BEEN MADE.
IT'S, IT'S THE REGULATORY IMPLEMENTATION OF IT, UM, THAT, THAT WE'RE MOVING ONTO.
AND THERE'S A DIFFERENCE IN SO FINDING WAY TO THE INTERPRETATION YEAH.
THE REGULATORY INTERPRETATION OF THE POLICY TO COMMUNICATE THAT.
UM, BECAUSE FOR INSTANCE, IT'S NOT, UH, I'M TRYING TO THINK OF ONE OF THE THINGS WE TALKED ABOUT IN TERMS OF LIKE HOUSING ELEMENT, THE HOUSING ACTION PLAN, THE RESIDENTIAL CARE FACILITIES.
FOR INSTANCE, OUR HOUSING ELEMENT SAID, UPDATE YOUR RESIDENTIAL CARE FACILITY REGULATIONS TO REMOVE THESE OBSTACLES.
RIGHT? AND SO THAT WAS THE POLICY DIRECTION THAT WAS ADOPTED, THAT WAS DONE.
AND THEN IT CAME HERE AND THERE WAS SOME NUANCE.
IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN AROUND THE NUMBER OF PARKING SPACES OR THE, BUT IT WASN'T A QUESTION OF DO WE UPDATE OUR RE RESIDENTIAL CARE FACILITY REGULATIONS? THAT WAS THE POLICY THAT HAD ALREADY BEEN MADE IN THE HOUSING ELEMENT.
SO THERE'S A DIFFERENCE THERE THAT I THINK WE'LL NEED TO COMMUNICATE.
AND I ALSO THINK THERE ARE CERTAIN THINGS WE'RE GONNA BE DEALING WITH AS PART OF THE CODE UPDATE THAT IS GOING TO ATTRACT A LOT MORE ATTENTION.
AND SO WE ALSO WANNA THINK ABOUT THAT IN THE BATCHING TOO, THAT MAYBE WE'RE NOT BATCHING LIKE A REALLY IMPORTANT HOUSING THING WITH OUR PARKING REFORM.
'CAUSE WE KNOW OUR PARKING REFORM IS GONNA GET A LOT OF PUBLIC INPUT AND FEEDBACK.
AND SO WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE BATCHING 'EM IN A WAY THAT DOESN'T SIDETRACK THIS.
'CAUSE WE BROUGHT IT IN ONE BIG BATCH AND THIS ONE PIECE OF IT IS SOMETHING THAT WE NEED, RIGHT? 'CAUSE WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE GETTING THE ROBUST FEEDBACK ACROSS THE ENTIRE BATCH.
I'LL SAY, HEATHER, YOU HAVE BEEN QUITE THE BROKEN RECORD HERE WITH US THROUGHOUT THE FRAMEWORKS OF LIKE, THIS IS THE POLICY, THIS IS THE VISION.
THIS IS NOT THE TIME TO GET INTO THE GRANULAR NUMBERS.
AND WE'VE ALL BEENING TO, AND I'M SURE, YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT PAGES OF NOTES FROM, FROM THOSE CONVERSATIONS THAT WE'LL, YOU KNOW, HAVE TO BRING BACK UP.
SO AGAIN, MAKING EXPLICIT THAT LIKE, THIS IS THE TIME THAT IF YOU WANT TO, YOU KNOW, PUT YOUR VOTE IN FOR WHAT THAT NUMBER SHOULD BE IN THAT CHART, HERE'S WHERE WE'RE DOING THAT.
THIS IS THE TIME I THINK I'D LIKE TO ASK A QUESTION IF, IF, BECAUSE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT CAN BE SO TIME CONSUMING AND SO COSTLY
[02:10:01]
AND CERTAINLY BEING ABLE TO BUDGET FOR THE ENTIRETY OF THE PROJECT OR NOT RUN OUT OF MONEY, YOU KNOW, AS WE GO THROUGH THE PROJECT.IF, IF, IF WE COME BACK TO YOU WITH A STRATEGY AND PART OF THAT STRATEGY IS A COMMUNICATION PLAN THAT WOULD WORK FOR A MAJORITY OF THE ITEMS THAT WOULD COME BEFORE YOU.
SO WE'LL, WE'LL HAVE EXCEPTIONS LIKE PARKING REFORM WHERE WE'LL HAVE TO DO A BIT OF A DEEPER DIVE ON AND MAYBE A COMMUNITY MEETING OR TWO TO, TO RECEIVE INPUT AND SUCH.
BUT OTHERS, MAYBE WE'RE LOOKING AT OUR COMMUNICATION CHANNELS.
WHO ARE THE GROUPS WE'RE COMMUNICATING TO? HOW ARE WE COMMUNICATING WITH THEM? AND IF WE COULD AGREE ON THAT PACKAGE, THEN AT LEAST FOR BUDGETARY PURPOSES, WE'D HAVE, WE'D HAVE SOME CONSISTENCY.
WE'D BE ABLE TO, TO BUILD SOME TIMELINES BECAUSE WE'D HAVE SOME CONSISTENCY IF THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL.
WE COULD CERTAINLY, UM, OUTLINE A COMMUNICATIONS PLAN THAT WOULD'VE WOULD'VE ACHIEVE A MAJORITY OF OUR GOALS.
I I DEFINITELY THINK THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL, ESPECIALLY BECAUSE WE RISK, UH, SCOPE CREEP THAT ONCE WE GET SOMETHING IN FRONT OF US, WE SAY, WELL, MAYBE WE SHOULD TALK TO THIS COMMUNITY AND THIS, THAT, AND THAT.
AND, AND, AND IT'S
SO I, I DO THINK SETTING THAT OUT IN ADVANCE BEFORE WE SORT OF GET INTO THE WEEDS WOULD BE HELPFUL.
UM, OBVIOUSLY IF SOMETHING VERY IMPORTANT COMES UP THAT WE REALIZE WE MISJUDGED, OH, OF COURSE WE'LL FIGURE IT OUT.
UM, IT WON'T BE THAT STRINGENT, BUT I THINK YEAH, TRY TRYING TO HAVE A A ROADMAP WOULD BE HELPFUL.
AND I'LL JUST SAY THAT I THINK THOSE GO, LIKE DECIDING THE BATCHING AND THE COMMUNICATION STRATEGY ARE TOTALLY HAND IN HAND.
AND I WOULD JUST SAY ON A COMMUNICATION STRATEGY, UH, LIKE I SAID BEFORE, BEING EXPLICIT ABOUT THE VISION, BEING EXPLICIT ABOUT WHAT THE DOWNWARD PRESSURE IS THAT WE CAN'T, THAT WE HAVE NO MOBILITY ON, LIKE THE STATE SAID THIS, OR WE GET SLAPPED ON THE WRIST, WE HAVE TO DO X.
SO WHEN PEOPLE COME INTO IT, THEY UNDERSTAND THE BOUNDARIES REALLY QUICK.
THEY UNDERSTAND WHAT THE CURRENT DRIVE IS FROM KIND OF THE, THE POLICYMAKERS DOWN, AND THEN THEY CAN DECIDE WHERE THEY WANT TO TURN THE KNOBS.
AND I WOULD JUST, I MEAN, THIS WILL COME LATER DURING THE COMMUNICATIONS PLAN, BUT ALSO DON'T STEER AWAY IN MY EXPERIENCE, DON'T STEER AWAY FROM CONTROVERSY AND WE'RE TALKING PARKING REFORMS. LIKE SEND OUT A MAILER WITH THE WATER BILL THAT SAYS, YOU KNOW, DO YOU WANT BETTER PARKING DOWNTOWN? DO YOU THINK WE SHOULD HAVE PARKING METERS? LIKE REALLY JUST HIT THE, HIT THE BARBED WIRE WITH THE BIG ISSUE AND YOU'LL GET PEOPLE THERE AND YOU'LL GET RESPONSE.
BECAUSE I THINK WHAT A LOT OF WE'RE SEEING IS PEOPLE COME TO THE MEETING AND SAY, YOU DIDN'T, LIKE, I DIDN'T KNOW THIS WAS HAPPENING BECAUSE THERE WAS NO LIKE ENTICING OR DRAMATIC MESSAGING THAT MADE THAT SNAP THEM OUT OF IT.
I FEEL LIKE IN A LOT OF MARKETING WE'RE SEEING MAILERS LIKE ACTUALLY HAVE AN EFFECT, WHEREAS EMAIL IS TOTALLY DEAD ON.
BUT THE CITY WILL KNOW BETTER, JAMESON WILL KNOW BETTER.
THAT'S JUST MY 2 CENTS AT THIS POINT.
BUT YEAH, I THINK THE PHASING AND THE COMMUNICATION PLAN DEFINITELY GO HAND IN HAND.
AND PHASE STARTING THE PHASING WITH THE THINGS THAT ARE MORE ABOUT COMMUNICATIONS THAN COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IS IT SEEM LIKE THOSE ARE THE THINGS WHERE WE'RE GONNA, LIKE, I THINK WHERE WE WOULD FORECAST THAT THERE'S LESS, LIKE LESS OF A STICKY WICKET, LESS OF A NEED TO BRING PEOPLE IN AND, UM, AND MORE OF A NEED TO JUST COMMUNICATE THE PURPOSE OF IT AND, AND ASSUME THAT LIKE, PEOPLE WANT BUSINESSES TO BE ABLE TO OPEN, YOU KNOW, WITH LOWER COSTS, YOU KNOW, THINGS LIKE THAT.
ANY OTHER SPECIFICS FROM STAFF THAT YOU'D LIKE US TO WEIGH IN ON? I THINK WE'RE GOOD.
ANY OTHER COMMENTS FROM THE COMMISSION? ALL RIGHT, THEN WE'RE GONNA CLOSE THIS STUDY SESSION IF EVERYONE IS OKAY WITH THAT.
WE ARE GOING TO CLOSE MEETING ITEM TWO AND CONTINUE ON TO COMMISSION
[COMMITTEE COMMENT]
COMMENT AND I'LL START DOWN AT THE END WITH, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER VERONICA.UM, MAIN THING AT THE LAST COUNCIL MEETING, WE ADOPTED THE RESIDENTIAL CARE FACILITY ZONING CODE, UM, AMENDMENTS THAT WE ALL POURED OVER, UM, IN Q4 OF LAST YEAR.
UM, AND COMING UP AT THE NEXT COUNCIL MEETING ON MONDAY, WE WILL BE, UH, AWARDING THE CONTRACT FOR THE RAINIER, UH, ROAD, UH, REPAVING WEST WEDNESDAY.
THERE WAS A MEETING OF THE TREE ADVISORY COMMITTEE AND HEARD A GREAT PRESENTATION ABOUT OUR URBAN FOREST PLAN.
UM, AND THERE WAS, UH, JUST A GREAT DEAL OF, UM, MOTIVATION BY THE
[02:15:01]
COMMITTEE TO BE A STRONG VOICE FOR TREES AND FIGURE OUT WAYS TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT'S INCORPORATED IN THE DECISION MAKING BY BOTH THIS BODY AS WELL AS THE COUNCIL.CAN I ASK COMMISSIONER, SHE WHAT THE SORT OF NEXT STEP IS THERE AND, AND TIMELINE, IF YOU KNOW? WELL, THE, THE DISCUSSIONS AT THE MEETING WERE JUST HOW DO WE, HOW DO WE, UM, SOME OF THE, THE DISCUSSION DEALT WITH WHAT, WHAT STAFF'S ROLE IN TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THEIR, THEIR ROLE IS VERSUS WHAT THE, THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE'S ROLE IS AND TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW WE CAN, UM, NUDGE THAT SO WE CAN HAVE MORE INPUT, TO BE HONEST WITH YOU.
UM, AND, AND SORT OF GETTING INTO, NOT THE GRANULAR DETAIL OF IT, BUT JUST THERE WAS, THERE WAS SOME STAFF PUSHBACK DEALING WITH WHERE, LIKE AN URBAN FORESTER WOULD BE, UH, WHERE WOULD THEY BE HOUSED? AND YOU KNOW, WE DON'T WANNA GET INTO A LOT OF DETAIL, BUT GIVEN THE DYNAMICS, WE'D WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT PERSON HAS THE ENOUGH POWER AND AUTHORITY TO PUT FORWARD WITH WHAT THE CITY WANTS IN TERMS OF ITS URBAN CANOPY.
COMMISSIONER REON, I'LL JUST BUILD ON COMMISSIONER SCHULTZ COMMENTS ACTUALLY.
YEAH, AND I WOULD SAY FOR THE URBAN FORESTRY MANAGEMENT PLAN, IT'S A REALLY EXCITING DOCUMENT THAT HELPS ORGANIZE OUR CURRENT POLICY AND OUR FUTURE THOUGHTS AND VISION AROUND TREES AND PETALUMA.
IT'S LIKE, IT'S LIKE A GENERAL PLAN OR A HOUSING HELMET.
IT'S LIKE THE LOCUS OF LEGITIMACY DOCUMENT THAT WE BUILD FROM, IT'S BROKEN DOWN INTO MANAGE, GROW, PROTECT, ENGAGE.
SO REALLY EXCITING TO BE ABLE TO KIND OF MOLD THE TREE COMMITTEE TO FIT SOME OF THOSE DIFFERENT EFFORTS.
AND HOW DO YOU FOLLOW SOME OF THE THING, THOSE THINGS THAT ARE GOING ON IN PARALLEL? LIKE PROTECT IS OBVIOUSLY THE TREE PRESERVATION ORDINANCE THAT HAS A LONG ROAD, BUT MANAGE IS LIKE, YEAH, WHERE DOES ANY ENFORCEMENT OF POLICY LIVE, GROW IS, HOW DO YOU WORK WITH NONPROFITS? SO IT'S NOT, IT'S NOT ALL LINEAR, IT'S NOT ALL SOMETHING THAT IS EVEN LIKE A DIRECT POLICY ACTION.
IT'S HOW DOES TREE ADVISORY COMMITTEE SUPPORT THAT AS AN ADVOCACY GROUP? SO, UH, YEAH, REALLY EXCITING DEVELOPMENTS.
UH, DEFINITELY THANK YOU KEITH FOR THAT SUMMARY.
AND I'LL JUST GIVE A PLUG FOR, UM, KATHERINE REINHARDT, PETALUMA SIGN PROJECT.
WE TALK ABOUT CHARACTER AND SENSE OF PLACE.
COMMISSIONER NOELL, UH, NO UPDATES.
UM, I'LL SHARE THAT I WENT TO AN EVENT WITH CONGRESSMAN MIKE THOMPSON, UM, WHO WITH, UH, PROP 50 IS NOW GOING TO BE RUNNING TO REPRESENT LIKE, BASICALLY THE EASTERN HALF OF PETALUMA.
UM, AND AS IT PERTAINS TO OUR PURVIEW, THERE WAS CONVERSATION, UM, ABOUT, UH, MOBILE HOME PARKS, WHICH, YOU KNOW, REPRESENTATIVES, UH, WERE THERE TO SORT OF ASK HIM QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT AND THEY HAD A, A ROBUST EXCHANGE.
UM, SO IT'LL BE INTERESTING TO SEE, UM, AS THE ELECTION CYCLE HEATS UP, UM, SORT OF WHAT, UH, FOLKS ARE TALKING ABOUT.
BUT YEAH, IT WAS AN INTERESTING GATHERING AND I THINK THAT'S IT.
UH, UM, WE HAVE OUR PAC MEETING UPCOMING NEXT WEEK, SO I WILL BE ATTENDING THAT AND I'LL BE ABLE TO REPORT BACK ON THAT AFTER A LONG HIATUS OVER THE HOLIDAYS.
[STAFF COMMENT]
GO TO STAFF COMMENT.UM, THE, WANTED TO SHARE WITH YOU OR, OR UPDATE YOU THAT THE CITY HAS OPENED ITS, UM, ANNUAL RECRUITMENT TO FILL, FILL A VACANCIES ON VARIOUS CCBS.
WE HAVE, UH, VAC WE WILL HAVE VA VACANCIES ON CLIMATE ACTION COMMISSION, HCPC, PUBLIC SAFETY ADVISORY COMMITTEE, SENIOR ADVISORY COMMITTEE, SONOMA COUNTY LIBRARY COMMISSION.
SO, UM, YOU CAN SERVE ON MORE THAN ONE, UH, CCB.
WE DO, WE HAVE SEVERAL MEMBERS WHO, UH, DO THAT OR HAVE DONE SO IN THE PAST.
UM, BUT THEN ALSO ONE OF THE BEST WAYS WE RECRUIT IS THROUGH WORD OF MOUTH, UM, SHARING, YOU KNOW, SHARING THESE OPPORTUNITIES WITH FRIENDS WHO YOU HAVE OR, OR COLLEAGUES WHO MAY BE INTERESTED IN, UM, PARTICIPATING MORE FULLY IN THE COMMUNITY DECISION MAKING PROCESS.
SO, UH, PLEASE KEEP THAT IN MIND AND SHARE, REACH OUT TO US IF YOU'D LIKE MORE INFORMATION.
UH, THE APPLICATION PERIOD DOES CLOSE FEBRUARY 19TH AT 5:00 PM SO WE'VE GOT JUST ABOUT THREE WEEKS LEFT.
UM, IS THAT SOONER THAN IT USED TO BE? I THOUGHT IT WAS LIKE ON APRIL MAY KIND THING.
I THINK IT MIGHT BE IT, IT MIGHT BE RIGHT.
SEEMS LIKE MAYBE WE'RE GETTING, UH, GETTING MORE ON TOP OF THINGS.
IS THAT, IS THAT MAYBE FOR EXISTING VACANCIES AND NOT UPCOMING TERM EXPIRATIONS MAYBE? WELL, NO, IT IS FOR UPCOMING BECAUSE, UH, WE DO HAVE, UM, WELL, YOU KNOW, IT IS, IT DOES SAY CURRENT VACANCIES,
[02:20:01]
SO IT IS, BUT THEN IT HAS, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THESE TERMS ARE EXPIRING, UH, AT JUNE OF THIS YEAR, JUNE OF NEXT YEAR, JUNE OF 28.SO, UM, IT DOES LOOK LIKE THEY'RE TRYING TO FILL OPEN POSITIONS.
UM, AND THEN ALSO I WANTED TO UPDATE ON THE PETALUMA NORTH STATION SPECIFIC PLAN.
UH, WE DID RECEIVE BACK THE, UH, EXISTING CONDITIONS, UM, DOCUMENT FOR FINAL REVIEW, UH, FOLLOWING INPUT FROM STAFF AND, UM, AND COMMENTS AND CORRECTIONS.
ALSO, THE, UM, WORKING GROUP IS BEING FINALIZED AND WILL BE COMMUNICATING WITH VOLUNTEERS, UH, FROM THE PLANNING COMMISSION AND, AND THE COMMUNITY ABOUT THOSE, UH, PARTICIPATION OPPORTUNITIES AS WELL.
AND THEN FINALLY WE LEARNED OF A, UH, HOUSING LAW SYMPOSIUM AT, UH, AT, UH, UC LAW IN SAN FRANCISCO ON FEBRUARY 13TH.
THAT WOULD BE FRIDAY THE 13TH.
UM, IF ANYONE IS INTERESTED IN ATTENDING AND BRINGING BACK INFORMATION, UH, TO SHARE WITH THE, THE PLANNING COMMISSION, THAT WOULD BE A GREAT OPPORTUNITY, I THINK, FOR US TO LEARN, UM, FIRSTHAND BOTH SOME OF THE RECENT EVOLUTIONS IN HOUSING LAW, BUT ALSO PROBABLY A LOT ABOUT WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO IN 2026.
SO, UM, WOULD LOVE TO HAVE A VOLUNTEER IF ANYONE'S EITHER PLANNING TO ATTEND OR WOULD LIKE TO CONSIDER THAT.
YEAH, I WAS PLANNING ON ATTENDING, UM, GENERALLY, SO, UH, OKAY.
I'LL, I STILL DON'T, HAVEN'T FINALIZED THAT, BUT, UM, LIKELY WILL AND DEFINITELY WOULD REPORT THAT.
WELL LET US KNOW THEN, AND SURE.
I, I'M DEFINITELY INTERESTED IN ATTENDING THAT AS WELL.
I'M NOT SURE IF I CAN COME BACK AND PERFORM A TRAINING FOR THE COMMISSION BASED ON WHAT I LEARNED, BUT IT WOULD BE A, A BIG LEARNING OPPORTUNITY FOR ME, UH, TO APPLY THOSE, UM, YOU KNOW, UM, TO APPLY THAT LEARNING OPPORTUNITY HERE.
WELL THEN WE'LL CONNECT WITH BOTH OF YOU OUTSIDE OF THE MEETING AND, AND, UH, FOLLOW UP THEN.
UM, AND UH, WE, I BELIEVE WE DO NOT HAVE MEETING ITEMS FOR OUR FEBRUARY MEETINGS, BUT WE DO, WE ARE PLANNING TO RECONVENE THEN IN MARCH FOR BOTH OF OUR, UH, REGULAR SCHEDULED MEETINGS.
ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS FOR STAFF FROM THE COMMISSION REGARDING THE NO MEETINGS FOR, OR NO ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOR THE FEBRUARY MEETINGS? IS THERE ANY OTHER LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES THAT ANYONE HAS ON THE TOP OF THEIR MIND THAT COULD POTENTIALLY BE ORGANIZED AND, YOU KNOW, FOR EITHER OUR INFORMATION OR OUR BENEFIT DURING THOSE TIMES? JUST SINCE IF WE HAVE THAT TIME AVAILABLE, IT WOULD BE GOOD POTENTIALLY TO MAKE USE OF THAT SINCE WE ALREADY HAVE IT CARVED OUT.
I KNOW THAT'S RELATIVELY SHORT TIMING FOR ORGANIZING ANYTHING, BUT EVEN SOMETHING SIMPLE OR THAT YOU COULD THINK THAT MIGHT BE TO OUR BENEFIT.
I, YOU KNOW, OR IF NO, I, I WAS GONNA SAY, I WOULD INVITE STAFF TO TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT THE OTHER CCBS ARE TACKLING AND IF THERE'S SOMETHING THAT WARRANTS COMING ACROSS OUR DESK AS WELL, YOU KNOW? SURE.
TO THE EXTENT THAT PBAC HAS SOMETHING OKAY.
I, I'M SENSITIVE TO STAFF TIME AND WHAT, WHAT, UM, RESOURCE CONSTRAINTS THEY HAVE TO PREPARE SOMETHING FOR US, UM, JUST FOR THE SAKE OF HAVING A MEETING, BUT AGREE THAT TO THE EXTENT THAT THERE'S SOMETHING THAT WOULD BE VALUABLE TO THIS BODY.
UM, IF WE'VE GOT THE TIME ON THE CALENDAR, UM, LET'S, LET'S SEE WHAT THERE IS, UM, AND, AND IF THERE ISN'T, WE'LL SEE YOU IN MARCH
AND, AND WE WILL FOLLOW UP WITH THE CHAIR THEN.
ANYTHING ELSE? OKAY, THEN LET'S ADJOURN HERE AT 8 24.