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Staff Report
City Council
Item No. 2.B
Meeting Date: June 10, 2026
From: Cynthia Schultz, Planning Manager
Title: Development Code Update - Public Review Draft - Status and Next Steps
RECOMMENDATION:
Receive the Public Review Draft Development Code Update and provide any additional direction prior to commencement of the formal public review period.
BACKGROUND:
The Development Code Update (DCU) is a strategic project intended to modernize Cathedral City’s zoning and development regulations to align with current development practices, State law, General Plan policies, and the City’s long-term economic and community development goals.
In 2024, the City Council identified a comprehensive Development Code Update as a strategic priority initiative. The adopted Strategic Plan specifically directed the City to:
“Develop comprehensive strategy to amend the zoning code and update design guidelines” (Action item F-1). The Strategic Plan further identified several major objectives of the effort, including:
1. Development of objective design standards in response to new State housing laws;
2. Overhaul of the commercial zoning code;
3. Substantial update of design guidelines;
4. Streamlining of development review processes;
5. Implementation of General Plan and Housing Element goals, policies, and programs; and
6. Continued implementation of new State legislation.
Staff met with Council members in 2024 to discuss their concerns and ideals for the 1 5
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development code.
The City also identified a number of recurring concerns associated with the existing code, including:
Overly complex and difficult-to-navigate regulations;
Duplicative or inconsistent standards;
Obsolete land use classifications;
Regulatory gaps resulting from evolving State law;
Limited flexibility for contemporary mixed-use and reinvestment opportunities.
In response, the City initiated a comprehensive effort to update the code through a combination of public outreach, stakeholder engagement, technical review, and policy analysis. The resulting Public Review Draft reflects the current outcome of collaboration between City staff, the consultant team, stakeholder groups, appointed officials, and the community, and is intended to facilitate additional refinement through the formal public review process.
Following issuance of a Request for Proposals (RFP), the City conducted a competitive consultant selection process. A review committee evaluated submitted proposals and selected Mintier Harnish to assist the City with preparation of the Development Code Update. The draft code is intended to:
Simplify development review processes;
Improve clarity, organization, and usability;
Implement General Plan goals and policies;
Address ongoing changes in State housing and land use law; Introduce objective development standards for qualifying housing projects; Provide streamlined process as appropriate;
Update commercial and mixed-use regulations; and
Establish a more predictable and user-friendly development framework while maintaining community character and design quality.
Project Initiation and Community Engagement
The Development Code Update process formally commenced with an initial community outreach and engagement phase intended to gather early feedback regarding the strengths and limitations of the City’s existing regulations. Initial outreach efforts included:
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A community meeting at the Senior Center;
Three public walking tours initiated from different areas of the City; Stakeholder interviews with various businessowners, developers and builders active in the area;
Public discussion regarding development patterns, community character, and redevelopment opportunities;
A Maptionnaire – online mapping exercise - to gather public opinion on land use and development patterns and options; and
A preliminary code and legislative audit to identify major gaps, inconsistencies, and outdated regulations.
In addition, the consultant team conducted a series of stakeholder interviews with business owners, builders, developers, and other community representatives willing to share firsthand experiences navigating the City’s existing development regulations. These discussions provided valuable insight regarding procedural challenges, regulatory barriers, and opportunities for modernization and reinvestment.
To support ongoing review and coordination, the City established a Steering Committee comprised of:
Community leaders;
Representatives from the Planning Commission and Architectural Review Committee;
A City Council representative; and
Managers of key departments: Economic Development, Public Works, and Planning.
The Steering Committee reviewed draft materials and policy concepts in advance of Planning Commission discussion and provided feedback throughout the process. Planning staff and the consultant team facilitated all Steering Committee and review discussions.
Additionally, the draft code was reviewed internally through a Technical Advisory Group (TAG) comprised primarily of Planning staff responsible for implementation and administration of the code on a day-to-day basis.
Along with the extensive review of the initial code draft, staff and the consultant identified three areas needing additional work which are not yet reflected in the Public Review Draft.
The following items are expected mid-July to coincide with competing the final revision of the Code:
Landscape and shade: these development and design components represent key visual and environmental markers in the city and deserve greater attention. Applying these elements in the current code have posed challenges to site review, shade and 1 5
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landscape calculation, and long-term growth and maintenance. The landscape and 1 5
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shade sections in the PRD do not represent the planned, more prescriptive standards being completed in the coming weeks.
Objective Design Standards and General Development Standards: Division 3 is slated for substantial organizational changes which will occur after the PRD period ends.
To better facilitate housing development – especially in walkable, transit-ready locations where infill already exists – the City is initiating a Mixed-Use Incentive Overlay. The Overlay will incentivize underutilized and vacant sites for including housing in development and redevelopment plans.
The Public Review Draft will be posted on zonecathedralcity.com. An email inbox specifically for comments has been established and directs emailed comments to specified staff. Hard copies of the draft will also be distributed to Council members, Planning Commissioners, and made available at strategic locations in the city.
The PRD is available for public review from May 15, 2026 through June 19, 2026. Following the review period, additional revisions are anticipated prior to environmental review and subsequent Planning Commission and City Council hearings.
DISCUSSION:
The Public Review Draft represents a substantial step toward modernizing and reorganizing the City’s development regulations. While additional refinement is anticipated following public review, the draft establishes the overall framework and direction for a more contemporary and organized development code.
Major improvements of the revised draft can be summarized in the following themes:
Clearer, more concise structure – consolidated residential, commercial and office zones and improved mixed-use zones
Alignment with the General Plan - adopted in 2021
Improved process and administration – expanded ministerial approvals Improved and updated development standards - introduced Objective Design Standards
Improved use regulations – such as tiered use permissions based on intensity Overall cleanup and maintenance – removing outdated and obsolete zones and provisions.
The draft code introduces Objective Design Standards (ODS) primarily applicable to multi- family and mixed-use development. These standards are intended to provide clear and measurable design expectations consistent with evolving State housing law while supporting the State’s broader objective of reducing unnecessary barriers to housing production. The standards are also intended to maintain quality site planning, pedestrian orientation, and overall building design outcomes. Additional refinement to the organization and integration 1 5
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of the ODS framework is anticipated following the PRD review process.
The City is also pursuing additional enhancements to the landscape and shade standards through a specialized landscape consulting effort. Given Cathedral City’s climate conditions, including extreme heat, wind exposure, and desert environmental conditions, landscape and shade design play a critical role in community comfort, long-term sustainability, pedestrian experience, and overall placemaking throughout the City.
The intent of these standards is to help ensure that all residents, businesses, and visitors benefit from a high-quality public realm and built environment while maintaining practical, implementable, and context-sensitive development standards.
While the draft includes significant modernization efforts, staff also recognizes that certain policy constraints remain influenced by the City’s existing General Plan framework, adopted land use designations, infrastructure considerations, and broader State regulatory requirements. As a result, some larger-scale land use and density changes may require future policy discussion beyond the scope of the current code update effort.
To further support redevelopment opportunities and housing objectives, the City is also pursuing a Mixed-Use Incentive Overlay framework intended to encourage reinvestment and strategically located mixed-use and residential development opportunities consistent with the General Plan and Housing Element. The intent of this effort is to identify practical implementation tools that support housing production, corridor revitalization, and adaptive redevelopment opportunities while remaining consistent with the City’s broader policy framework.
Public Review Process
The Public Review Draft Development Code Update will be available for formal public review from May 15, 2026 through June 19, 2026.
During this period:
Draft materials will be made publicly available;
Additional stakeholder and community outreach will occur; Public comments will be collected and evaluated; and
Staff and the consultant team will continue refining the draft.
The Public Review Draft is available on zonecathedralcity.com and comments may be submitted to [email protected].
Following completion of the public review period, the draft is anticipated to undergo additional revisions prior to preparation of required environmental review documentation pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
Subsequent public hearings before the Planning Commission and City Council will occur following completion of environmental review and final draft revisions. 1 5
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FISCAL IMPACT:
In FY 2024/1015, the City executed a contract with Mintier Harnish in the amount of $479,720 for this project.
FIVE-YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN:
F-1 Develop comprehensive strategy to amend zoning code and update design guidelines, including an identification of what work City staff can accomplish and what work optimally should be contracted out, including: 1) development of objective design standards in response to new state housing laws; 2) overhaul of commercial zoning code; 3) substantial update of design guidelines; 4) streamlining of development review processes; 5) implementation of Cathedral City General Plan and Housing Element goals, policies, and programs; and 6) continued implementation of new state legislation.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Summary one-page key changes by theme
2. Summary of what the changes and improvements mean to residents and business owners
3. Narrative form of updates and improvements provided by Mintier Harnish
4. Development Code Update – Public Review Draft