Agenda Item No: H.3
AGENDA REPORT
DATE: December 10, 2025
TO: Chairperson and Members of the Planning Commission
FROM: Community and Economic Development Department
SUBJECT: Resolution PC2025-09 (2023-2031 Housing Element Implementation)
Recommending the City Council Approve General Plan Amendments (GPA2025 -0003) for the Following Five Assessors Parcel Numbers (APN): (1) APN: 0027 -370-280 at Westamerica Drive and Suisun Valley Road From High Density Residential to Community Commercial; (2) APN:
0027370-300 at Mangels Boulevard and Suisun Valley Road From High Density Residential to Community Commercial; (3) APN: 0038-221-010 At East Tabor Avenue and Railroad Avenue, from High Density Residential to Very High Density Residential; (4) APN: 0034-050-320 at Heath Drive and Peach Tree Drive from High Density Residential to Very High Density Residential; (5) 1351 East Tabor Avenue (APN: 0037 -010-120) from High Density Residential to Very High Density Residential; and Approve a Zone Change (ZC2025 -0006) Rezoning the Following Seven Parcels:
(1) 3066 Travis Boulevard (APN: 0152 -280-140) from Community Commercial District to Mixed Commercial District; (2) APN: 0027-370-280 at Westamerica Drive and Suisun Valley Road From Office Commercial District to Mixed Commercial District; (3) APN: 0027 -370-300 at Mangels Boulevard and Suisun Valley Road, from Office Commercial District to Mixed Commercial District; (4) APN: 0027 -360-070 at Campus Lane and Suisun Valley Road from Industrial Business Park District to Residential Very High Density District; (5) APN: 0038 -221-010 At East Tabor Avenue And Railroad Avenue From Residential High Density District to Residential Very High Density District; (6) APN: 0034 -050-320 at Heath Drive and Peach Tree Drive, from Resid ential High Density District to Residential Very High Density District; (7) 1351 East Tabor Avenue (APN: 0037- 010-120) from Residential High Density District to Residential Very High Density District; And Amending Various Sections of Chapter 25, Article I, Also Known as The Zoning Ordinance, to Implement the 2023-2031 Housing Element.
Contact: Vicrim Chima, (707) 428-7446, [email protected]
PROJECT RECORD
Resolution No.: PC2025-09
File No.: General Plan (GP2025 -0003); Zone Change (ZC2025 -0006); Environmental Review (ER2025-0026); Environmental Review (ER2025-0027)
Location: Citywide
Applicant: City of Fairfield
RECOMMENDED ACTION
Hold public hearing and adopt resolution.
STATEMENT OF ISSUE
Continued public hearing requested by the City for zoning text and map amendments and associated General Plan amendments to implement the City’s 2023–2031 Housing Element. The project includes rezoning of seven sites, making associated General Plan amendments for five of these sites for consistency, and various text amendments to the Zoning Ordinance.
BACKGROUND
Housing Element 2023-2031 Implementation
The City is implementing several actions to fulfill the requirements of its 2023 –2031 Housing Element. To effectuate the required rezoning and zoning amendments specified in the adopted Housing Element, three separate actions are required:
Zoning map amendment. As required by State Housing Element law, the project includes a Zoning Map amendment for seven parcels. The proposed Mixed Commercial (CM) and Residential Very High Density (RVH) zoning designations are intended to ensure these sites meet the criteria for accommodating Fairfield’s lower -income Regional Housing Needs Allocation.
General plan land u se amendment. The project includes a General Plan Land Use Plan amendment to redesignate five parcels for consistency with the zoning changes.
Zoning ordinance amendments. The zoning text amendments are consistent with the Housing Element actions and are intended to implement rezoning actions, support the production of housing at all income levels, protect existing residents from displacement, and expand opportunities for a variety of residential uses.
One such action, Action 8.2 of the Housing Element, directs the City to amend the Zoning Code to comply with AB 2162. This state law requires supportive housing to be regulated in the same manner as any other residential use allowed in the zoning district. It further requires supportive housing projects with 50 units or fewer to be approved by right, or ministerially, in zones where multifamily or mixed-use development is permitted.
The Planning Commission reviewed the proposed amendments at its November 12, 2025 , meeting. The meeting materials, including the staff report providing additional background on the three actions, are attached for reference. The hearing was continued to a date and time certain to allow staff time to address Commission questions regarding supportive housing requirements. The analysis of this issue, along with any revisions made to the draft Zoning Code amendments since November 12, 2025, is provided below.
ANALYSIS FOR PLANNING COMMISSION
At the November 12, 2025 , Planning Commission hearin g, Commissioners raised questions regarding supportive housing, specifically whether state law requires supportive housing to be permitted in all residential and mixed -use zones and whether all supportive housing projects must adhere to the City’s Objectiv e Development Standards (ODS) and ministerial review processes.
Supportive Housing in Residential Zones
State law (AB 2162; Gov. Code §§ 65650–65656) establishes two separate requirements for local permitting of supportive housing.
1. As described in Gov. Code § 65651(f), supportive housing must be treated as a residential use in any zoning district where residential uses are permitted. This means that in zones where multifamily housing is allowed, supportive housing in a multifamily building must be allowed under the same permit procedures. In lower -density residential zones, supportive housing is p ermitted only when the proposed building type is one that the zoning district already allows, such as a single-family dwelling or duplex.
2. AB 2162 creates a ministerial, by -right approval requirement for supportive housing projects that meet the criteria i n Gov. Code § 65651(a). Generally, this includes 100 - percent residential projects located in a zone that allows multifamily or mixed -use housing, long-term affordability requirements, provision of supportive services, majority supportive housing units, qua lified sponsorship, and compliance with only objective zoning and design standards for similar multifamily housing types in that zone. When a project satisfies these criteria, including being located in a zone where multifamily or mixed-use development is permitted, the City must process the application ministerially and may not require discretionary review. Projects that do not meet all statutory criteria are subject to the requirements described above and follow the same permitting procedures that apply to comparable residential projects in the applicable zoning district.
Because Fairfield is a city under 200,000 residents with a homeless population under 1,500, these by-right provisions apply only to supportive housing projects of 50 units or fewer (§ 65 651(d)). Projects that exceed the threshold or do not meet the criteria are processed under the City’s standard permitting for residential uses as described above.
Applicability of Objective Design Standard and Ministerial Review Under Government Code § 65651(a) (AB 2162), supportive housing projects that qualify for ministerial, by-right approval must comply with the ODS, consistent with the requirement that ministerial projects be reviewed only for compliance with objective standards that apply to other multifamily residential uses in the same zon ing district . Because § 65651(d) limits by -right approval in Fairfield to supportive housing developments of 50 units or fewer located in zones that allow multifamily or mixed -use housing, only those qualifying projects are subject to ODS.
Supportive housing proposals with more than 50 units, or do not meet the AB 2162 criteria , are processed under the City’s standard discretionary review procedures and must meet the same development standards that apply to other comparable residential projects.
Proposed Changes
To address the differences in by -right approvals for supportive housing with 50 units or fewer, and supportive housing projects with more than 50 units, the following changes are made to the Zoning Ordinance amendments:
Chapter 25, Article 1, Section 25.20 and Section 25.22
Table 25-1: Residential District Land Use Regulations and Table 25 -9: Commercial District Land Use Regulations
Supportive housing (50 units or fewer) that meets the criteria under Government Code Section 65651 is permitted by right in all zoning districts that allow multifamily or mixed- use development.
Supportive housing (more than 50 units ) is required to follow the same entitlement procedures and permitting requirements that apply to other comparable multifamily residential projects in the base zone. These developments must also comply with all development standards applicable to the project site’s underlying zoning district.
Chapter 25, Division 3, Section 25.32 Specific Use Regulations For supportive housing development standards, the following revisions are made:
Clarification that no minimum parking may be required for supportive housing located within one-half mile of a public transit stop, consistent with Gov. Code § 65655.
Addition of detailed criteria for when supportive housing projects of 50 units or fewer qualify for ministerial, by -right approval under Gov. Code §§ 65651 –65652, including long-term affordability, restrictions to lower-income households, minimum set-asides for the target population, required supportive services space, documentation requirements, and replacement -unit obligations. Projects larger than 50 units must follow the same permitting process as other multifamily residential developments.
Establishment of application processing timelines consistent with Gov. Code § 65653, requiring completeness determinations within 30 days and ministerial approvals within 60 days for qualifying projects (or 120 days for projects over 50 units).
Chapter 25, Division 4, Section 25.40.9 Ministerial Housing Review Section 25.40.9 establishes a streamlined ministerial review process for eligible infill multifamily and mixed-use housing projects, including those qualifying under SB 35 and other state housing laws. Projects must comply with the City’s objective zoning and subdivision standards, as well as any applicable Airport Land Use Compatibility Plan. Eligible projects are reviewed only for compliance with these objective standards, and if no conflicts are identified within the required notification period, the project is deemed approved. Where City st andards conflict with state law, state provisions prevail.
Chapter 25, Division 5, Section 25.50 Definitions of Terms and Phrases Other clarifications are made to the definitions to reflect:
Replacement of Community Care Facility-Residential with Residential Care Facilities, small and Residential Care facilities, large in any other definitions referencing Community Care Facility-Residential.
In Supportive Housing, clarification of differing permitting requirements for supportive housing, 50 units or less, and for supportive housing, more than 50 units. New definition for Target Population (referenced in Supportive Housing)
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The proposed zoning map changes have been deemed categorically exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Section 21080.085. (a) of the Public Resources Code, in accordance with Senate Bill 131 (2025).
Zoning Ordinance Amendm ents to implement other Housing Action Plan (actions 2.3, 2.4, 2.5,
6.3, 7.2, 7.6 and 8.2) are also exempt from CEQA because it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the adoption of these provisions would have a significant adverse e ffect on the environment (CEQA Guidelines, 14 Cal. Code of Regs. Section 15061(b)(3)). These zoning amendments primarily modify organizational or administrative activities that will not result in direct or indirect physical changes to the environment (Publ ic Resources Code section 21065; CEQA Guidelines, 14 Cal. Code of Regs. Section 15378).
For the General Plan Amendments, an Addendum to the 2024 City General Plan Update and Climate Action Plan Environmental Impact Report (SCH No. 2021080289) has been prepared pursuant to CEQA Section 15164 and no subsequent environmental review is required in accordance with Public Resources Code Section 21166 and State CEQA Guidelines Section 15162.
CORRESPONDENCE
The Public Hearing Notice was published in the Daily Republic on Wednesday, October 22, 2025, and hearing notices were sent to 496 property owners within a 500’ radius from the seven subject sites on Octobe r 22, 2025. The November 1 2, 2025, hearing w as continued t o a date certain, December 10, 2025.
STAFF CONTACT
Vicrim Chima, Senior Planner
(707) 428-7446
[email protected]
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment 2: November 12, 2025 Staff Report
Attachment 3: Proposed Resolution PC2025-09
Attachment 4: Exhibit A - Proposed General Plan Amendments & Zoning Map Amendments Attachment 5: Exhibit B - Proposed Zoning Ordinance Text Amendments Attachment 6: Exhibit C - Proposed General Plan EIR Addendum and Statutory Exemption