TO: City Council DATE: August 24, 2026 DEPARTMENT: Community Development
PREPARED BY: Marie Jones Consulting
PRESENTER: Marie Jones
AGENDA TITLE: Consider Submission of an LCP Amendment to update the Coastal Land Use and Development Code and adoption of various ordinance to include regulations (already added to the Inland Zoning Code) for Cannabis Businesses (17.52.055 17.52.057, 17.42.057), Short Term Rentals (17.42.190) and Formula Business (17.42.075), and to revise regulations for Animal Keeping (17.42.040), Telecommunications Facilities (17.44), Density Bonus and Affordable Housing Incentives (17.31), Inclusionary Housing Requirements (17.32), Signs (17.83), Landscaping (17.43), Residential Accessory Uses And Structures (17.42.160) and Definitions (17.100).
RECOMMENDED ACTION
Introduce by title only and waive the first reading of seven ordinances (attachments 1 through 7) to include regulations (already added to the Inland Zoning Code) for Cannabis Businesses (17.52.055 17.52.057, 17.42.057), Short Term Rentals (17.42.190) and Formula Business (17.42.075), and to revise regulations for Animal Keeping (17.42.040), Telecommunications Facilities (17.44), Density Bonus and Affordable Housing Incentives (17.31), Inclusionary Housing Requirements (17.32), Signs (17.83), Landscaping (17.43), Residential Accessory Uses And Structures (17.42.160) and Definitions (17.100).
BACKGROUND
Over the years the Planning Commission has recommended, and City Council has adopted, new ordinances to change the Inland Land Use and Development Code to address changes in State law and new policy goals and direction. Many of these changes have not been made to the Coastal Land Use and Development Code because the process to amend the CLUDC is cumbersome and takes considerable staff time.
On May 13, the Planning Commission considered the various proposed amendments to the Coastal Land Use and Development Code. During Planning Commission discussions, the Planning Commission recommended that the City Council reconsider whether the City should have an inclusionary housing requirement. However, given that the current inclusionary housing regulations for the Coastal Zone are out of date, the Planning Commission recommended adopting the current proposed inclusionary housing requirements. They also recommended that City Council hold a conduct of business item at a City Council meeting to discuss whether inclusionary housing should be required in either the Inland or Coastal Land Used Development Code.
ANALYSIS
New regulations, that have already been added to the Inland zoning code, for the Coastal zoning code would include:
Formula Businesses regulations. Formula Business regulations were adopted to respond to community opposition to formula businesses in Fort Bragg and the impact of such business on the small-town character of Fort Bragg (Attachment 1).
Cannabis regulations. Cannabis regulations were initially adopted in 2017 based on new state law allowing recreational cannabis. Cannabis regulations were revised in 2022 to address issues around compatibility with sensitive uses and over concentration in the Central Business District (Attachment 2) Short Term Rentals regulations. Vacation rental regulations were adopted to allow a maximum of ten Short Term Rentals in the Central Business District as a way of incentivizing installation of fire suppression sprinkler systems and to improve the economic performance of the downtown area by hopefully resulting in improved building stock. Short Term Rentals are not permitted in other parts of the City. (Attachment 3).
In addition, City Council has already revised the following sections of the ILUDC, and these changes are now proposed for the CLUDC:
Animal Keeping. This ordinance was revised in 2017 to allow bee keeping as part of the City’s bee friendly efforts and to prohibit rooster keeping due to community complaints. A number of other changes were made to this ordinance to make animal keeping more compatible with neighborhood life. (Attachment 4) Telecom Regulations. Telecom regulations were updated in 2017 to conform with Federal law (Attachment 5).
Inclusionary Housing & Density Bonus Law. Inclusionary housing regulations were updated in 2017 to conform to new state law, which requires that inclusionary housing requirements not make multifamily housing projects infeasible. Affordability levels for required inclusionary units were increased, and various other changes were made to the ordinances to comply with State law (Attachment 6).
Sign Standards. Minor changes have been made to sign standards in 2017 to comply with state law regarding regulations for temporary signs to protect political speech, allow event signage, and minor modifications to regulations related to non-conforming signs (Attachment 7). The changes to the temporary signage regulations is in track changes because these changes have not yet been made to the ILUDC, so they have not yet been reviewed by the Planning Commission or the City Council. The Planning Commission recommended that temporary signage requirements for residential districts be increased from one sign of 4 sf to unregulated number of signs limited to 4 sf/sign and 16 sf in total signage. These changes have been made to the ordinance.
Landscaping Standards – Various minor changes in the ILUDC landscaping ordinance that were adopted in 2017 and 2025 (Attachment 7).
Residential Accessory Structures. Allows detached garages to be built to the property line with minor use permit approval. Increases the area allowed for a workshop or studio footprint to 35% of the footprint of the primary structure. Allows a wider variety of uses for workshop/studio to all uses regulated under home occupations.
Definitions – Many definitions have been added, deleted changed and updated in the ILUDC since the CLUDC was adopted in 2008. Amendments were made in 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2024 and 2025. None of these changes have been made to the CLUDC. The attached revised ordinance includes all the updates from the ILUDC. The highlighted yellow illustrates the definitions that are unique to the Coastal Zone which have all been retained in their original form. Additionally, staff recommends that the definition for multifamily housing be revised to reflect the fact that many multifamily projects consist of detached units (Attachment 7).
This update includes migrating the above changes from the ILUDC into the CLUDC, as follows:
Retain Specific Coastal Act related language from the CLUDC and incorporated them into the new ordinances. Coastal Act language which has been retained is highlighted yellow text so that it can be easily identified.
Ordinance numbering and formatting have been modified to align with the CLUDC’s format.
All definitions relevant to each individual ordinance are included in the definitions amendment ordinance to ease implementation.
The compare documents of the ILUDC vs the CLUDC are available to see exactly what has changed in each ordinance that is proposed for amendment (Attachments 9-14). There are no compare documents for entirely new ordinances (Formula Business, Cannabis and Short-Term Rentals) because no prior CLUDC ordinance exists to compare it to.
FISCAL IMPACT/FUNDING SOURCE
The estimated $5,000 in costs associated with these regulatory changes is funded by the General Plan Maintenance Fund. These funds pay to publish hearing notices and for staff and consultant time.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS:
The “activities and approvals by a local government necessary for the preparation and adoption of a local coastal program or long-range development plan” pursuant to the California Coastal Act are statutorily exempt from compliance with CEQA, and this statutory exemption “shifts the burden of CEQA compliance from the local agency to the California Coastal Commission (CEQA Guidelines § 15265 (c)).
STRATEGIC PLAN/COUNCIL PRIORITIES/GENERAL PLAN CONSISTENCY The proposed changes are minor in nature and implement already approved ordinances from the ILUDC into the CLUDC. The retention of all Coastal Act related regulatory language ensures that the proposed changes to the CLUDC are consistent with the Coastal General Plan.
COMMUNITY OUTREACH
There were numerous Community Development Committee, Planning Commission and City Council meetings where the policy and language of the ordinances were discussed and modified at public hearings.
ALTERNATIVES:
City Council can choose to undertake the following alternative actions:
Retain existing regulations.
Provide other direction.
ATTACHMENTS:
AN ORDINANCE TO ADD SECTION 17.42.075 “FORMULA BUSINESS REGULATIONS” TO ARTICLE 17.42 “STANDARDS FOR SPECIFIC LAND USES” OF THE FORT BRAGG COASTAL LAND USE AND DEVELOPMENT CODE.
AN ORDINANCE TO ADD SECTION 17.42.055 “COMMERCIAL CANNABIS CULTIVATION”, SECTION 17.42.057 “CANNABIS RETAIL”, AND 17.42.059 “CANNABIS RETAIL – DELIVERY ONLY” TO ARTICLE 17.42 “STANDARDS FOR SPECIFIC LAND USES” OF THE FORT BRAGG COASTAL LAND USE AND DEVELOPMENT CODE AN ORDINANCE ADDING CHAPTER 17.42.190 “SHORT TERM RENTALS” TO ARTICLE 17.4 “STANDARDS FOR SPECIFIC LAND USES” OF THE FORT BRAGG COASTAL LAND USE AND DEVELOPMENT CODE.
AN ORDINANCE AMENDING CHAPTER 17.42.040 “ANIMAL KEEPING” TO ARTICLE 17.42 (“STANDARDS FOR SPECIFIC LAND USES”) OF THE FORT BRAGG COASTAL LAND USE AND DEVELOPMENT CODE.
AN ORDINANCE ADDING CHAPTER 17.44 TELECOMMUNICATIONS FACILITIES TO ARTICLE 17.4 (“STANDARDS FOR SPECIFIC LAND USES”) OF THE FORT BRAGG COASTAL LAND USE AND DEVELOPMENT CODE.
AN ORDINANCE AMENDING CHAPTER 17.31 – “DENSITY BONUSES AND AFFORDABLE HOUSING INCENTIVES” and CHAPTER 17.32 “INCLUSIONARY HOUSING REQUIREMENTS” OF THE FORT BRAGG COASTAL LAND USE AND DEVELOPMENT CODE TO COMPLY WITH CURRENT STATE LAW.
AN ORDINANCE MAKING MINOR AMENDMENTS TO VARIOUS CHAPTERS OF THE CLUDC INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING: CHAPTER 17.38 “SIGNS”; CHAPTER 17.34 “LANDSCAPING STANDARDS”; 17.42.160 “RESIDENTIAL ACCESSORY USES AND STRUCTURES”; AND ARTICLE 10 “DEFINITIONS.
A RESOLUTION OF THE FORT BRAGG PLANNING COMMISSION RECOMMENDING THAT THE CITY COUNCIL SUBMIT AN LCP AMENDMENT TO UPDATE THE COASTAL LAND USE AND DEVELOPMENT CODE SO THAT IT INCLUDES REGULATIONS (ALREADY ADDED TO THE INLAND ZONING CODE) FOR CANNABIS BUSINESSES (17.52.055 17.52.057, 17.42.057), SHORT TERM RENTALS (17.42.190) AND FORMULA BUSINESS (17.42.075), AND TO REVISE REGULATIONS FOR ANIMAL KEEPING (17.42.040), TELECOMMUNICATIONS FACILITIES (17.44), DENSITY BONUS AND AFFORDABLE HOUSING INCENTIVES (17.31), INCLUSIONARY HOUSING REQUIREMENTS (17.32), SIGNS (17.83), LANDSCAPING (17.43), RESIDENTIAL ACCESSORY USES AND STRUCTURES (17.42.160) AND DEFINITIONS (17.100).
Telecommunications Regulations - Comparison of CLUDC and ILUDC Animal Keeping - Comparison of CLUDC and ILUDC
Density Bonus & Inclusionary Housing Regulations - Comparison of CLUDC and ILUDC Signs, Landscaping, Residential Accessory Structures and Definitions Regulations - Comparison of CLUDC and ILUDC
AGENDA ITEM NO. 7A
CITY COUNCIL STAFF REPORT