City of Gonzales
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT
ACTIVITY REPORT
TO: Honorable Mayor Rios and City Council
DATE: January 21, 2025
FROM: Taven Kinison Brown, Community Development Director THROUGH: Carmen Gil, City Manager
SUBJECT: Community Development Department Activity Report
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
CDBG/Urban County. Staff continues to coordinate with Monterey County in programming available CDBG funds for city needs.
HOUSING
Vista Lucia Specific Plan. City staff and the developer team are finalizing the language of the Development Agreement which will serve and instruct both the City and housing development interests for the next 20 years. Once completed, the whole of the project will track to the Planning Commission, City Council and LAFCo.
Outreach. The City continues to add names and groups (including realtors, commercial brokers and civic leaders) to the “Interested in Housing” list for our citizens (225 persons as of January 15, 2025). People on the list will be invited to the Planning Commission and City Council public hearings, and then to the LAFCo public hearing annexation proposal.
Housing Element. The Office of Housing and Community Development (HCD) informed the City in a letter dated December 24, 2024, that the City’s 6th Cycle Housing Element is complete and may be adopted by the City, subject to a rezoning action to accommodate additional Affordable Housing units within the City. Consultants are assisting the City with this implementation effort, and funds have previously been secured through AMBAG’s administration of REAP 2.0 grant monies. Staff will track the 6th Cycle Housing Element certification through Planning Commission and City Council following City actions on the Vista Lucia Specific Plan.
AGENDA
ITEM
7 CODE ENFORCEMENT
The City continues to meet with property owners, inspect potential violations and start documentation to progress to remedies. Present cases involve vehicles in yards, a garage that had been converted, tall grasses, garbage and potential fire danger, and unpermitted structures in a rear yard, among others.
BUILDING DIVISION ACTIVITY
From December 1 to December 31, 2024 (31 reporting days), the City issued 12 permits for water heaters, furnaces, reroofs and photovoltaic work associated with solar installations. The estimated value of improvements was $ 133,767.00.
GENERAL COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITY
Potential Mini Storage and Vehicle Storage. The Community Development Department continues to work with an applicant as his proposal takes shape for new commercial / industrial uses on Gonzales River Road on the western city edge. The potential here is to provide support for our major agricultural processing giants but may also include mini storage and vehicle storage opportunities for the public.