Date: November 18, 2025
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Kathy Pease, Planning Consultant
Jim Schaad, City Manager
Subject: Zoning Change for Signs and Fence regulations in the Downtown Specific Plan
Recommendation
1. Approve an Urgency Ordinance, making urgency ordinance findings to amend Section
18.64 and Section 18.84 of the Zoning Code to address sign and fence requirements in the Downtown Specific Plan
2. Direct staff to move forward with the same ordinance and bring the item to the Planning Commission with a recommendation to the City Council. This would include the same ordinance without urgency findings to amend Section 18.64 (signs) and Section 18.84 (fences) of the Zoning Code to address sign and fence requirements in the Downtown Specific Plan.
Summary
The City Council approved adoption of the Downtown Specific Plan at its meeting of September 16, 2025. As part of that action the zoning districts were changed. In implementing projects within the Downtown Specific Plan area, staff identified that the sign ordinance only referred to the previous zoning districts and therefore changes to the zoning code are needed to avoid confusion on sign requirements. It is proposed that the new zoning districts be labeled with a key to identify the appropriate sign code requirements.
Background
Previous zoning districts in the Downtown Specific Plan Included C-1, C-2 and C-3 commercial and M-1 industrial designations. As part of the Downtown Specific Plan the districts were changed based on area: Downtown (Downtown Mixed Use DMU), Commercial Mixed Use, Medical Arts District, Mixed Use Neighborhood (MU-N) and B Street Corridor (B).
Sign requirements are found in section 18.64 and fence regulations are found in Section 18.84 and both are based on the zoning district which limits the number, size, height, location, and lighting of signs or height and location of fences. It is proposed that each of the Downtown Specific Plan areas have a designated sign and fence district that corresponds to a non- Zoning Code Amendment for Downtown Specific Plan Signs and Fences City Council
November 18, 2025
CITY COUNCIL MEETING | Page 2 of 4
codified sign district map, as shown below. The map is color coded and includes sign districts labeled A through H. This map would be used by staff to assist applicants with the sign requirements for their locations.
Downtown Specific Plan Sign and Fence Districts
Fiscal Impact/Funding Source
The sign and fence amendment is being paid for through the City’s General Fund.
Zoning Code Amendment for Downtown Specific Plan Signs and Fences City Council
November 18, 2025
CITY COUNCIL MEETING | Page 3 of 4
Environmental Review
Pursuant to Sections 15063 and 15073 of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), an EIR was prepared and circulated for the Downtown Specific Plan. An EIR is an informational document which is intended to inform public agency decision-makers and the public of the potentially significant environmental impacts of a project, identify ways to minimize the significant impacts (mitigation), and describe reasonable alternatives to the project. The Draft EIR was made available for public review for a 45-day period from September 27th, 2024, to November 12th, 2024 and the Final EIR was adopted September 16, 2025. The amendments to the sign and fence ordinance would be consistent with the analysis of uses in the EIR.
Urgency Ordinance Findings
Because the Downtown Specific Plan ordinance went into effect November 7, 2025, staff recommends the City Council adopt the ordinance as a temporary urgency ordinance.
State law allows the City to adopt as an urgency measure, an interim ordinance prohibiting any uses that may be in conflict with a contemplated general plan, specific plan, or zoning proposal that the legislative body, planning commission or the planning department is considering or studying or intends to study within a reasonable time. The urgency measure shall require a four-fifths vote of the legislative body for adoption. The interim ordinance shall be of no further force and effect 45 days from its date of adoption.
After notice and public hearing, the legislative body may extend the interim ordinance for 10 months and 15 days and subsequently extend the interim ordinance for one year. Any extension also require a four-fifths vote for adoption. Not more than two extensions may be adopted.
To adopt an urgency ordinance the City Council must make the following findings:
1. The City Council has determined and declares that this Ordinance is necessary for the immediate preservation of public peace, health or safety based upon the following facts:
A. Without this urgency ordinance there would be no applicable sign ordinance requirements in the Downtown Specific Plan Area since the new zoning ordinance for the Downtown Specific Plan went into effect on November 7, 2025.
B. Adopting revisions and associated sign and fence non-codified map referencing to Section 17.64 and 18.84 of the Zoning Code, will avoid confusion for applicants seeking sign entitlements.
C. Specific plans must be consistent with the General Plan and Zoning Code and therefore, these amendments are required to ensure that the documents are internally consistent.
D. Given the time needed to amend the zoning code, there is no feasible alternative to ensure that the sign and fence code are amended to address the inconsistency in the Downtown Specific Plan.
Zoning Code Amendment for Downtown Specific Plan Signs and Fences City Council
November 18, 2025
CITY COUNCIL MEETING | Page 4 of 4
E. The Government Code Section 36937 authorizes the adoption of an urgency ordinance for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health or safety.
F. The City Council determines that the Zoning Code amendment must be further reviewed and possibly revised to protect the public against potential negative health, safety and welfare impacts associated with installing and permitting signs in the Downtown Specific Plan.
Next Steps
Following adoption of an urgency notice, staff would prepare an amendment to the zoning district and Downtown Specific Plan, and a regular ordinance would be forwarded to the Planning Commission for a recommendation to the City Council. The action would require a 20-day public notice and public hearings. This would likely be before the City Council by January or February 2026.
Attachments
1. Urgency Ordinance Sign and Fences No. XX
2. Ordinance Minor Revisions – Signs
3. Ordinance Minor Revisions – Fences
4. Exhibit A – Downtown Specific Plan Sign and Fence Map