City Council
August 18, 2026
Item 10.3: General Plan
Four-Year Review
Chris Burton, Director
Manira Sandhir, Deputy Director
Ruth Cueto, Principal Planner
Jerad Ferguson, Principal Planner
Why now?
• General Plan Goal IP-2: Major Review
• Comply with 6th Cycle Housing Element (2023-
2031)
• P-35 Small Multifamily & P-40 Urban Village
Strategy
• Prepare for 7th Cycle Housing Element (2031-
2039)
Overall Timeline
Overall Timeline
2027
APR-MAY
Public Outreach
2026
JAN -JUNE
Task Force
Meetings #3-8
DECEMBER 2027
Final
Recommendation
and Adoption by
Planning Commission
and City Council
OCTOBER
Task Force
Meeting Kick-Off
2025
JUNE
Council
Adopts
Scope of
Work
DECEMBER
Virtual Webinar
Fall
Environmental
Analysis Begins
JUNE 24
Planning
Commission
Vote on
Framework
AUGUST 1 8
City Council
Vote on
Framework
Fall 2026 - Fall 2027
Public Outreach
20312023
2024
JANUARY 31
Due date for
7th Cycle
Housing
Element
JANUARY
HCD
Certification of
6th Cycle
Housing
Element
JUNE
Council
Adoption of 6th
Cycle Housing
Element
Four-Year Review Scope of Work
Increasing Residential Capacity
Small Multifamily Housing
Jobs & Employed Residents Balance
Urban Village Strategy
How were the recommendations
developed?
IP-2.11: During each Major
Review, convene a Task
Force to review
implementation progress,
engage the public, and
recommend actions to
achieve the General Plan's
goals.
Policy
FrameworkOutreach
Task Force
feedback &
questions
Staff
Analysis
Planning Commission
Recommendation
Planning Commission Recommendation
Planning Commission voted to recommend the City Council take the following actions:
1. Modify to the density ranges of specific General Plan land use designations.
2. Change the General Plan land use designation of the following sites: The Alameda, MUC and SB 1333 sites.
3. Develop a framework for PQP lands.
4. Develop a Small Multifamily program.
5. Update the Urban Village Strategy to streamline the process and unlock housing.
6. Maintain the current target Jobs-to-Employed Residents (J/ER) Ratio of 1.1
Planning Commission Recommendation
Planning Commission failed to sustain a majority vote, on the following staff recommendation:
1.a.iii: Modify the General Plan land use designation and zoning of certain parcels in the Winchester Boulevard Corridor as shown in Exhibit A.
Small Multifamily Housing
(Missing Middle Housing)
HCD Certification of Housing Element
"Throughout the planning period, HCD will be actively monitoring timely and effective implementation of all programs including, but not limited to the following:"
….
"Program P-35 (Small Multifamily Housing): This program creates new opportunities for missing middle housing typologies. The City commits to incentivizing smaller housing developments across the City in higher-resourced areas, including near its Urban Villages." ….
"Please be aware, Government Code section 65585(i) grants HCD authority to review any action or failure to act by a local government that it determines is inconsistent with an adopted housing element or housing element law.
This includes failure to
implement program actions included in the housing element. HCD may revoke housing element compliance if the local government’s actions do not comply with state law
."
State Laws Context:
Senate Bill 9 (2021)
• Up to 4 units allowed on a single-family parcel:
duplex and/or subdivision project.
• Minimum lot size after subdivision: 1,200 sf.
• Owner-occupancy requirement.
Senate Bill 1123 (July 2025)
• Vacant single-family lots;
can designate existing units are remainder
• Subdivisions up to 10 parcels.
• Minimum parcel size: 1,200 sf
Recommendation: Increase allowed density in Residential Neighborhood GP from 8 units per acre to 32 units per acre
Parcel area
(square feet) 0-2,999 3,000-
4,999
5,000-
5,999
6,000-
6,999
7,000-
7,999
8,000-
8,999
9,000-
10,890 10,891+
Parcel area
(acres) 0-.07 .07-.11 .11-.14 .14-.16 .16-.18 .18-.21 .21-.25 .25+ Share of RN
parcels 6% 22% 40% 13% 9% 4% 3% 3%
Primary units
allowed 1-2 2-4 4 4-5 5-6 7 6-8 8+
ADUs allowed 2 2-4 4 4-5 5-6 7 6-8 8
Total units
allowed 3-4 4-8 8 8-10 10-12 14 12-16 16+
84%
Development Standards
• Height: Maintain 35-foot height limit; increase maximum stories to 3.
Consider height limit reduction in rear, as feasible.
• Setbacks: Specify required setbacks.
• Floor area ratio (FAR): Allow higher FAR for small multifamily; explore increasing FAR with unit count.
• Parcel coverage: Set maximum parcel coverage
• Parcel size: Explore a maximum lot size or limit lot mergers • Parking: No parking minimum, consistent with current citywide policy and based on review of small multifamily projects since parking minimums were eliminated.
Missing Middle Examples
Location: 39 Lester Ave
Project: 3 units + 4 parking
spaces
Parcel Area: 4,500 sf
Height: 36 ft
Density: 30 DU/AC
Missing Middle Examples
Location: 1945 Park Ave
Project: 3 units
Parcel size: 7,800 sf
Height: 37 ft
Density: 17 units/acre
Next Steps
Overall Timeline
Overall Timeline
2027
OCTOBER
TaskForce
Meeting Kick-Off
APR-MAY
Public Outreach
2026
JAN -JUNE
TaskForce
Meetings #3-8
DECEMBER2027
Final
Recommendation
and Adoption by
Planning Commission
and City Council
2025
JUNE
Council
Adopts
Scope of
Work
DECEMBER
Virtual Webinar
Fall
Environmental
Analysis Begins
JUNE24
Planning
Commission
Vote on
Framework
AUGUST18
City Council
Vote on
Framework
Fall 2026 - Fall 2027
Public Outreach
Staff Response to
Mayor/Council Memos
Memo from Mayor, Campos, Cohen, Foley, and
Casey
Proposed Changes Staff Response
Minimum parking standard in RN areas, consistent with AB 2097 Could be accommodated.
Environmentally review increasing RN density to 16 DU/AC, 24 DU/AC, and 32 DU/AC.
May affect timelines; 16 DU/AC would
jeopardize Housing Element certification.
PQP 1.5 ac. sites, allow 100% affordable housing and remove the requirement that 25% of the units shall be for permanent supportive housing(PSH), with minimum density of 60 DU/AC. to the acre.; Consider additional community serving uses as part of the framework
Could be accommodated.
Amend 5585 Cottle Road/Southside Community Center from PQP to TR. Recommend Fire Station remain PQP.
Explore allowing neighborhood serving commercial, beyond home- based occupations, in RN. Could be accommodated.
Memo from Councilmembers Candelas, Ortiz
and Mulcahy
Proposed changes Staff Response
Prohibit small multifamily projects in the following areas: 1.
Moderate Fire Severity Zones; 2. Immitigable High Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) Areas; 3. Planned Developments; and 4. Area Specific Plans
Concern with impact of 2, 3, and 4 of limiting
applicability in high and highest resource areas.
Develop a streamlined process and lower fee structure for SUP’s on PQP Lands
Refer to the annual budget process as
Development Services is a cost-recovery
program.
MUN instead of UR except for 2467–2477 and 2485 Forest Avenue; 2467–2477 and 2485 Forest Avenue to maintain current
designations.
With MUN, sites only net roughly half of the units
permitted through UR. Consider alternative of
maintaining status quo.
For MUC sites, prioritize conversion to housing-oriented land use designations on West San Carlos Street
Consistent with staff approach.
Establish second GPA cycle for changes to sites currently designated as residential, commercial, or public-quasi-public. Could be accommodated.
TCAC
Opportunity
Map by
Council
District
Memo from Councilmembers Kamei and Tordillos
Proposed Changes Staff Response
1 & 2. Explore creation of a local density bonus program for missing middle housing. Develop objective written health and safety standards.
Could be accommodated.
3. Work with IGR to sponsor bill that allows city to retain authority to impose local objective planning standards
notwithstanding the state Density Bonus Law
Consistent with existing
legislative priorities.
4. Missing Middle Pilot, within 0.75 miles of Tier 1 and Tier 2 transit hubs
Could be accommodated.
5. Return to Council with options for allowing small-scale neighborhood retail uses
Could be accommodated.
City Council
August 18, 2026
Item 10.3: General Plan
Four-Year Review
Chris Burton, Director
Manira Sandhir, Deputy Director
Ruth Cueto, Principal Planner
Jerad Ferguson, Principal Planner