Joint Meeting of City Council
and Planning Commission
City of Visalia
August 19, 2025
Agenda Item 2: Emergency Shelters
Consider updates to City regulations and Zoning Districts, Provide guidance, as directed, to comply with AB 2339
Housing Element Program 5.2: Emergency Shelters
Identify one or more permitted by-right zones that:
Are suitable for residential uses
Has sufficient sites capacity
If non-residential zoning, is located near specified amenities and services Re-consider Visalia’s regulations / performance standards Currently Permitted in I-L; Conditional in C-S, C-MU, QP AGENDA ITEM #2
Emergency Shelters are currently:
Permitted in I-L
Conditionally Allowed in C-S, C-MU, QP
AGENDA ITEM #2
Identify one or more permitted by-right zones that:
Are suitable for residential uses
All zones (Residential, Commercial, Office, Industrial) allow residential uses by right or by CUP Have sufficient sites capacity
Vacant land within the zone, with the amount based upon the Homeless Point-in-Time Count (For non-residential zones) Are located near specified amenities and services, which may include:
o health care,
o transportation,
o retail,
o employment
o social services
ZONING / CAPACITY ANALYSIS
Visalia’s zone designation must have 1.99 acres of sites based on:
Visalia’s point-in time count of 434 persons
Minimum of 200 square feet per person
Equal to 86,800 square feet (1.99 acres)
Vacant Land:
Conclusion:
All zones except Office Conversion have sufficient sites
SUFFICIENT SITES CAPACITY
C-N
C-R
C-S
C-MU
D-MU
O-PA
O-C
BRP
I-L
I
QP
# Acres Vacant Land
40 114
97 237
3 42
0 87
88 1370
90 Permitted-by-right Zoning designation(s) must be either:
vacant sites zoned for residential use, or
vacant sites zoned for nonresidential use that allow residential development that can demonstrate that the designation is located near certain types of amenities and services Residential Zones:
All three zones, R-1-5, R-M-2 & R-M-3 have ample vacant land However, proximity to existing residents has potential to impact residents & neighborhoods if shelter is not properly managed
ZONING ANALYSIS
Non-Residential Zones:
Best Suited: Commercial Mixed Use & Downtown Mixed Use
Next Best: Regional Commercial & Office
Where C-R lacks social services & O-PA lacks retail, the City may advocate that these zones include a strong presence of all but one of the listed amenities and services & that all have transportation to access the balance of the services
ZONING ANALYSIS
C-N
C-R
C-S
C-MU
D-MU
O-PA
O-C
BRP
I-L
I
QP
Health Care
0 1
0 2
3 3
0 0
0 0
2 Transportation
2 2
1 2
3 2
2 1
1 1
2 Retail
2 3
0 3
2 0
0 0
0 0
0 Employment
1 3
2 2
3 2
0 1
1 3
1 Social Services
0 0
0 3
2 2
0 0
0 1
1 TOTAL
5 9
3 12
13 9
2 2
2 5
6 Scores:
0=none
1=low
2=med
3=high
Program 5.2 lists revisions needing to be made to the City’s regulations to comply with GC 65583(a)(4) as amended by AB 2339 Expand the definition of emergency shelter
Require only parking spaces sufficient for staff workers, no more than what is required of residential & commercial uses in the same zone Reduce the minimum proximity to other emergency shelters, schools, or low barrier navigation centers [from 1,000 feet] to 300 feet Remove the requirement of a perimeter wall abutting residential uses (this requirement is not on the list of allowable objective standards that local governments can impose.)
PERFORMANCE STANDARDS
"Emergency shelter" means housing with minimal supportive services for homeless persons that is limited to occupancy of six months or less by a homeless person. No individual or household may be denied emergency shelter because of an inability to pay.
An emergency shelter shall include other interim interventions, including, but not limited to, a navigation center, bridge housing, and respite or recuperative care "Low barrier navigation center" means a housing first, low-barrier, service-enriched shelter focused on moving people into permanent housing that provides temporary living facilities while case managers connect individuals experiencing homelessness to income, public benefits, health services, shelter, and housing. "Low barrier" means best practices to reduce barriers to entry, and may include, but is not limited to, the following.
The presence of partners if it is not a population-specific site, such as for survivors of domestic violence or sexual assault, women, or youth.
Pets.
The storage of possessions.
Privacy, such as partitions around beds in a dormitory setting or in larger rooms containing more than two beds, or private rooms.
DEFINITIONS
Project Number
Location Info
Info
Info
Info
LOCATION DESCRIPTION
NAVIGATION CENTERS
Program 5.8 includes update to revise City Municipal Code to comply with Assembly Bill 101 (2019) AB 101 mandates LBNCs to be permitted-by-right in mixed use zones & non-residential zones permitting multi-family housing ZTA will correct staff’s original interpretation, making LBNCs permitted-by-right in non-residential zones Alternative path toward compliance
As part of ZTA, change one or more non-residential zones from allowing multi-family by CUP to not allowed Drawback = Impacts City practice of granting CUP for multi-family uses in various zones
Get direction from Council and Commission.
The recommendations will be the basis for an upcoming Zoning Ordinance Text Amendment Public Hearings will be noticed and scheduled to Planning Commission by November / December
NEXT STEPS
Thank you
City of Visalia - Planning Division