Planning Commission - Regular Meeting

Welcome to the City of Bakersfield Planning Commission meeting. This television broadcast is brought to you by the local cable companies, the County of Kern and the City of Bakersfield. You can watch the rebroadcast of this meeting Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 10 a.m. The agenda for this meeting can be downloaded at www.bakersfieldcity.us. presiding over this evening's meeting, Vice Chair Cassie Biddle.

It is my pleasure to call to order the April 16th, 2026 Planning Commission meeting. Madam Clerk, would you call roll please? Chair Strickland.

Vice Chair Biddle. Here. Commissioner Brandt-Oliver.

Here.

Commissioner Cater.

Here.

Commissioner Kaur. Here. Commissioner Martin.

Here.

Madam Clerk, next item, please. Pledge of Allegiance. Please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag In my defense, the page says I pledge. Thank you for attending tonight's Planning Commission meeting. The Commission provides an opportunity for the public participation in the development process throughout the City of Bakersfield. The Planning Commission considers a wide variety of projects including subdivision maps, zone changes, general plan amendments, and more. When the applications are received, the City Planning Division analyzes the request. Planning staff will present the facts about the project along with their recommendation to the Planning Commission who will approve the item or make a recommendation as appropriate. Madam Clerk, next item please. Public statements. Public statements are now received at different times depending on the item. I will call on Madam Clerk to call for public statements at the appropriate time, so please listen carefully for the correct time to speak.

Non-agenda item 3A, public statements.

Does anyone in the audience wish to address the commission regarding items not listed on tonight's agenda? If so, please come forward and state your name.

Seeing none. Agenda item 3B, public statements.

Does anyone in the audience wish to address the commission regarding items listed on tonight's agenda? Seeing none, Madam Clerk, next item please.

Agenda item four, consent calendar items.

All matters listed under the consent items do not require a public hearing and will be enacted by one motion. There will be no separate discussion of said items unless staff or a commissioner requests specific items to be discussed and or removed for separate action.

Does any, no, okay.

May I get a motion approving consent items 4A?

I'll make a motion.

Commissioner Cater?

So moved.

Commissioner Martin. Madam, oh. Commissioners, please cast your votes.

Motion passes with Chair Strickland absent.

Madam Clerk, next item please.

Agenda item five, consent calendar public hearing items.

Now is the time for consent calendar public hearing items. If the item is not removed by a commissioner staff or a member of the public, the commission will vote on all items in one motion without further comment. If an item is removed, it will be placed at the end of the non-consent public hearing items. At this time, I will open all of the consent calendar public hearing items. Does any member of the public wish to remove a consent calendar hearing item? Does any commissioner or staff wish to remove a consent calendar public hearing item?

I'd just like to note that I have a conflict of interest on item 5D and will be abstaining from voting.

Thank you.

Oh, due to source of income.

At this time, the consent calendar public hearing items not removed are now closed. May I get a motion to adopt staff's recommendation on the consent public hearing items not removed incorporating all staff memorandum and revised staff recommendations?

I'll make the motion.

I'll second that. Commissioner Kaur and Commissioner Oliver. Okay. Commissioners, please cast your votes.

Motion passes with Chair Strickland absent and Commissioner Cater abstaining from 5D.

Madam Clerk, next item, please.

Agenda item six, there are no non-consent public hearing items.

Madam Clerk, next item, please.

Agenda item seven, reports. Does staff have any reports?

Commissioners, I'd like to introduce Luis Ramirez, a planner for the department. Thank you.

Good evening, Commissioners. My name is Luis Ramirez. I am an Associate Planner with the Development Services Department Planning Division. I'm here to present the City of Bakersfield's 2025 Housing Element Annual Progress Report. This presentation will highlight our progress toward meeting our regional housing needs allocation, or RENA as they call it, and key implementation milestones from our housing programs. Tonight's presentation will cover a quick overview of what the Annual Progress Report, or APR, entails, the process we follow for the APR submission, a summary of our arena target, and 2025 housing production, and to look at how we're moving forward. The APR is a key tool required by the state of California that tracks a jurisdiction's progress in implementing its housing element. It includes data on housing production by income, category, program implementation, and other policy outcomes. This report helps maintain transparency and keeps Bakersfield eligible for important funding programs. The cities are required to submit the APR to both the State Housing and Community Development Department, known as HCD, and the Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation, LCI, by April 1st each year. The report is formatted using a standardized Excel tool and includes both quantitative data and narrative components explaining how the housing element programs are being implemented. The RENA housing needs allocation is a state-mandated housing planning tool. It's not a requirement to build a certain amount of housing, but cities must demonstrate that they have planned and zoned adequately for the housing across income categories. The Bakersfield Six Cycle RHNA covers a period from the years 2024 to 2032 with an assigned allocation total of 37,461 dwelling units across all income levels. 2025 marked the second year of the sixth cycle. While some progress was made, production and identification of very low, low and moderate income housing continues to be a challenge. This highlights the importance of our policy tools and partnership moving forward. In 2025, Bakersfield permitted 2,125 dwelling units, almost a 20% increase from the previous year. Of those 2,125 units, 43 were permitted for extremely low income households, and 96 were very low income households. Overall, we've completed 12.7% of our RHNA target. And to stay on track, we need to permit about 5,449 units per year. To help meet our RHNA target goals, the housing element includes 109 program actions. Since certification five months ago, most program actions are in the early stages of implementation and progress is underway. The city has allocated general fund dollars to the Affordable Housing Trust Fund and is leveraging state and federal sources that include ARPA and REAP funding. These funds are supporting the development of affordable rental housing for low income households. The city has transferred 23 abandoned residential lots to the Bakersfield Community Land Trust for affordable home ownership. 10 homes are currently under construction for first time home buyers. The city has also expanded the home access program to serve a greater number of households And to help with the home improvements, the city has implemented a ARPA-funded home repair and weatherization program and is developing an ADA accessibility improvement programs. I'd like to highlight a few affordable housing projects completed in 2025. which was the Renaissance at Baker with a total of 85 units, 42 of which are for extremely low income. And the Haley Street Apartments with a total of 40 very low income units. under construction in 2025 was the Let's Ring Senior Housing Project, which will provide 150 senior units affordable for those earning between 30% to 80% of the annual median income. And the Auburn Vista Apartments, which will provide 60 units, 25 of those units will be allocated to four low-income farmworkers. But it's funny to say that It was constructed in 2025, but the ribbon cutting was yesterday morning. So that, yeah, it's really good to see that these projects are getting completed. But one, another project that is actually in construction is the City View project, which will provide 37 townhomes targeting homeownership for low and moderate income households. In summary, Bakersfield continues to make progress on its arena goals, but like many jurisdictions face challenges in producing very low and moderate income housing. We'll continue to focus on affordable housing strategies, implementation of the housing element programs, and by removing barriers for household development. That concludes my presentation. I'm happy to answer any questions or provide clarification on the material provided. Thank you.

Do any commissioners have any questions?

Is that when we do this?

So I believe it's set for a motion to receive and file, but if the commission has questions or discussion, now would be the time.

Commissioner Cater.

I'm just curious, the emphasis on pursuing affordable housing strategies, if you could just briefly explain what some of the strategies look like for the upcoming year?

So the housing element has 109 action programs. They're all listed in table D of the annual progress report. Some of them include, which we're actually implementing the changes in the zoning ordinance to help with for example allowing well we are going to that's actually going to City Council I believe next 22nd in May so yes so changing the zoning ordinance to help remove barriers that would restrict housing development Another thing would be like the Biggersville Land Trust that we have, that ECD is running, where we would procure land and then develop it for affordable housing.

Thank you.

Do we need to do anything for receive and file?

A motion.

Can I get a motion to receive and file the staff report on the Housing Element Annual Progress Report for the calendar year 2025? So moved. Commissioner Martin, can I get a second?

I'll second.

Commissioner Cater. Commissioners, cast your votes.

Motion passes with Chair Strickland absent.

Madam Clerk, next item please.

Agenda item eight, communications. Does staff have any communication items?

At your next meeting on May 7th, selection of chair and vice chair for the next term will be on the agenda.

Madam Clerk, next item please. Agenda item nine, commissioner comments. Do any commissioners have any comments?

Seeing none. Oh, yay.

I have a question. Is there a search for a replacement for...

Yes, City Council will be considering a replacement for the Ward 1 seat. I think May 13th. It will be in May. And then two other seats shall also be considered for replacement. continuing their seat. Commissioner Cater and I believe Commissioner Strickland have applied.

So does that process, it has to be flown through a certain amount of time to replace the Ward 1 seat and then so that seat might be absent for a while? Is that what's normal?

The recruitment process ended about two or three weeks ago. The city clerk's office handle is responsible for the recruitment and it's usually about a 30-day recruitment period and that has closed.

Madam Clerk, next item please.

Agenda item 10, adjournment. This meeting is adjourned at 5.47 p.m. Thank you.