Pc Meeting - Regular Meeting

All right, it's 6:30. I'm calling to order the city of Plymouth's planning commission meeting for Thursday, March 5th, 2026 at 6:30 p.m. Uh members of the public not attending in person may submit written public comment prior to the meeting by emailing your comment to the planning clerk at jmith cityofly.org before 3:30 p.m. on the day of the meeting. Emma public comments will be distributed to the commission and made part of the official record. This meeting will be recorded. Council chambers are wheelchair accessible. Special accommodations may be requested by contacting the planning clerk 72 hours in advance of the meeting. Please silence your cell phones and any similar devices. And first we have a roll call.

Commissioner East here. Commissioner Malcolm here. Commissioner Mickelson here. Vice Chair Clapro absent. Chair Sullivan here. Thank you. Do we have a quorum?

All right, let's all rise for the flag salute. We'll move on to number two, which is approval of the planning commission regular meeting agenda for February 5th, 2026. Uh, actually should is that correct? Okay, that's what I thought. All right, let me restate that. Number two, approval of the planning commission regular meeting agenda for March 5th, 2026. Um, I would like to make a motion that we approve it with the correction of the date and number two. Do I have a second?

A second. Commissioner East. Yes. Yes. Commissioner Malcolm. Yes. Commissioner Mickelson. Yes. Chair Sullivan, yes. Thank you. Motion passes.

And let's move on to public comment is next. Under the provisions of the government code, citizens wishing to address the commission for any matter not on the agenda may do so at this time by completing and submitting a speaker submitt form to the planning clerk or following the instructions noted on the agenda. Speakers will be called by the chair at the point on the agenda when the item will be heard. Speakers should keep their comments to 3 minutes or less. State their name and community of residents. Under provisions of the government code, the commission is prohibited from materially discussing or taking action on any item not on the agenda unless it can be demonstrated to be of an emergency nature or an urgent need to take immediate action arose after the posting of the agenda. Is there anyone in city hall that would like to make a public comment about something that's not on the agenda? Do we have anything in writing? All right, I'll close public comment then. Uh, next we have presentations and appointments. Number four, 4.1 is the 2025 general plan annual progress report. The state of California requires staff to submit an annual progress report demonstrating how we're meeting the goals and policies of both the general plan and the housing element. Our general plan was adopted in 2009. General plans typically last for 20 years. So, we're nearing our sunset date on the general plan. The housing element was recently adopted by city council. However, it's not certified yet, but it is included in here. The purpose of the APR is to demonstrate um how we are aligning with the goals and per the goals and policies of the general plan and to show where we are moving away from it and maybe where we need to um redo the general plan earlier

than the the 20-year date if if it was necessary. Um, similar to last year, um, as we discussed before, most of the goals and policies of our general plan are quite ownorous for a small city, for a city of this size. And so, as you can see in the document, a lot are marked as not not done yet. Um, and most won't be done. Over the last year, we have adopted um objective design standards. So, we we do have some design standards now for the cities. for our multif family projects, but for the most part, they're just not done. You know, an example is subdivision standards that those are very expensive. We don't have too many subdivisions going on. We're not a constantly developing community. Um, we also had a downtown specific plan as a goal and again, very expensive for the size of our downtown. Um, as far as the housing element goes, as I mentioned, it was recently adopted by the city council. We are starting to work towards some of the the requirements of the housing element as we're required to do so, even though it's not certified yet. Tonight's ADU ordinance is required as part of the housing element. We have some other ordinances and changes that will be coming up that we need to make to the zoning ordinance that are mostly actually required by state law. So, it's not anything um crazy or wild. It's just what the state requires of us anyways and we'll codify it so it's there. Um, you aren't required to make a motion on this. It doesn't require resolution. Um, it's more of an informal discussion. If you wanted to better understand anything else, anything in the APR, we can talk about it um, some more. And then from here goes to council. And again, council just here's as an as an item and then I will submit it to the state. It's required to be submitted by before April 1st. That's the deadline. Um, in the APR, we do list some ongoing project or some current

projects that we have, and I'll just list them so you're aware. Um, our major projects right now are we have the Gich Ranch, which is 299, which is a 299 unit residential subdivision. That's in progress. They haven't technically submitted a tenative map, and that's required for us to hit the next step, but they have submitted one for a cursory check before they formally submit. so they can catch any comments um right now before printing out plans and so we're looking at that now. So they're still in progress and EIR is underway that has been a project for a number of years. We have Aurora Woods has recent recently reapplied. This has been an ongoing project since I think 2008. Um there are new developers tied to it and they have submitted an application for 109 dwelling units on that parcel. They remain incomplete as well. they did give us a map and we had a significant number of comments on it and so they're working on readjusting their tenative map. Um other projects include the Arco AM gas station at the trading post. Uh that is they require additional SQL work so that we can complete it and get it to public hearing and we're waiting to determine if they want to move. We're waiting to for them to determine if they want to pay for that additional cost and move forward. So that's sort of at a standstill right now. They are technically complete. We just have the additional SQA work that needs to be done. And then we have the 88 room uh hotel and the applicant is working on his technical studies for the SQA document which he hopes to actually complete soon. Once that's done then work will begin on SQA and then hopefully um be adhering at some point soon. We also have an application in for a gas station at the Pokerville market. Um that is incomplete. Comments just comments went to them I believe a week ago and then I elevated that to planning

commission. So that'll be a planning commission review project. And recently staff did approve a five five unit um complex on Sutter Street and that included three deed restricted affordable units. So they'll be deed restricted to lower income households for 55 years and then it's five and then they'll have an ADU on top of that. So it'll be um some multif family housing for the city. But that's really what we have that's kind of the extent of what is going on in the city right now.

Great. And just because I know we have couple of new faces up here and um and I remember being a new face up here and we probably may have some new folks listening uh from home today. Can you just kind of explain like give the two-minute what a general plan is and what requirements we have to what we have to do with it regularly or on a 20-year time span or whatever. And then same with the housing element real quick just for the benefit of the new.

Okay. So I'll separate the two. The housing element I'll start with the housing element because that's more of the the big ticket item that we see more often. So the housing element has a a specific window and it's eight years. So, ours is 2021 to 2029. It's an 8-year period. We're currently on the sixth cycle housing element. Um, every, let's say, region in the Bay Area, their time frame is different. So, there are some jurisdictions that are getting started on their seventh cycle right now. Their their time periods obviously are earlier than ours. We have till 2029 for se for the seventh cycle. The housing element is two components. One is its goals and policies to encourage the construction of housing as well as the construction of affordable housing. So what are the barriers to constructing affordable housing? It could be that we have a very ownorous um zoning ordinance that really limits anything other than single family residential development or it could be that we are requiring really extensive setbacks and it's limiting the ability for people to construct. Along with that, every for every cycle, the state of California hands to the county our regional housing needs assessment number. So, it's the number of units we are required to build within that period and it's we're required to plan plan for obviously the city doesn't have to build it, but that number gets broken down into um lowinccome, very low income, low income, moderate, and above moderate housing. this this city consistently constructs above moderate. Um, so within those numbers, it gets further broken down into each city within the county and then the number of of those income categories. And what we as a city have to do is

prove that we could theoretically have allow for the construction of those units within that time frame. Luckily enough, during the fifth cycle, we upzzoned a parcel that that could allow for up to a 100 dwelling units. Um, we did that with a highdensity residential overlay. So, that takes care of our numbers from this year. We didn't have to reszone a site or upzone anything. Most jurisdictions do find that they have to upzone properties, increase the density, or reszone parcels to meet their arena numbers. We're lucky enough where we have enough vacant land that we and our numbers aren't that high. I can't remember what they are off the top of my head. I think it was 36 for this year. Um, but we had enough so we didn't have to reszone it. But in some cases, a city would have to reszone or upzone for the sites. The general plan is different in the sense that the general plan is looking at how do we want to grow as a community over the next 20 years. So, so if I adopted a general plan tomorrow, where do we see ourselves 20 years from tomorrow? And it's supposed to be the gradual growth or not growth, maybe infill, city by city, depends. But what do we want? What do we want to look like in 20 years? Where do we want commercial land? Do we want industrial land? Where would it be located? Where might we put extra housing? We have a sphere of influence. do we want to expand the sphere of influence so that we could annex other properties and grow as a city? And that is done um o over the course of the planning period for when you're working on your general plan, you are looking at all of those things on how you want to to be and then what goals and policies do we want to include to ensure that we can can get there or what are our priorities that we see as a city. if a specific

plan was a priority, you could put it in there as a pol as a goal um for the 20ear span. And it's really just again those goals and policies are how are we going to achieve the look and the feel that we want of the city kind of in a twominute very brief spiel. Perfect. Thanks. Anybody questions? You guys good? All right. Perfect. Well, thank you for the um the progress report. Any public comment on the progress report at all? Thanks. Second sub you mentioned after a royal woods where

it's I know I'll map but it's between Gich and Zinfendel where Zinfendel swings up towards Old Sack. It sits kind of in between Gich and Zinfendel and that sort of vacant area. That makes sense. Behind the sewer plant sort of right. Yeah.

on that thing.

So, anytime we look at any projects where they have an impact to to roads or anything. So, let's say water, a road, sewer. that EIR is going to study what is that project's impact on on a road. So if they are accessing Old Sacramento, what is their impact? What are they responsible for? Additionally, when projects come online and they start building, they are paying an impact fee. And one of the impact fees does go to streets. Now, I think Old Sacramento is a different situation in which I don't believe we own most of that road. Um, but engineering would know better than I do. For Gre, they don't, as of right now, they don't connect to Old Sacramento. So, it's not as significant as an impact as someone directly accessing Old Sacramento. But again, it's reviewed as part of the EIR and we determine if any improvements are necessary or what they would be responsible for cuz I can't make someone pay I can't make the hotel if they don't impact Old Sacramento Road pay for fixing up Old Sacramento Road. They are paying an impact fee and we can choose as a city where we want to use that money.

Thank you for the question.

Great. Thank you. All right. any there was nothing no written questions or anybody online anything all right so we can go ahead and close number four and uh if everybody's good with that is there any planning commission discussion on that you guys have any any questions any discussion all right so we can close number four out 4.1 out and move on to the consent calendar items number five all matters listed under the consent calendar to be considered routine and will be enacted by one motion if discussion is required that particular ular item will be removed from the consent calendar and will be considered separately. And so under the consent calendar, we have 5.1 the approval of the planning commission regular meeting minutes of September 18th, 2025 and approval of the planning commission special meeting minutes of December 9th, 2025. Is there any uh comment discussion about any of that? All right. Um, can I get a motion to approve the consent calendar?

A motion to approve.

I'll second. Commissioner East, yes. Commissioner Malcolm, yes. Commissioner Mkelson, yes. Chair Sullivan, yes. Thank you. Motion passes. All right. On to number six, public hearings. We have 6.1, which is uh hearing to consider recommending city council approval of a resolution of the planning commission of the city of Plymouth approving the adoption of chapter 19.74 accessory dwelling units to the city's zoning ordinance. Erica,

Jacob's going to pull up our PowerPoint. They can go to the next one. Oh, went up. Um, a little bit of background. We discussed ADUs back in 2000 to 2024 and since then each year the state has been amending the law and so as we tried to bring an ordinance, we had to fix it again. And then for 2026, the state significantly changed the law for 2025. So that required a complete rethinking. So it is a little bit different than what we discussed two years ago. The law has significantly changed. Um we don't currently have an ordinance within our um we don't currently have any regulations within our zoning ordinance. So right now we are following state law, but we're required to adopt a um an ADU ordinance. And really this is all out of state law. There's very little we can say regarding ADUs. The state has made it a priority to allow for the construction of ADUs to allow for additional types of housing, more affordable housing. And so most of this is just taking the government code and putting it in a more readable language. So there are four different types of ADUs. There's detached ADUs, which means it's an ADU not attached to your house. It's somewhere on your property. There's attached ADUs, which means you can construct it next to your house, on top of your house if you're one story. Um, but it is attached to your existing dwelling. Then there's converted existing space. So you could take your home, let's say it's 5,000 square ft and you want to create an ADU out of the interior space up to,200 ft², you could convert that. Um and the or the other

option is if you had a existing accessory structure, so a patio cover, a barn, some other sort of structure on your property, you can also convert that into an ADU. The size is limited to the size of the structure. So if you had a very large structure, you get that size. You're not required to make it any smaller. And then there are junior junior accessory dwelling units, which is a small conversion of interior space typically done in a garage. It can be an attached garage or a detached garage. They're limited to 500 square f feet. These are some examples just so you can see in picture form how it might work if you are doing um an attached or detached just so you can kind of visualize what they would look like. Next slide, please. Um in general we are required to allow ADUs where residential dwelling is permitted or conditionally permitted. Um ADUs are exempt from density requirements. Cities many years ago used to argue that a second unit couldn't be constructed because of density. That's been eliminated. You can no longer um count count it towards density. Uh we are required to allow up to three ADUs per property. Yeah, but that's a combination of conversion attached. So you you we'll go over in a second, but we are required to allow up to three. Um we went over the size requirements. Um one major important thing is that if someone comes in for an ADU, I cannot require them to fix anything that's non-conforming on their property. You can't use that as a reason for denying an ADU. So, if they had an illegal fence, I don't know, some illegal accessory structure somewhere, I can't make them fix it in order to get their ADU approval. The ADU has to be approved

if it meets all of our requirements. Next slide, please. Um, so again, there's you have to allow for three. And so you have to allow for one conversion either in the interior space of the house or um an existing structure, one junior accessory dwelling unit that's going to be in the garage limited to 500 ft² and then one new construction ADU. So that would be an attached or detached however someone wanted to put it on their lot. Uh in our ordinance we have broken the two types of ADUs into class one and class two just to differentiate between the two. Class one um ADUs are smaller ADUs and they get some more they get more allowances for where they're located on the site. Again, this comes from the state, but they're smaller ADUs. It's under 800 square ft. Um they do have to meet the 4ft rear and sideyard setbacks, but they can be anywhere in the front. So they don't have to follow the front yard setback. Uh class two units are larger and in that case you then have to meet the front yard setback of the zoning district that you are in as well as the 4ft side and rear. To go over junior accessory dwelling units because these are very specific. They are only allowed in single family zoning districts. That's the only place that they're they're allowed. Um again, it's the conversion of the existing space within the garage or within the house. Typically, they are found in in garages. When you convert a garage to that junior accessory dwelling unit, you're not required to replace those parking stalls anywhere on your lot. Uh, junior accessory dwelling units are a little bit different in the case that they can either have their own bathroom or they can share the bathroom with the inside of the house, but then they have

to have direct access into the rest of the house to access that bathroom. They do have to have a kitchen. If someone were to build a junior accessory dwelling unit, they actually have to live on the property. So either in the junior accessory dwelling unit or in the house, either one is fine, but they have to physically live there. Um, next slide, please. We also have to allow ADUs for multif family properties. And multifamily properties is not based on is it zoned for multif family. It's based on are there two attached dwelling units on that property. So, if I have a parcel and it's zoned for multif family and there is one house, they don't qualify for the multif family ADUs. But if I have a single family property and there's attached dwelling units, then they get to they get to use these um they get to use the multif family allowance. Multifamilies have two types. They have conversion and then they have detached. conversion means that they can convert any existing non-living space to an ADU and they can do up to 25 the number of conversion units can be up to 25% of the number of units uh within the complex and conversion a conversion of non-living space could be um a leasing office, a gym if they had a gym on site, uh a laundry room, That's the conversion of storage space. That's the conversion. But in addition to but in addition to conversion, they also get detached units and they get a minimum of two up to eight. And that's based on the number of dwelling units they have on site. So multifamilies can add quite a number of units if they had the space to do so. Um,

as far as parking goes, um, you are required to provide one parking space if the ADU is onebedroom or more. Um, but that can be a tandem space and it can be located on the on the driveway. So, it is easy to meet that those parking requirements. Again, um, if they are taking over a garage, a carport, um, or other covered parking, we can't require replacement parking. So, it's just it's gone at that point. Um, there's not much we can there's not much we can require for parking for ADUs. Um, we're proposing and if if this were to be adopted that uh a planning application would be uh required to be submitted before building permit. So, they'd have to get planning approval first. Planning is going to check it to make sure how many ADUs do they have on their property? What are they trying what are they trying to do? do they conform to our regulations? Um, if it's a JADU, we'll require a deed restriction to make sure that they do not that the owner is living and any future buyers would know that um with a with a JADU some the owner has to live on the site. The state requires that if we receive an application for an ADU that staff will review it and provide comments within 15 business days. Typically for residential projects, the permit streamlining permit streamlining act requires um review and comments within 30 days. This shortens it 15 business days does shorten it a little bit. Um but it is 15. Within that 15 days, I either have to determine if they're complete. Um if they're complete, but there are comments like you're 2 feet from the property line, you need to, you know, move it over two feet or whatever the case may be. Um we would have to send it to them within that 15-day time frame. And then each subsequent resubmitt we have 15 days again. Um once it's complete uh we would

provide a written a written determination on their project. And um the approval could be appealed if the applicant did not like uh our determination. Uh likewise if I say they are incomplete and they disagree with that they can also appeal the determination of incompleteness. Impact fees for ADUs are set by are restricted by the state. I cannot or the city cannot charge an impact fee for any accessory dwelling unit that is under 750 ft. So their impact fee is zero with the exception of schools. Schools can charge a fee if they're over 500 ft². Um after this 750 ft, it's a proportional charge and the building official figures that out based on the size of the unit, the size of the existing house. Um, Amodore Water does require that the applicant get a wheels serve letter before applying for their planning permit. So, we would make sure that they got that before they come to us. Um, so staff is recommending that you adopt an ordinance um, uh, recommending city council approval of the new chapter related to accessory dwelling units. And if following tonight's meeting, we will take your recommendation along with the ordinance um to the to city council. I don't have a date yet. Um during a during a notice public hearing, I'd be happy to answer any questions you have.

Uh yeah, you mentioned uh for the JADU that um it for future use, right? So, if somebody turned their garage into a J AU uh and then sold the house, a future person would then have to live there and then they but you couldn't basically buy it as a future rental property. It would always be a JADU home.

You could Yes. And the purpose of the deed restriction is twofold. One is it's so that any future property owner who may be unaware of ADU regulations, right, because they didn't go through the permitting process, that will come up um when they're doing their title reports and it will say here's this restriction. You have to live there. Um so that's the benefit of a deed restriction there. But yes, no, they can't rent out both and not be on the property. They have to live on the property. They can live in either one. Yeah. Yeah. But they have to be in in one of them. Could Could they deconstruct it and get the

Yeah, you could you could if you were to um let's say you have an ADU and you wanted to remove it, you're going to need a building permit and as part of that building permit, you'll remove the ADU and then we would go through a process where that deed restriction goes away because you don't have a Jedu anymore. How many applications do we have we got any or what do you see in the future?

Since I've been here, we've had two. I don't know if the first one ever actually got built. It was the conversion of a detached garage, but it was over the 500 ft. So, it was a conversion and she was under when she applied. It was a different set of rules back then. I believe though she was at like 7.49, 49. So, she didn't have to pay impact fees. That's typically what you find is a lot of people will keep those ADUs to under 750 ft. So, they don't have to pay the city impact fees because they can be quite high. But, we had her um I think that was like in 2024 and we just had one recently, but she hasn't started construction yet. Thank you.

I didn't I mean I I obviously read through everything, but I didn't take out the government code and compare word for word or anything. So, uh, my question is, is ours basically as restrictive as it can be and still be legal? Yeah. Okay. There's not much we can say. Okay. Sharers, anything else right now? Um, you can be less restrictive if you wanted to. I mean, you can allow larger ADUs, but we're not doing that right now. You could allow more, but we're not recommending a as written. And it's as restrictive as it can be and still be legal. Yes.

Okay. Check. Anyone else? All right. Do we have any written public comment or submitted public comment?

All right. Anybody in the audience have any public comment on this? If if you got comment, can you come up to the the mic so she can get it on the notes? Questions were fine before, but this one's actually the public hearing, so we got to do it right. Can you push the push the button to down? Yeah, there you go. My name is Kathy Langraph. I'm wondering if your design review is would be the same as normal or they could put anything up. So again, that's really hard. We can only have objective standards and we have two in there because on an ADU it's really hard to be objective. Um, we've done the most we can. If you are a historic prop, if you're a historic property, that would be a different story. Um, then there are things we can do, but there's again just not much we can say.

All right. Anything else from the floor? Any more discussion up here? It seems that like the only really qualification here is a 4ft setback, right? Like everything and then it has a kitchen. It has to have a single parking space. Uh bathroom is optional based upon uh if it's out outside the existing dwelling or inside the current dwelling. If it's inside the current dwelling, they can use the bathroom that's there. But it basically just changes the set back to the 4T option and you can build essentially anything under square footage. Correct.

So you're limited in size unless it's a conversion. The conversion then is this the size of the the structure. If I have a structure on my property and it does not meet the setbacks currently and I convert it, you get to have the existing setbacks. If I have a house that doesn't meet the setbacks and I'm extending, let's say the wall of the house, so I'm not making the setback less, you can still do that um because it allows for those sorts of exceptions. If you are a class one structure, which is that smaller one. So let's say you're 799 square foot. You do have to follow the 4 foot side and rear and you do have to be separated from the existing structure whatever the code the building code requires. And that does vary based on type of construction. If I'm the class 2, which is a larger structure, so I'm going up to that 1,200 square ft. I have the 4ft side and rear and then I have a 20 foot front yard setback and I have lot coverage requirements. So I think it's 50%. However, if our regulations in any way and the shape of that lot and the way the house is preclude the construction of an 800 square f foot ADU, then I have to start waving our requirements because I have to essentially allow for one 800 ft detached ADU. So they can build all the way to the fence. Then

there's building code requirements again for like set back to a property line. So they'd have to meet that. But um what it would most likely be is my guess is the one you'd start seeing waved the most is the front yard setback where they had to come forward if their house was set back. and it would be an older property where this would most likely apply because a lot of houses that we have in Plymouth are not, let's say, compliant with our current setbacks. So maybe you're 5T from the rear and you can only go in the front, but the way that house and lot is oriented is I have to start waving the front yard setback. Um, I'm trying to think of if I've ever waved a sideyard setback, and I don't think I've ever had to wave a side or a rear. It doesn't come up too much. It'll be on a kind of um an older property where they just don't meet our requirements as it is. So, like a substandard parcel Thanks for all the work on it. Thanks for the presentation. Um, do we have a motion?

I move that we recommend city council approval of a resolution of the planning commission of the city of Plymouth approving the adoption of chapter 19.74 accessory dwelling units to the city zoning ordinance. All right. Do we have a second? Second. All right. Roll call vote, please. Commissioner East, yes. Commissioner Malcolm, yes. Commissioner Mickelson, yes. Chair Sullivan, yes. Thank you. Motion passes.

All right, I can close the public hearing. Uh, so number 6.1 is closed. Moving on to number seven, unfinished business. We have none. New business, I don't see any either. Um reports I don't have I'm aware unaware of any commission reports. Uh I don't have a chairperson report. Planning director I think you kind of updated us on everything that was going on and your earlier item. Was there anything else that you have for us? All right. City staff. Nothing. Okay. All right. Well, given that uh we'll move on to number 10, which is an adjournment. and uh sure I'm good on that. Hang on. All right. Yeah, I think we're good. So, the meeting's adjourned at 7:07 p.m. Thank you everybody.