Agenda Item Wording:
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Multi-family Residential Ordinance Discussion – Receive and review draft ordinance amendments for multi-family residential development to establish Objective Design standards and to increase the threshold of number of units permitted by-right in the R-M zone districts, and provide staff with direction on these changes prior to proceeding with holding a public hearing.
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Agenda Date: 11/16/2026
Prepared by:
Brandon Smith, Principal Planner, brandon.smith@visalia.gov, (559) 713-4636;
Paul Bernal, Planning and Community Preservation Director, paul.bernal@visalia.gov, (559) 713-4025
Department Recommendation:
Staff recommends that City Council receive the staff report and presentation on the draft ordinance amendments for multi-family residential development, including the proposed objective design standards (ODS), and provide staff with any input or desired changes to the amendments prior to scheduling formal public hearings for Zoning Ordinance Text Amendments in December 2026. These ordinance amendments are required actions under Housing Element Implementation Programs 1.3 and 3.2, and are identified by the Element to be completed by 2026.
Summary:
At the beginning of 2026, staff initiated the preparation of a set of Objective Development Standards (ODS) intended to apply toward construction of any new multi-family residential developments throughout the City. This work was initiated based upon the City of Visalia’s 6th Cycle Housing Element (“Housing Element”), which require the adoption of objective design standards, together with amending the Zoning Ordinance to provide a ministerial approval process for large multi-family residential developments up to 200 units, by 2026.
The effort was completed in-house, based upon staff’s recent experience of overseeing preparation of a new set of objective design standards for Single-family Residential development as a consultant-led effort. The Single-family Residential ODS was...
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