Agenda Item Wording:
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Updates to City regulations and zoning districts to allow for a mix of dwelling types and sizes, including limited promotion of missing middle-density housing types, and to the public hearing requirements related to parcel maps and large multi-family uses, in fulfillment of General Plan Housing Element Implementation Programs 2.7 and 3.17.
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Prepared by:
Brandon Smith, Principal Planner, (559) 713-4636, brandon.smith@visalia.city
Paul Bernal, Planning and Community Preservation Director, (559) 713-4025, paul.bernal@visalia.city
Department Recommendation:
Staff recommends that the City Council and Planning Commission consider the information provided in the report and provide comments and guidance as directed.
Recommendations provided by the City Council will be used as a basis for a Zoning Ordinance Text Amendment to adopt revised residential development standards to encourage the development of housing types affordable to the local workforce, fulfillment of Housing Element Implementation Program 2.7 and 3.17.
Program 2.7 Missing Middle Housing:
Visalia's Housing Element Program 2.7 directs the City to conduct an evaluation of existing development standards in the Zoning Ordinance to identify potential constraints and potential incentives towards development of "missing middle housing". The program entails public outreach to local developers, property owners, and non-profit agencies, and adopting revised standards for such development in 2025.
Missing middle housing is characterized by a range of low to medium density range housing types, such as duplexes, triplexes, townhomes, and cottage homes, located within residential neighborhoods and providing a more affordable alternative to the local workforce. They may also include a triplex or a fourplex on a single lot. Figure 1 below provides an illustration of unit types typically associated with missing middle housing. According to the National League of Cities (https://www.nlc...
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