Tiburon approves housing element zoning changes
The Tiburon Town Council agreed to update its zoning code to align with its newly approved housing element, but delayed a decision on a controversial housing site on Paradise Drive.
The council unanimously approved rezoning plans for downtown housing sites and adopted objective development and design standards at a meeting on Wednesday .
The changes add new zoning districts to facilitate mixed-use projects on Tiburon Boulevard and Main Street. The objective design standards are imposed on new development in the downtown districts and mixed-use neighborhood commercial zones. The standards include allowed land uses and permit requirements, site planning, building placement, street frontages, building scale and design, open space, landscape design and parking.
The council also directed the town staff to develop objective design standards for the Reed School site and for a controversial housing site at 4576 Paradise Drive.
Bob Brown, a town housing consultant, said 4576 Paradise Drive would have a minimum housing density of 10 dwellings per acre and a maximum of 12.4 dwellings. The property, also called “Site H,” has a development capacity of 93 dwellings.
The council pushed off rezoning the property until objective development and development standards, known as ODDS, were created for the site.
“I think developing some ODDS that will put parameters around what happens there is extremely important,” Councilmember Jon Welner said.
Dina Tasini, the town’s director of community development, estimated it could take up to six months to develop the standards.
Some residents sought to stop the zoning change, which city staff sought to delay implementing until Jan. 31, 2024.
Peter Prows, an attorney representing a group of citizens opposed to the development of the site, said the zoning change would have “immediate and direct consequences” and kick off environmental reviews.
“Rezoning would require an immediate change in the use of the site,” he said.
Welner warned that the property is still open for development under current town design standards.
“I’m not sure, other than waiting for ODDS to be developed and approving those, I don’t see delaying zoning will have the impact that advocates of delaying zoning want it to have,” Welner said.
The Planning Commission previously reviewed the zoning ordinance amendments and objective design standards, which are required to implement the housing plan. The zoning and objective design standard changes were recommended unanimously, with the exception of the Paradise Drive location.
The resolution passed 2-1, with commissioners Erica Williams and Jeff Tsai voting in favor and Kathleen Defever opposed.
Tiburon approved its housing element on May 22. It is under review by the state Department of Housing and Community Development.
Tiburon must show it can permit 639 more residences over the next eight years. The number includes 193 dwellings for very-low-income households; 110 for low-income; 93 for moderate-income; and 243 for above-moderate.
The town’s most recent projection includes 692 residences, including 217 for very-low-income households; 122 low-income; 95 moderate-income; and 258 above-moderate-income.