Isabella Vanderheiden / Friday, July 12 @ 11:54 a.m. / Agendizer
NEW RULES FOR TINY HOMES! Humboldt Planning Commission to Consider Changes to Draft Tiny House, Emergency Housing Ordinances at This Week’s Meeting
A tiny house village in Washington, D.C. photographed in 2013. Photo: Inhabitat via Flickr. License: CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
###
At this week’s meeting Thursday evening, the Humboldt County Planning Commission will revisit a pair of draft ordinances that, if approved, would expand transitional and affordable housing options for unhoused and low-income residents in unincorporated areas of the county.
The county’s Tiny House Village Ordinance, which has been in the works for nearly two years, would change the county’s zoning rules to allow groupings of three or more tiny houses (400 square feet or less) on a single property. The new rules would also accommodate “dependent unit villages,” or clusters of three or more sleeping units with central sanitary, laundry, cooking and dining facilities. Current zoning regulations prohibit multiple, small residential units on one property in both inland and coastal areas of unincorporated Humboldt County.
The Emergency Housing Village Ordinance would expedite the construction of new, low-cost housing in response to the county’s ongoing shelter crisis declaration, which the Board of Supervisors passed in February 2018. The ordinance would create a permitting path for a broad range of housing types and configurations, including tiny homes, with less stringent building standards to rapidly house people experiencing homelessness.
The draft ordinances have received broad support from local housing advocacy groups, including Affordable Homeless Housing Alternatives (AHHA). However, AHHA Executive Director Nezzie Wade has asked the Planning Commission to table its decision to give staff more time “to get this right.”
“I am concerned that the Planning Department may want to hurry this ordinance along, but I think that would be a serious mistake,” Wade wrote in a June 19 letter to commissioners. “I think that including both Tiny House Villages and Emergency Tiny House Villages in the same discussion has led to a push to pass the ordinances far too quickly. … We have a wonderful opportunity here to work together and foster collaborations among a variety of interested parties. … It certainly behooves us to do so since we will be held to account for what we can accomplish but, more importantly, people will have safe, warm, dry places to call home and thrive.”
Others, including Colin Fiske, executive director of the Coalition for Responsible Transportation Priorities, asked staff to remove the minimum parking mandate and density limitations outlined in the draft Tiny House Village Ordinance
“Let developers and service providers build as many tiny houses as they can on a given site, as long as health and safety requirements are met,” Fiske wrote in a June 20 letter.
At its last meeting, on June 27, the Planning Commission asked staff to incorporate a few changes into the draft Tiny House Ordinance to address concerns surrounding density. A previous draft of the document included a density limit of 20 units per acre, a sort of middle ground between the maximum number of units allowed under the Residential Low-Density (RL) designation (eight units per acre) and the Residential Medium-Density (RM) designation (30 units per acre) in the county’s General Plan.
Staff modified the ordinance to accommodate the maximum number of units that are allowed in each residential zoning designation and set a limit of 20 units per acre in non-residential areas where tiny home villages are allowed. Staff also included an alternative that would increase the density limit to 30 units per acre in non-residential zones. In both cases, developers would still qualify for incentives under the county’s Density Bonus Ordinance.
Staff also added a provision to reduce required parking at tiny house villages. “This included reduced parking allowances for sites that have additional on-street parking, [a] five percent reduction for providing bike racks for every unit, a 10 percent reduction for providing bike racks surrounded by a fence for security, a 25 percent reduction for providing bike lockers or racks within an enclosed secure space for every unit, and a 25 percent reduction for being within one-half mile of a public transit stop,” according to the staff report.
The Emergency Housing Village Ordinance was changed to allow emergency housing in zones where commercial uses are principally permitted.
Staff also decided to get rid of a provision of the ordinance that would have allowed developers to obtain a special permit for projects that are not connected to public water and sewer.
Both ordinances are exempt from environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) as staff has determined that there is “no possibility for causing a significant effect on the environment.”
If the draft documents are approved at Thursday’s meeting, they will be sent to the Board of Supervisors for final review and approval in the coming months.
###
All that, plus a discussion on the county’s draft Commercial Residential Ordinance. You can check out the rest of the agenda, complete with supporting documents from LoCO’s imaginative AgendaBot Gennie, below.
The Humboldt County Planning Commission will meet Thursday at 6 p.m. in board chambers at the Humboldt County Courthouse – 825 Fifth Street in Eureka.
Humboldt County Planning Commission
July 18, 2024, 6 p.m.
A. CALL TO ORDER / SALUTE TO FLAG
B. COMMISSIONERS PRESENT
C. AGENDA MODIFICATIONS
D. PUBLIC COMMENT ON NON-AGENDA ITEMS:
E. CONSENT CALENDAR
. Review and approval of the March 7, 2024, Action Summary.
. Review and approval of the May 02, 2024, Action Summary.
DOCUMENTS:
. Review and approval of the May 16, 2024, Action Summary.
DOCUMENTS:
F. PUBLIC HEARINGS
. Draft Commercial Residential Ordinance Assessor Parcel Numbers (APN) 000-000-000 Record No.: LRP-2023-18805 All the unincorporated areas of Humboldt County. The Commercial Residential Ordinance is to implement and expand upon Senate Bill 6 (SB 6), which allows for residential development in zones where office, parking, or retail uses are permitted. Based upon the County’s zoning regulations, various commercial and industrial zoning designations may qualify. Commercial residential is proposed as
The County of Humboldt is considering new ordinances to allow for residential development in certain commercial and industrial zones. The ordinances aim to promote denser housing and update zoning regulations to be consistent with state building codes and the General Plan. The Planning Commission is recommending that the Board of Supervisors approve these ordinances. The changes include allowing for a maximum residential density of 20 units per acre and promoting residential infill projects in certain zones. The proposals are exempt from environmental review.
— LoCOBot
Oh, braw County o’ Humboldt fair,
Wi’ plans and ordinances in the air,
For the meeting on the eighteenth day,
The Planning Commission shall have their say.
Wi’ files numbered twenty-four eleven twenty-seven,
The Planning and Building Department’s steps to heaven,
In the agenda, a Public Hearing awaits,
On the Draft Commercial Residential Ordinance, the debate.
Assessor Parcel Numbers, o’ so fine,
In every nook and cranny o’ Humboldt, they shine,
Recorded in LRP-two zero two three one eight eight oh five,
For all the unincorporated areas, to thrive.
A new type o’ development, commercial residential shall be,
Adding dwellings to zones, where offices and retail are seen,
Modifying sections and tables to make it right,
For the inland and coastal areas, shining bright.
Zoning regulations, amendments galore,
To implement measures and open the door,
For housing types and infill projects in the town,
In Humboldt County, let the changes go down.
The Planning Commission, in their wisdom profound,
Shall adopt resolutions, with resolutions abound,
Findings of exemption and public interest true,
For the proposed ordinances, enacting them too.
So let it be written, so let it be done,
For the County of Humboldt, under the sun,
A poem by Burns, in Scottish delight,
Capturing the essence o’ this planning night.
— LoCOBot
DOCUMENTS:
Staff Report • Attachment 1 - Commercial Residential Draft Resolution (Inland Coastal) • Attachment 2 - Inland Commercial Residential Ord • Attachment 3 - Coastal Commercial Residential Ord • Attachment 4 - Zoning Updates Draft Resolution (Inland Coastal) • Attachment 5 - Inland Zoning Updates Ord • Attachment 6 - Coastal Zoning Updates Ord • Attachment 7 - Senate Bill 6 • Attachment 8 - Public Comments
. Draft Tiny House Village Ordinance and Draft Emergency Housing Village Ordinance Assessor Parcel Numbers (APN) 000-000-000 Record No.: LRP-2021-17304 Unincorporated Humboldt County. The Tiny House Village Ordinance will amend the zoning code to allow a grouping or clustering of three or more tiny houses or moveable tiny houses as a type of multifamily dwelling. Tiny house villages can also include Dependent Unit Villages defined as a grouping or clustering of three or more sleeping units with ce
The County of Humboldt is considering two ordinances, one for tiny house villages and one for emergency housing villages. The tiny house village ordinance would allow groupings of three or more tiny houses or movable tiny houses. The emergency housing village ordinance would allow a broad range of housing types for emergency situations. The Planning Commission is being asked to adopt resolutions recommending that the County Board of Supervisors approve these ordinances. Various changes have been made to the ordinances based on feedback from previous meetings. The goal is to provide more affordable housing options in Humboldt County.
— LoCOBot
In the County of Humboldt, on a meeting day so fine,
The Planning Commission gathered, the agenda was a sign.
A Tiny House Village Ordinance was up for debate,
Along with an Emergency Housing one, they couldn’t wait.
They discussed zoning and clustering, with APN in hand,
Making changes to encourage lower cost housing across the land.
The Tiny House Villages, a charming sight to see,
Three or more tiny houses, a community that’s cozy.
And for emergencies, they had a plan in place,
Alternative Lodge Parks and Dependent Unit Village grace.
The Commission recommended actions to take,
For the Board of Supervisors to consider, for the county’s sake.
The discussion was thorough, changes were made,
Incorporating feedback, the ordinances were swayed.
To promote diversity, to help those in need,
For homeless and low income, a better path to lead.
So here’s to Humboldt County, forward they go,
With resolutions passed, a brighter future to show.
For housing and shelter, for those who may roam,
In the County of Humboldt, they’re building a new home.
— LoCOBot
DOCUMENTS:
Staff Report • Attachment 1 - THV Draft Resolution (Inland Coastal) • Attachment 2 - Inland Tiny House Village Ord. Draft • Attachment 3 - Coastal Tiny House Village Ord. Draft • Attachment 4 - EHV Draft Resolution (Inland & Coastal) • Attachment 5 - Inland Emergency Housing Village Ord. Draft • Attachment 6 - Coastal Emergency Housing Village Ord. Draft • Attachment 7 - CA Building Appendix P Emergency Housing • Attachment 8 - Public Comments
G. ITEMS PULLED FROM CONSENT
H. REPORT FROM PLANNER
I. PLANNING COMMISSION DISCUSSION ITEMS
CLICK TO MANAGE