2027 Planning and Zoning Work Program
At a glance
- What: The planning division's annual work program, setting next year's priorities for the Planning and Design Commission and City Council. The 2027 draft is the seventh such program.
- Where it stands: Initial draft reviewed by the Planning and Design Commission on October 8, 2026 (review and comment only, no vote, no public speakers).
- What's next: Revisions return to the commission in November, a summary goes to the Law and Legislation Committee in December, and the City Council is to approve it in January 2027. The 2026 omnibus ordinance and registered house plans ordinance are slated for council on November 10.
Main 2027 items
- General Plan and Zoning Consistency Project (over 100,000 parcels), planned for the commission in January.
- Five-year General Plan update starting next year, possibly with a programmatic environmental report instead of the master report.
- Housing: AB 1033 accessory dwelling unit sales, a condo conversion ordinance, cottages on wheels, and the 2029 to 2037 Housing Element update.
- River District and Central City specific plan updates (infrastructure fees, right-of-way, tower design guidelines).
- Truck route map due by year end, levee maintenance planning, design review district repeal, waste management, home occupation and sign code updates, climate action plan updates, parking lot tree shading.
Concerns raised
- Budget: structural deficit and a hiring suspension; one senior planner post is deliberately vacant. Staff said the work plan is realistic.
- Commissioner Ortiz questioned fee and penalty increases against vacancies and urged education over harsh code-enforcement fines.
- Commissioner Rusk asked that shading rules count shade from buildings, not only trees.
Sources
Discussion time
About 40 minutes across 1 meeting (from transcript timestamps; approximate).
| Meeting | Minutes |
|---|---|
| 2026-10-08 - Planning and Design Commission | 40 |
Log
- 2026-10-08 - Planning and Design Commission — Planning Director Sandlin presented the initial draft; commissioners praised the plan and asked about staffing, specific plan updates and the five-year General Plan cycle.