City zoning tweaked by California

Orland approved changes to the housing element of its general plan last week - allowing for higher density development on some parcels.

The revisions were made at the request of the state Department of Housing and Community Development after it reviewed the document approved by the Orland City Council on March 15.

Community Services Director Nancy Sailsbery told the council on July 19 state officials wanted some language clarified in the Orland plan.

The revisions included a section on medium- and high-density residential sites.

Sailsbery said the state agency wants Orland to increase the number of sites available for medium- and high-density residential development within the city limits or in areas in its sphere of influence.

State officials want the city to eliminate the conditional use permit requirement in the existing permit process for owner-occupied and multi-family rental units over four units, Sailsbery said in a written report.

The state reviewer also pointed out three specific sites in which this zoning change should occur during the 2007-2014 housing element's planning period.

A 12-acre section of the Blair Estates Projects should be included in the medium- to high-density zoning instead of the one-family or R-1 designation it currently has, state officials said.

Blair Estates consists of 35.95 acres and presently has 41 CHIP homes in the subdivision providing affordable housing to lower- and moderate-income families. An additional 17 lots have been zoned for single-family homes as well, officials said.

But the state wants the 12 acres rezoned to allow a minimum of 16 dwelling units per acre to a maximum of 25 dwelling units per acre, and it inserted the word "shall" be rezoned during the comprehensive zoning code update to accommodate this goal.

Blair Estates is located near Bryant Street and Road 13 in the city limits.

Another 1.65-acre site near Bryant Street is slated for redesignation from low-density residential (R-L) to high-density residential (H-L) to be done within the 2007-2014 planning period, state officials said.

And a 0.556-acre parcel along the west side of Railroad Avenue should be re-designated from limited industrial zoning to high density residential and be rezoned to R-3 status with similar minimum and maximum dwelling units as the 12-acre parcel.

Changing the zoning will allow the city to meet its Regional Housing Needs Allocation established by the state through the planning process, Sailsbery said.

In other words, the city is prepared for higher-intensity growth areas to accommodate low- to middle-income residents as it develops in the future, Sailsbery said, by providing parcels and areas pre-zoned for multi-unit development.

"This is a planning tool — not a production tool," she said. "The city is not in the business of building houses."

So there is no guarantee multi-family units will be built on these parcels as that will be up to the owners' requests down the road, city officials said.

Copies of the city's general plan and housing element are available for public review at Orland City Hall, 815 Fourth St. or online at www.cityoforland.com.

Contact Rick Longley at 934-6800 or rlongley@tcnpress.com.