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PLANNING COMMISSION INFORMATIONAL STUDY SESSION - DEVELOPMENT CODE OVERHAUL
recommended action
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the Planning Commission receive a presentation from City staff and provide general feedback on the proposed amendments to Title 16 Development Code. Any feedback received will be incorporated into the Development Code Ad Hoc Committee meetings and future potential Development Code Amendment language.
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SUMMARY
Title 16 of the Stockton Municipal Code (SMC) is the City’s Development Code, which includes all zoning, subdivision, and most public improvement standards. From 2022 to the present, City staff and a consultant (Miller Planning Associates) conducted various meetings, interviews, public workshops, and Planning Commission study sessions to gather feedback on these updates. Based on feedback from the public and City staff, the Development Code and Design Guidelines have been amended to reflect the needs of the City.
DISCUSSION
Background
The most recent changes to the Development Code occurred in June 2025. These changes focused on housing related provisions of SMC Title 16 to reflect changes in State law and accommodate housing development consistent with the City’s General Plan, Housing Element, and Shape Stockton efforts. While housing related amendments were the focus, the 2025 Development Code update also included technical updates and revisions for consistency with the General Plan, improved organization and usability, and other amendments to simplify and standardize language, remove redundancies, clarify applicability, and remove obsolete provisions.
Present Situation
To complete the City’s efforts to overhaul the Development Code, non-housing related changes are being considered, as well as a comprehensive reformatting to provide consistency and clarity. Staff’s presentation consists of a general overview of the proposed changes to the Commission and general public.
As a next step, Staff intends to engage the Planning Commission Ad Hoc Committee (Chair Hull, Vice-Chair Sanguinetti, and Commissioner Amen) in November and December to obtain more detailed feedback. Following that, a public draft will be posted for review and then presented to the Planning Commission in a public hearing for recommendation to the City Council.