REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Action to Waive Second Reading and Adopt Ordinance No. 2088 adopting the Zoning Code clean-up ordinance in the form presented
Report
BACKGROUND
At the August 18, 2026 Council meeting, proposed Ordinance No. 2088 was passed for the purpose of publication. Pursuant to City Charter Sections 808 and 812, a summary of proposed Ordinance No. 2088 was published to the Santa Clara Weekly on September 9, 2026, and copies were posted in three public places.
DISCUSSION
The proposed ordinance would make “cleanup” amendments to the Zoning Code, including incorporating the provisions of the legacy HT Historic Combining district into the updated Zoning Code; refining the definition of Smoke Shops; making the Zoning Code definition of Floor Area Ratio (FAR) consistent with the General Plan definition; allowing for fully unbundled parking for apartments greater than 15 units, per state law; revising minimum lot sizes in the R2 two-family zone; allowing the re-installation of wireless facilities following the redevelopment of a site; deleting the requirement for web posting of certain redundant public hearing notices; removing the public hearing requirement for architectural review of multi-family development projects; allowing additional height for institutional uses in the PQP public/quasi-public zone; adding definitions to clarify fence height requirements; modifying use tables to reflect the range of uses existing in commercial and industrial districts; updating figures and making terms more clear and internally consistent in Title 18 (“Zoning”); and updating the zoning map to reflect the applicable changes.
At the Council meeting on August 18, 2026, a Council Member asked questions regarding a section of the Code requiring that vehicles be parked perpendicular to the street. Currently, the Code provides the following restrictions on vehicles parked in required front yard areas of single- and two-family dwellings:
“All vehicles, boats, an...
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