Napa Planning Commission Regular Meeting – September 7, 2023
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Napa Planning Commission Regular Meeting – September 7, 2023
The Napa Planning Commission met on Thursday, September 7, 2023, at 5:30 PM in City Hall Council Chambers. The main agenda item was the consideration and recommendation of the City of Napa’s 6th Cycle Housing Element Update (2023–2031). The commission also approved routine items on the consent calendar and consent hearings. After public testimony, commissioner discussion, and a motion to forward the Housing Element to the City Council with a recommendation to accelerate sustainability deadlines, the motion passed unanimously.
Consent Calendar
- Planning Commission Minutes (August 17, 2023): Approved by a voice vote with 3 ayes and 1 abstention (Commissioner absent noted).
Consent Hearings
- 1616 E Street Tentative Parcel Map (PL23-0076): Approved – subdivision of 0.24-acre property into 2 single-family lots and creation of a flag lot.
- Bounty Hunter Extension III (PL23-0102): Approved – third two-year extension of previously approved Design Review Permit and Uniform Sign Program at 1005 First Street. Both items were not pulled from the consent calendar and were approved by a single motion.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Suzanne Gray (community member): Asked how many units were built in Napa the past year, questioned the feasibility of the 2,669-unit RHNA target, and inquired about the “builder’s remedy” for cities without certified housing elements. Staff noted that approximately 468 units were built in the past year and that the city is working toward HCD certification.
Discussion Items
- Housing Element Update (General Plan Amendment):
- Staff from the Planning Department, City Attorney’s Office, and consultant team (Dynamic Planning + Science) presented an overview of the Housing Element requirements, the Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) of 2,669 units (1,939 for Napa plus 80% of the county’s allocation from Napa Pipe), site inventory methodology, HCD review comments, and CEQA exemption status.
- Commissioners discussed design guidelines, sustainability standards, water and energy efficiency, the role of ADUs, and the need to track housing permits against RHNA targets.
- Commissioner Massaro requested that the sustainability deadlines in the Housing Element (pages 63–68) be moved from 2030 to 2025. Staff agreed to evaluate and recommend this change to the City Council.
- Commissioner Kelly suggested that future housing project staff reports include a matrix showing progress toward RHNA income-level targets. Staff indicated this could be incorporated into quarterly development reports.
- Commissioner Huether expressed concern about the impact of 2,669 new units on Napa’s character and design quality, but acknowledged the need for affordable workforce housing.
- Vice Chair Shotwell praised the thoroughness of the document and noted that her previous edits were incorporated.
Key Outcomes
- Motion (by Chair Massaro, seconded by Commissioner Kelly): Forward a recommendation to the City Council to adopt a resolution amending the Napa 2040 General Plan to incorporate the 6th Cycle Housing Element (2023–2031) and determine that the actions are exempt from CEQA. The motion included the commission’s recommendation to accelerate sustainability program deadlines to 2025.
- Vote: Unanimous approval.
- Next Steps: The Housing Element will be resubmitted to HCD as early as the following week, with City Council review scheduled for October 3, 2023.
Meeting Transcript
Commissioner Showhutter. Here. Commissioner Kelly. Here. Vice Chair Shotwell. Present. Hello. Chair Masaro. Here. And Commissioner Hurtalo noted absent. Maybe we all stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the fly of the United States of America to the Republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Every time I read this, I think of Sabrina. The Planning Commission conducts all meetings in accordance with the Ralph M. Brown Act. And pursuant to the city's rules of order for planning commission meetings. Staff, are there any changes to this evening's agenda? Mike, your staff tonight, correct? Correct. No changes from staff. Thank you. Anything from the commissioners? Nope. Not from me. Okay, this is the time where we have public comment on items that are not on tonight's agenda. Is there anyone in the audience that would like to make a comment for three minutes on anything not on tonight's agenda? Okay, very good. Moving on. We have the consent calendar. These are routine items which may be approved by a single vote. However, any member of the public or commissioners may remove an item for consideration. So this is the consent calendar. We only have the planning commission's regular meeting meetings from August 17th. Do I have a motion to approve those minutes? So moved. Second. Second. All those in favor. All right. We have three ayes and one abstention. Consent hearings. These are items that are required to be noticed as a public hearing, but the city is not aware of any interest by members of the public to comment on the item. However, any members of the public or the commissioner may remove an item from the consent hearing. We have two items on consent hearings tonight. One is the tentative parcel map on E Street, and the second is the bounty hunter extension number three. Is there anyone from the public that would like to pull that off the consent calendar? Is there any commissioner that would like to pull either of those two items off consent? Okay. Do we have a motion to approve the consent calendar?
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