Planning Commission Study Session on Development Code and Design Standards - October 27, 2022
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Planning Commission Study Session on Development Code and Design Standards - October 27, 2022
The Stockton Planning Commission held a second study session on October 27, 2022, from 5:31 PM to 7:08 PM, to discuss the ongoing overhaul of Title 16 of the Stockton Municipal Code (development code) and the update of citywide design guidelines, now rebranded as Shape Stockton. The meeting was informational only; no action was taken.
Consent Calendar
- None.
Public Comments & Testimony
- No members of the public were present or offered comments.
Discussion Items
- Presentation by Staff and Consultant: Advanced Planning Manager Matt Diaz introduced the Shape Stockton rebranding, which unifies multiple city planning efforts (development code update, design standards, housing action plan, neighborhood plans). Consultant Martha Miller (Miller & Associates) presented the design standards component, emphasizing a shift from subjective design guidelines to objective, measurable design standards (e.g., minimum setback distances rather than “consistent with neighborhood character”).
- Community Input Summary: Miller reported on a workshop attended by 15–20 participants. Key feedback included preferences for small-scale, unique character in low-density areas; articulated buildings with balconies in medium/high-density; walkable, tree-lined commercial corridors; and dislike of large parking lots in front, blank walls, and cookie-cutter designs. Focus area visions were discussed for Downtown (mixed-use, transit-rich), Miracle Mile (medium-density, pedestrian-friendly), Little Manila/Gleason Park (preserve character, add housing), Channel Area (vibrant mixed-use with water activities), and South Airport Corridor (mixed uses, amenities for youth).
- Commissioner Questions and Concerns:
- Commissioner Sanguinetti questioned the representativeness of photos from outside Stockton, the burden of design standards on existing businesses, and the high cost of undergrounding utilities that could hinder infill development. He urged recognition of disadvantaged unincorporated communities (DUCs) in the code.
- Commissioner Mountain asked about incentives; staff clarified they aim for “incentives by default” through barrier removal rather than reward-based incentives.
- Commissioner Rizvi inquired about grant funding (SB2, LEAP, REAP) and whether funds are sufficient; staff reported about $700,000 expended of roughly $2 million total, with remaining dollars allocated across multiple efforts, and noted a potential REAP 2.0 grant.
- Commissioner Jones noted increased real estate speculation calls and asked about outreach metrics; staff detailed pop-up events, stakeholder interviews, and the Shape Stockton website, with a November 17th workshop planned. Staff also mentioned that the November 10th planning commission meeting would likely be canceled due to lack of items.
- Commissioner Sanguinetti also discussed the need for multi-modal transit connecting focus areas and suggested a long-term vision.
- Additional Topics: A parking standards memo is expected in December; the development code update will consider current parking requirements, which exceed those of peer cities. Staff emphasized that feedback from all outreach will inform the draft standards.
Key Outcomes
- No votes or formal decisions were made; the study session was purely informational.
- Staff will continue community outreach, including pop-up events and a workshop on November 17, 2022, at the Civic Center South Hall, focusing on specific focus areas.
- The next planning commission meeting on November 10, 2022 is expected to be canceled.
- Commissioners expressed appreciation for the presentation and encouraged broader public participation.
- Commissioner Jones announced she is in remission from cancer and passed a city employment test, ending the meeting on a positive note.
Commissioner Comments
- Commissioners Rizvi, Mallett, Ogbah, and Jones thanked staff. Mallett noted a prior online discussion by Matt Diaz with the Downtown Stockton Alliance. Jones shared her health victory and new job prospects.
Adjournment: 7:08 PM.
Meeting Transcript
We are calling to order the regular planning commission meeting held October 27, 2022. Roll call, please. Commissioner Jones. Present. Commissioner Mallet. Present. Commissioner Oba. Present. Commissioner Rebsey. Present. Commissioner Villapudra is absent. Vice Chair Mountain is also absent. Chair Sangetti. We have a corn. Thank you. I'm going to ask Commissioner Mallet to lead us tonight in the Pledge of Allegiance. Thank you. The flag of the United States of America. And to the public stands. Okay. So moving through the agenda. Um we don't have a consent calendar, I don't believe. We didn't bring back those minutes. Okay. And that, and so are there any public comments? So no public comments, Chair. Okay. Thank you. Um public hearings. It's item number five on the agenda, public hearings and environmental assessments. Um I don't see any public hearings tonight. So and there's no environmental assessments. I could make some, but I won't. Um item six is new business, and there's none of that, and there's no unfinished business. And so we're gonna move to item eight reports, communications, and informational items. And let's 8.1, which is um PA 2208-24 planning commission study session number two on overhaul of Title 16 of the Stockton Municipal Code and the citywide design guidelines. It's uh just a recommended recommendation that the planning commission received this report presentation from city staff. So really we're not taking any official actions, we're just listening to a presentation and providing feedback as a commission to the staff, and then at later date things will come back and we'll go from there. So let's have staff present. All right, so chair, I would I what just wanted to speak before I um have staff uh take this over and do the presentation. You've already picked up some of the information. I just wanted to reiterate. Um, as most of you know, you've you've we we did have a prior study session on the development code predominantly, and we also talked about design uh as well in that conversation. It was a kickoff necessarily, or it was a kickoff really for the planning commission as far as to start becoming engaged in the overall effort here. Um we've as indicated in the staff report, we've uh rebranded this whole effort because there's so many things going on with the development code update, the design standards, we've got a housing action plan going on. There's a lot of things going on at once, so it's being rebranded to shape Stockton. So if you'll hear it tonight as far as more specifics on it, but we're trying to really help the public understand, you know, all these efforts rather than this thing going on over there and this going on here. So that's the whole purpose of the rebranding. And then uh with regards to the development code, Matt will touch base uh with you on that, just a little bit just to tell you what's going on thus far. Uh work we're having a lot of outreach going on amongst the community at pop-up events and um workshops uh in the community, and we certainly wish to have you as commissioners wherever whoever you talk to, you can pass the word along.
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