Three hearings held during the February 24th City Council meeting focused on ways to ease the path for new housing in Fort Bragg, regulate outdoor dining, and approve concessions for an affordable senior housing development on Hazelwood.
The first hearing focused on changes to ordinances that were previously approved and sent to the California Coastal Commission for review. They codified standards for tiny home communities and set regulations for tiny homes, RV parks, and mobile homes. The third ordinance established a 10 pm curfew for restaurants with outdoor dining. The three ordinances will now go back to the Coastal Commission for final certification.
The second hearing focused on regulations for alternative dwelling units. The City’s previous ordinance which was approved in 2023, did not meet the changes made by the state in 2024. The new ordinance was modified to meet state law. Some of the most notable changes were;
· Changes to the maximum square footage of a second unit, which is now 50% of the primary.
· The ability to convert storage rooms, garages, attics, barns, sheds, and basements to ADUs as long as they meet state building standards for dwellings.
· The requirement for a separate bathroom for a Junior ADU has been removed.
· ADUs cannot be restricted to the backyard.
· Multifamily properties can add up to eight ADUs depending on the number of existing units.
The third hearing was for a 49-unit senior apartment complex to be located at 860 Hazelwood. The project developers intend to make the entire complex affordable making units available for households that make between 30 and 60% of the area's median income. Council was asked to provide concessions from the developer including making it a three-story building and allowing for a height variance to accommodate an elevator shaft. This is the second three-story multi-family complex that is working its way through the city. The preliminary approval was for the concessions only. The project will go before the planning commission and will need Coastal Commission approval to proceed.
The Council also increased the signature authority for City Manager Isaac Whippy from $25,000 to $60,000, confirmed the results of the annual police services salary survey, which resulted in pay raises for three classifications, and approved a contract to continue services from Palni Inc. for the Municipal Broadband Utility Project.
Whippy provided an update on negotiations regarding the acquisition of the Mendocino Coast Network or MCN which is on offer for $500,000 and efforts to access additional funding for the broadband network. He expects to wrap up these efforts by the end of June this year.
Two studies were approved by the council to review rates and fees. One will focus on water services. The second study is on fees at the CV Starr Center.
The council also noted that plans to open the CV Starr Center on Sunday are in the works and informed the community of efforts being made by the Mendocino Coast Regional Park District to appropriate monies from a sales tax initiative that was intended for CV Starr for other projects. The council asked residents to attend MCRPD public meetings in March. Mayor Godeke will be at CV Starr on Thursday the 27th, to talk to CV Starr regulars about the center and its programs.
Several upcoming events were mentioned by the council, including a Pomo event on the headlands scheduled for April, 26th, and a blues festival scheduled for May 2nd through 4th.
Councilmember Tess Albin Smith was appointed as chair for the Mendocino Transit Authority and plans to focus on expanding services on Sunday and to look into providing transportation to local hospitals.