Eureka Council reviews Inland Zoning Code update, Bill No. 1057‑C.S.

Eureka City Council moved the 2026 Inland Zoning Code Update forward by unanimously approving first reading of Bill No. 1057‑C.S. at its regular meeting, with the final vote scheduled for March 17. Development Services Director Cristin Kenyon presented the package during the March 3 council session and recommended a public hearing and a CEQA exemption before the ordinance is adopted.

The update targets Eureka Municipal Code Chapter 155 and applies only to inland areas, with the stated goal of aligning zoning rules with federal and state law and the City’s 2040 General Plan. Council materials and staff said the inland amendments are intended to guide a future comprehensive Coastal Zoning Code update and that the proposal combines general cleanup with targeted changes to design standards and the design review process.

City staff framed the update as a move from discretionary to more objective, administrative review in many cases. An unidentified planning staff presenter summarized that, “Under the proposed changes, discretionary design review at a noticed public hearing would no longer be required.” The package would require neighborhood information meetings for projects that would otherwise receive no public notice, require applicants to demonstrate mailed notice and provide copies to the Development Services Department, and establish a 300‑foot notice radius for larger projects.

Specific design and development thresholds discussed at the meeting include a proposed public meeting trigger for large projects defined at 20,000 square feet, a cap on public‑facing façades at 300 feet, a required major massing break every 150 feet, and a rule that buildings with public‑facing façades longer than 50 feet must provide at least one entrance to promote pedestrian activity. Staff also described proposals to raise bike‑parking minimums, adjust nonconforming‑use rules, update ADU and parking standards, improve outdoor lighting rules, revise vacation‑rental regulations, and rewrite wireless facility rules to align with federal case law.

Councilmembers debated parking mandates and the thresholds for public engagement. A councilmember identified as Fiske suggested removing parking mandates for new buildings citywide; Councilmember Leslie Casellano voiced approval of removing parking mandates while Councilmembers Renee Contreras‑DeLoach and Kati Moulton expressed concerns. Council discussion also questioned whether the 20,000 square foot threshold for a required public meeting was necessary or broad enough.

The update follows Planning Commission review and a recommendation; the Planning Commission considered parts of the inland update at its December 10, 2025 meeting and reviewed a broader package that advanced to the council. City outreach at the March 3 meeting included live Mentimeter polling of online participants and seven in‑person respondents who completed paper polls that were entered into the polling results.

Staff told the council the update is not expected to have a significant environmental impact and advocated finding the project exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act. With first reading approved, the council will take up Bill No. 1057‑C.S. for a final vote at its March 17 meeting to determine whether the new objective standards and administrative review procedures will take effect for inland Eureka.