GUSTINE — The Gustine City Council on Tuesday will hear an overview of zoning changes the city is preparing as part of its state‑required housing plan, a move aimed at making development rules clearer and keeping the city in compliance with California housing laws.

The city adopted its latest Housing Element in 2025, which lays out programs meant to encourage housing production and remove barriers to building. City staff say several of those programs can now move forward with help from a regional planning grant, and most of the work involves updating Gustine’s zoning ordinance.

According to a staff report from Economic and Community Development Director Jami Westervelt and consulting planner Kelsey George, the city is drafting a series of amendments that will be brought to the Planning Commission and City Council later this year. Tuesday’s discussion is meant to give council members a preview and allow them to weigh in before formal proposals are written.

One of the biggest items involves the city’s Planned Development zoning district, which currently relies heavily on case‑by‑case review and has few standalone standards. Staff say that can create uncertainty for builders and slow down projects. The Housing Element requires the city to modernize the PD district, and staff outlined three possible approaches:

• Rezone existing PD areas and eliminate the PD district. This option would shift PD‑zoned properties into standard zoning districts, such as single‑family residential, and repeal the PD rules. Flexibility would still be available through a separate permit process. Staff say this could simplify the zoning code and make development requirements more predictable.
• Keep the PD district but add clear development standards. This approach would update the PD rules with objective standards for things like density, lot layout, setbacks, open space and circulation. Staff say this would improve consistency while still allowing flexibility for large or unique projects.
• Create a PD overlay district. Under this option, PD rules would be layered on top of existing zoning districts, giving projects added flexibility without replacing the underlying zoning. Staff say this could help tailor standards to specific neighborhoods or redevelopment areas.

City staff are asking the council to provide general direction on which path they prefer before drafting the ordinance changes.

Other updates expected later this year include revisions to the city’s architectural review process to make design standards more objective and easier to administer. Staff also anticipate making related changes throughout the zoning code to keep regulations consistent and eliminate outdated language.

No public outreach has begun yet. Formal public notices will be issued once the Planning Commission is asked to consider the amendments.

Tuesday’s discussion is informational only, but it marks the start of what will likely be a months‑long process to update Gustine’s development rules.