The Carlsbad City Council has given its stamp of approval on objective design standards aimed at shaping the future of multifamily housing and mixed-use projects in the city. In line with California's push for streamlined housing project approvals, the newly adopted design standards are set to balance state requirements while preserving the city's identity, according to a recent announcement.
These design standards focus solely on new apartment, condo, and duplex projects in Carlsbad – leaving existing development standards, such as building heights and setbacks, untouched. The objective design standards fall in line with the state's housing laws, which work to expedite the approval process for multifamily housing projects as a means to tackle California's housing crisis. Carlsbad has taken measures to ensure existing subjective design standards are updated to meet the state's definition of "objective", as subjective standards are no longer deemed enforceable.
These changes serve as part of the wider initiative to boost access to affordable housing in Carlsbad over the next eight years, as outlined in the city's state-approved plan. The city collaborated with the community to develop an updated housing strategy, otherwise known as the Housing Element. With the various regulations in place, Carlsbad aims to retain control over the projects' designs to make certain they fit seamlessly into the city's overall community character.
Carlsbad's objective design standards will apply to all areas outside of the Village and Barrio, while a separate set of design standards and architectural styles have been created for these two neighborhoods, some of the city's oldest communities. Seven architectural styles have been approved for specific subdistricts and building types in the Village and Barrio, including:
- Spanish Revival
- Craftsman
- American Mercantile
- Victorian
- Colonial Revival/Cape Cod
- Traditional Modern
- California Contemporary.
Extensive community input throughout numerous public meetings and online engagements allowed residents to provide their insights on the proposed objective design standards. In order to emphasize community engagement, the City Council even appointed a Citizens Design Review Committee, specifically focusing on the unique characteristics of the Village and Barrio areas. The draft standards were accessible to the public for review from May 19 to June 19, with the Planning Commission officially recommending approval on July 19.
As the city moves into the next phase of implementing these standards, the City Council is expected to consider formal adoption of a zoning code amendment in September 2023 to officially establish the objective design standards. Once approved, these standards will take effect outside of the Coastal Zone mere 30 days after the zoning code amendment's adoption. The staff will then submit an application to the California Coastal Commission to seek approval for a Local Coastal Program Amendment, which will extend the reach of the objective design standards to projects in the Coastal Zone.
