San Juan Bautista council members expressed unanimous support Tuesday night for a hillside ordinance in a city with few slopes.
The issue has been before city officials for about three years, and the planning commission recently wrapped up its examination. City Manager Roger Grimsley said there are just about 20 to 25 acres of hillsides in the city. They are largely in an area south of Lausen Drive and Washington Street, he said.
“We wanted to make sure that we have the necessary tools to address it, when it does occur,” Grimsley told the Free Lance in September regarding prospective development.
On Tuesday, council members offered support after nobody from the public spoke on the matter.
Grimsley has said the city’s ordinance is meant to resemble the county’s own hillside ordinance.
At Tuesday’s meeting, Grimsley and officials declared the ordinance as exempt from state environmental review guidelines and that it’s meant to add such benefits as protecting viewsheds, encouraging sustainable development on hillside areas, and providing review procedures for physical constraints on hillsides.
