CLEARLAKE— The Clearlake City Council voted unanimously to approve a zoning ordinance on Thursday and move forward with allowing tiny homes in the city by a use permit.
The council gave consensus that it was in favor of administrative use permits, so that a third party could have a say. The council decided it did not want to restrict tiny homes to a specific zone, as a sort of village had been proposed at the last meeting.
Some councilors previously voiced concerns over tiny homes being adjacent to regular single-family homes, potentially bringing property values down and causing blight issues, though the council hopes to attract retirees and people seeking a minimalist lifestyle. The ordinance will come back to the council for a second reading.
While the council voted to go forward, some in the community questioned how successful the move would be, while others were supportive. Gary Pace, the county’s public health officer, said he thought requiring use permits was a good idea. Sheryl Almon urged the council to consider the need for housing for long-term workers in the city and said she was worried about tiny homes being more like “shacks” with items stretching out beyond the property.
Lake County Supervisor Bruno Sabatier noted that the county had not had any takers so far since allowing for 360 square-foot home builds.
Police Chief Andrew White said he wanted to be cautious about weighing in on something political but warned the council that code enforcement may not have the capacity to respond to complaints about tiny homes, such as a faulty foundation. White said Community Development Block Grant funding, which covered most of the officers, couldn’t go toward that type of activity.
“We just need to proceed cautiously and manage expectations,” he said.
The council voted 4-0, with Vice Mayor Dirk Slooten recusing himself, to approve a purchase and sale agreement with One Shot Mining Company, LLC, with plans to develop new softball fields and possibly soccer fields in the middle of the property, among other uses.
“The north eastern corner of the property is well suited for multi-family housing development,” the staff report reads. “The eastern portion of the property along Burns Valley Road is envisioned for either retail development or the location for a community recreation center… After the purchase is approved the City will immediately begin work on site planning and design.”
Upon hearing some community concern that existing softball fields wouldn’t be available, City Manager Alan Flora gave assurance that the existing fields would be accessible until the new ones were ready for use.
The council also voted unanimously in favor of entering into a joint powers agreement, permitting the merger of the Public Agency Risk Sharing Authority of California and the Redwood Empire Municipal Insurance Fund. According to the staff report, the group of cities in the agreement will “contribute to a shared fund that pays for liability and workers’ compensation claims and provides risk management services.”
Clearlake City Council meetings are held first and third Thursdays of each month, effective February 2020 at Clearlake City Hall Council Chambers 14050 Olympic Drive in Clearlake. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Clearlake City Council meetings are viewable via livestreaming on the City of Clearlake’s YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTyifT_nKS-3woxEu1ilBXA and the public may participate through Zoom https://clearlakeca.zoom.us/j/98535943790.
