Project Description

The project site, located on a vacant lot on Wyoming Street, is partially developed with an underutilized religious facility. The site has historically been owned by the Pleasant Hill Free Will Baptist Church since 1956, who built the existing church building at the site.

For the project, titled “Wyoming Heights,” the Applicant proposes to demolish the existing, underutilized religious institution structure at the site to develop 41 single- and multi-family homes, most of which would be duet style and sharing a common wall. The project would dedicate 20 percent of the units as deed-restricted units affordable to low-income households, for a total of eight below-market rate units. The site would also be developed with private streets, utilities, landscaping, and stormwater treatment facilities.

The project also proposes to utilize the California State Density Bonus Law, which allows developers who provide affordable housing units to pursue concessions and waivers to certain development standards. The applicant is requesting waivers related to height, setbacks, outdoor space, and parking design criteria. 

Regulatory Background

While the project site is zoned R-6.0 One Family Residential District (“R-6”), it also falls within the Community Services Overlay (“CSO”) District, which was adopted on January 17, 2024, by the City Council via Ordinance.

The CSO District’s purpose is to encourage multi-family residential development, particularly affordable housing, on lands owned by existing legal religious organizations and community-oriented non-profit organizations. The CSO District regulations are similar to the State’s Affordable Housing on Faith and High Education Lands Act of 2023 (Senate Bill No. 4), which also allows multi-family development on religious institution sites.

The CSO District specifically allows higher levels of residential density than what would normally be permitted in exchange for providing deed-restricted affordable housing units. In addition, CSO District eligible projects would also have a streamlined review process and be considered “by right.” By right development means that projects must be reviewed for their consistency with objective development standards and the City has no discretion for any subjective standards, such as design review. Because the City has no discretion beyond objective standards, these projects are considered ministerial and exempt from California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) review, public hearing processes, and are reviewed and approved administratively.