If the ordinance is adopted, yes: most development on Open Space Resource Protection land would need four of the five Council votes. It was up for a first reading on October 14, and the records published so far do not show the vote.
What the city is deciding
The Council was asked to introduce Ordinance 2026-428 for land designated Open Space Resource Protection, or OS-RP. A first reading introduces an ordinance; it must return for a second reading before adoption. Under Measures D and O, two thirds of voters must approve before open space land is redesignated for other uses, but staff says those measures do not stop grading or other work on it. The Planning Commission recommended approval 3 to 2 on September 17, after a planned November 3 ballot vote fell away when the city election was canceled.
Where and who it affects
The rule covers any property, or part of a property, shown as OS-RP on the General Plan Land Use Map. The documents do not say which parcels or how many acres that is, or whether any home lots include it. Staff says some parcels will later need map changes, at a separate hearing, so the rule protects undeveloped hillsides without blocking changes to existing homes.
What it could mean for your property
Without four Council votes, development on the OS-RP part of a property would be prohibited. Development includes grading and other soil disturbance, building, demolition or altering any structure, more intense use, subdivisions and lot splits. Structures include fences, roads and utility lines.
Work that is normally exempt from a land use permit would lose that exemption on OS-RP land: unenclosed decks, paths and driveways, some residential fences, portable spas, repairs to existing structures, sheds under 120 square feet and walls under 42 inches.
Emergency work the City Manager finds necessary, and fire prevention brush clearing ordered by a public agency, would need no Council vote. Trails, benches, shade structures, signs and similar open space uses would still need four votes.
Questions to ask before you buy or build
- Is any part of the property designated Open Space Resource Protection?
- Would the planned work count as development under the ordinance?
- Has the ordinance passed its second reading?
What happens next
A second reading is still needed; the documents give no date, and the November 11 and November 25 Council meetings are listed as canceled. If adopted, the ordinance takes effect on the 31st day after adoption.