What did Colton's 2026 rezoning ordinance change for nearby owners?

If you’re looking at a property near South La Cadena Drive, South 7th Street, or the Fairway Drive/Crossroads Drive corridor, Colton’s rezoning raises a practical question about the surrounding land. Ordinance O-05-26 changed the zoning map and development rules for identified parcels. It allows additional residential and mixed-use development; it does not require redevelopment or approve a particular building.

This is general information, not legal or tax advice.

What changed under Ordinance O-05-26?

Ordinance O-05-26 changed zoning maps and zoning text to carry out Programs 10 and 11 of Colton’s 2021-2029 Housing Element.

The City of Colton’s Housing Element Update page lists the ordinance, its accompanying General Plan resolution, the City Council staff report for February 17, 2026, and the second reading on March 3, 2026. The Housing Element itself was adopted on September 20, 2023.

The city’s environmental findings describe approximately 89.9 acres across six areas identified for rezoning. The focus is vacant and underutilized parcels, primarily along South La Cadena Drive and within the Fairway Drive/Crossroads Drive corridor. Existing uses include commercial, industrial, and low-density residential uses.

For you, the useful starting point is the parcel map. A nearby street name alone does not establish that a particular lot changed zones.

Which streets and parcels are included?

Exhibit B-2 identifies the map changes by area, with different parcels moving from commercial, industrial, or residential zoning into the revised designations.

Along South La Cadena Drive, Area 1 includes three parcels changing from C-2 General Commercial to M-U/D Mixed-Use Downtown. Area 2 also identifies a South La Cadena Drive property. Area 3 includes four parcels on South La Cadena Drive and East L Street changing from C-2 to M-U/D.

The Fairway and Crossroads changes include:

• Area 4: Eleven parcels on East Fairway Drive and Crossroads Drive, from I-P Industrial Park to M-U/D.
• Area 4-A: Two parcels on East Fairway Drive and Crossroad Drive, from I-P to M-U/D.
• Area 5: Six parcels on East Fairway Drive, from I-P to M-U/D.

Area 1-A includes South 7th Street parcels, including changes from R-1 Low Density Residential to M-U/D. Area 1-B changes land at Herts Street and Congress Street from M-1 Light Industrial to M-U/D. Area 6 covers two parcels at East Santo Antonio Drive and Mt. Vernon Avenue, changing from C-2 to C-2/R-O General Commercial/Residential Overlay.

What do the revised zones allow?

The revised framework allows higher-density residential and mixed-use development, with the applicable designation determining which rules to examine.

The city’s environmental findings describe the M-U/D zone as permitting up to 40 dwelling units per acre and the revised R3/R4 zone as allowing up to 30 dwelling units per acre. Those figures describe the zoning program, not an approved building on a particular site.

Zoning Code Section 18.23.010 says M-U/D integrates civic, public, commercial, office, and residential uses. It also encourages long-established, low-density residential areas containing homes dating to Colton’s early years to retain their density and character.

That language matters when reading the map. Alongside the broader development allowances, the zoning code’s M-U/D intent section includes language about retaining existing residential density and character. Neither passage establishes a specific redevelopment proposal for a nearby parcel.

Does the map change mean construction is planned?

No, the rezoning establishes a regulatory framework for future construction rather than a specific development project.

The city’s findings state that no specific development projects were proposed at that time. They also say later projects will undergo site-specific review and may tier from the Program Environmental Impact Report. What remains uncertain is whether a particular rezoned parcel will be redeveloped and what a future proposal would contain.

R. sent us a picture of activity near his property and asked, “Is this going to make the house harder to sell?” I assumed he meant construction noise. He meant the listing photos, specifically, whether buyers would spot something going on in the background and get nervous. He was planning his sale around a change we hadn’t even identified yet. We needed to look at what Colton’s rezoning ordinance actually changed before giving him an answer.

Who reviews a residential proposal?

The revised Architectural and Site Plan Review text assigns residential review according to proposed density.

Section 18.58.030, as reproduced in the ordinance’s zoning text exhibit, assigns the Director/Designee review of residential projects proposed from 2 to 30 dwelling units per acre through administrative review. The text provides for approval, denial, or conditional approval. The Planning Commission reviews residential projects greater than 30 dwelling units per acre.

The city’s environmental findings say the zoning code revisions include by-right approval for qualifying housing projects that include at least one fifth lower-income units, as required by Government Code Section 65583.2(h).

Keep the qualification attached to that rule. The source describes qualifying housing projects, not every residential proposal. When checking a parcel, read the review provisions alongside its zone and any overlay rather than treating the density figure as the entire approval process.

Why did Colton make these changes?

The rezoning implements the Housing Element and provides capacity toward Colton’s Regional Housing Needs Assessment allocation.

For 2021-2029, that allocation is 5,434 units. The city’s findings break it into 1,318 very low income units, 668 low income units, 906 moderate income units, and 2,542 above moderate income units. The findings describe the rezoning as providing capacity with a surplus of approximately 1,500 units.

Capacity is the point of those numbers. They do not identify units already built or a construction schedule.

The rezoning also implements recommendations from the South Colton Livable Corridor Plan. Keep this ordinance distinct from the HUB City Centre Specific Plan, which was separately updated through Ordinance O-08-25.

What should you check for a property?

Check the parcel’s zone, any overlay, and its inclusion in Exhibit B-2 before drawing a conclusion from the surrounding corridor.

Use the signed ordinance’s map amendments to identify the lot, then read Exhibit B-3 for the zoning text changes. For a parcel marked C-2/R-O, include the Residential Overlay in that review. For M-U/D land, read the permitted-use description alongside the applicable residential review provisions.

Keep zoning questions separate from questions about the property’s existing documents. The California seller disclosure guide, guide to disclosing unpermitted work, and HOA disclosure guide offer related reading for your purchase review.

The ordinance answers what changed in the land-use framework. It does not answer every question about the home you’re considering.

The short version

Colton’s Ordinance O-05-26 expands residential and mixed-use allowances on identified land, including parcels along South La Cadena Drive and the Fairway Drive/Crossroads Drive corridor.

For a nearby purchase, establish which parcel you’re checking, confirm its designation and overlay, and read the review rules. The city’s environmental findings describe the density allowances, while the ordinance’s exhibits identify the map and text changes. None of that establishes a specific building approval or a change in your property’s value.

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