Watsonville Planning Commission Considers Duplex Near Watsonville High School

An outbuilding and two separate garages are proposed for a property at 225 Elm St. in Watsonville. The matter will go before the Planning Commission on Tuesday. (Contributed by Google Maps)

WATSONVILLE — A special use permit for a duplex on an existing property on Elm Street, just down the block from the Watsonville High School football stadium, will be presented to the Watsonville Planning Commission at its meeting Tuesday.

According to a staff report by Community Development Director Suzi Merriam and Associate Planner Ivan Carmona, the project consists of a one-story, one-bedroom, 406-square-foot attached unit at 225 Elm St. The project would also demolish two existing detached garages and build two new garages, one 322 square feet for one car and one 446 square feet for up to two cars.

The parcel was developed in 1930 and is located across the street from Linscott Charter School and down the street from Watsonville High School. On Nov. 14, Soufyane Zatla of Oakland-based architecture firm Inspired ADUs, which specializes in annex dwelling units, submitted a special use permit on behalf of owner Juan Ortega to build a new annex dwelling unit in addition to two detached garages.

The parcel is currently designated in the General Plan as “high density residential,” which emphasizes multi-story apartment and condominium type housing at densities of 14, up to 36.99 dwelling units per net acre.

“This allows for greater residential density, stabilizes and protects the residential characteristics of the neighborhood, and promotes an environment suitable for the lives of families and single people living in the neighborhood,” Merriam and Carmona wrote.

In addition to a bedroom, the unit will also include a bathroom, kitchen and living room. The unit will have a similar design to the main dwelling, which is built of wood with handcrafted cement for the cladding.

In addition to a special use permit, the commission will consider whether the project is categorically exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act. According to the staff report, the applicant has prepared a Class 1 categorical exemption because the project is an expansion that will not result in an increase of more than 10,000 square feet and is consistent with the general plan and zoning regulations.

“The proposed development is also located within the city limits, on a project site of up to five acres and surrounded largely by urban activity. All public services and facilities are available to accommodate the maximum development permitted by the General Plan,” Merriam and Carmona wrote. “The project site is not located in an environmentally sensitive area. Approval of the project would not result in any significant effects on traffic, noise, air or water quality.”

Accessory dwelling units have seen substantial growth over the past decade, particularly in California, where the number of permits has increased by 42 to 76 percent each year since 2016, according to California YIMBY. One of the most significant developments during that time was the passage of Assembly Bill 68, a bill by San Francisco Democrat Phil Ting to ease barriers to building accessory dwelling units, which was signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2019 and went into effect the following year.

The commission will review the unit’s compatibility with surrounding properties and neighborhoods and its fit with Elm Street. Staff recommends the commission approve the special use permit along with a design study and environmental review.

The commission will meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday in the council chambers on the top floor of the Watsonville Civic Plaza, 275 Main St., Watsonville.