A friendly beach town on the Central Coast of California, Grover Beach wanted to further its goal of attracting residential development citywide and new mixed-use, residential, and catalytic projects along its primary thoroughfare, West Grand Avenue. The answer was a focused Development Code that included:

• Revised and new development standards aimed at increasing housing production by removing ambiguities, with new standards that are tailored to the prevailing market-driven product types.
• An objective design review process and flexible design standards that streamline housing review and implement requirements of the California Housing Accountability Act, with a menu of design options from which developers can select.
• Strategies that encourage the “missing middle” housing, to better serve people earning moderate incomes, while also increasing the diversity of housing options for people at varied life stages. The “fractional density” method promotes affordable house by offering incentives for smaller market rate units. 

The first project approved under the new Code is a mixed-use development at the corner of West Grand Avenue and 4th Street, with 37 residential units (a mix of studio and two-bedroom units) and 4,700 square feet of ground floor commercial/retail space—a new pedestrian-friendly gateway that welcomes residents and visitors to the community.