The City’s new Objective Design Standards carefully balance community sensibilities and objectives with developers’ desires to have some measure of flexibility within a streamlined approval process for multifamily housing developments and mixed-use projects with a significant housing component. It’s based on workshops with both the development community and Hemet residents to ensure it includes development qualities important to the community.

The ODS provide clear, measurable, objective standards regarding site design, architectural treatments and other development standards that apply—in addition to typical zoning standards such as height, setbacks, open space and parking. Developers seeking to have applications approved via a staff-level ministerial process can design projects consistent with the ODS. And the ordinance allows for deviations from the standards but requires discretionary review by the Planning Commission for any application that does not comply. Developers have the option of selecting the streamlined process, which can save significant time and money, or follow a more traditional but less certain project review path.