Talent city staff reviewed the city’s March 2023 Almeda recovery executive order and asked the council whether to keep, amend or sunset several post-fire waivers. Staff identified four topics for council consideration: (1) continued waiver of the affordable housing construction excise tax for rebuilds, (2) allowance for like‑for‑like rebuilding despite zoning nonconformance, (3) temporary emergency accommodations such as the Gateway Transitional Housing project, and (4) system development charge (SDC) treatment on replacement structures.
Staff said the state statute that required cities to allow like‑for‑like rebuilds is scheduled to end Sept. 30, while the city’s executive order has no sunset date. Staff reported “a few dozen” unrebuilt single‑family lots remaining and noted the city’s code already exempts replacements from SDCs; the question before council was whether these waivers should continue indefinitely, be time-limited, or be limited to the owner impacted by the fire.
Councilors asked for more granular data before taking policy action: parcel-level counts and lot sizes for unrebuilt properties, which lots are constrained by covenants (CC&Rs), how many lots are in specific neighborhoods such as Oak Valley, and scenarios for how preserving the like‑for‑like allowance might affect future density and infill decisions. Several councilors suggested staff return with proposals, including possible sunset dates, an owner‑specific versus land‑based waiver approach, or variance processes to minimize unintended incentives for nonconforming development.
On temporary emergency accommodations, staff recommended repealing that portion of the executive order following the planned closing of the Gateway Transitional Housing site. On SDCs, staff confirmed the city’s code exempts replacement structures and that language in practice limits the exemption to equal footprint (additional square footage can trigger SDCs). Council directed staff to return with more detailed data and policy options.