The Cloverdale City Council on Monday introduced by title an ordinance to add objective design and development standards to Title 18 of the Cloverdale Municipal Code, a move the city says is intended to create clear, measurable rules for future multifamily and mixed‑use housing projects.

City Manager Kevin Thompson described the item as “a zoning code amendment,” and said the change responds to state law and removes subjective criteria such as “fitting with the neighborhood character.” He said the proposed standards will give developers and staff a clear benchmark for project review.

Luke Lindenbush, supervising planner with consultant 4 Leaf, briefed the council on the proposal. “This is really just the next extension of that,” he said, linking the ordinance to prior housing‑element work and prior code amendments. Lindenbush said the proposed new text would appear in a new Section 18.10.080 and that the standards are intended to be objective and measurable — for example, using fixed numeric limits rather than phrases such as “consistent with community character.”

Planner Eli Ariola, who led the project, described the ordinance’s substance: standards for site design, parking and screening, building materials and material differentiation, outdoor common spaces with specified amenity options, lighting standards to limit light trespass, and utility and mechanical equipment placement rules. He also noted amendments to Chapter 18.09.030 (fences, walls and hedges) to add fire‑hardening requirements in high fire‑hazard areas.

The city framed the measure as compliance with state law enacted to support housing production under streamlining programs, citing Senate Bill 330 (2019) and the Housing Accountability Act as drivers for objective standards. City staff said they developed a concise, usable document and supplemental materials including a glossary and an applicant checklist after stakeholder outreach to architects, developers and the building trades.

Council members asked how the standards apply to older building stock and whether prohibited materials (the planners cited examples such as certain low‑grade siding) had been addressed. Staff said the new standards apply to new projects and replacements; rehabilitation of existing structures generally would not be retroactively required. Lindenbush said the standards include prohibitions on some materials commonly associated with premature trim failure.

The council voted 5‑0 to introduce the ordinance by title only; staff said the item will return for second reading and final adoption at a later meeting.