The City of Tracy Planning Commission on Dec. 3 voted to recommend that City Council amend the Central Business District (CBD) zoning code to: make a decade‑long parking‑exemption pilot permanent, allow use group 33 as a permitted use in the CBD (shifting certain recreational and instructional uses from conditional to permitted), clarify streamlined review for affordable housing, and add a maximum height limit of four floors or 50 feet.

Planner Brianna Alameda summarized the amendments and said the parking exemption would apply to new buildings, modifications and tenant changes in the CBD. "We're proposing making the parking exemptions permanent," Alameda said during her presentation, citing the downtown vision plan and city council direction adopted Oct. 1, 2024.

Staff recounted the 2015 pilot that reduced the parking‑in‑lieu fee to zero after research by the Tracy City Center Association (TICA) showed available downtown parking in public lots. Staff said the fee historically produced very little revenue ("under $20,000 over the period of 20 or 30 years") and would not be a viable funding source for a public parking structure. Staff also noted that the City can still address site‑specific impacts through development review and that City Council could amend an ordinance later if needed.

A downtown resident, Marcus Medina, urged greater detail and cautioned that eliminating parking requirements entirely might be "reckless" if larger, multi‑story buildings are developed on vacant lots without parking plans. "I feel like this one's not as detailed...it needs a little more work," Medina said. Commissioners discussed the possibility of partial reductions, carving out edge areas, triggers for reexamination, and overnight parking limitations in private lots.

After discussion the commission voted to recommend the amendments and forward the staff CEQA finding to City Council. Commissioners said the change reflects a calculated risk to encourage downtown development while acknowledging the potential for growing pains and the need for future adjustments based on community input or development impacts.

What happens next: The Planning Commissions recommendation, associated ordinance language, and CEQA determination will be presented to the City Council for public hearing and final action.