Pittsburg planning hearing takes up backyard-home rules and two permits

Pittsburg's Planning Commission meets at 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 28, in the City Council Chamber at City Hall, with three public hearings on the agenda. The one that touches the most households is a rewrite of the city's rules for backyard homes.

The item, filed as AP-26-0067, would amend Article IV of Chapter 18.50 of the municipal code, the article governing accessory dwelling units and junior accessory dwelling units. The city last overhauled that ordinance in 2023. According to the hearing notice, the new amendments would bring the city's standards in line with current state ADU law and make the rules clearer to administer. They would also carry out Housing Program 7 of the city's 6th Cycle Housing Element, adopted by council resolution 24-14516.

The commission does not have the last word here. It would forward a recommendation to the City Council, which adopts the ordinance. Because the ordinance implements state ADU law, the city has determined it is statutorily exempt from environmental review under CEQA. The project planner is Kelsey Gunter, (925) 252-4814.

The second item is a revocation hearing. The commission will consider revoking Use Permit No. AP-21-1570, which allowed a foot reflexology and massage therapy business, Day Spring Spa, in a 1,536-square-foot space at 1353 Buchanan Road, in the Highlands Square Shopping Center. The notice is issued under Pittsburg Municipal Code section 18.28.110, the section covering revocations, and does not state the grounds. The project planner is Maurice Brenyah-Addow, (925) 252-4261.

The third item is downtown. La Raza Market, a grocery and convenience store at 134 E. 10th St., is asking to sell distilled spirits under a Type 21 ABC license, on top of the beer and wine it already sells under a Type 20. The store is open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.; liquor sales would run 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., which matches the city's performance standards for alcohol sales in section 18.84.1025. The applicant proposes widening the counter and cashier area and no other change to how the store operates.

To comment, write to the project planner for the item, naming the project, or mail or deliver comments to the Pittsburg Planning Division, 65 Civic Ave., Pittsburg, CA 94565. Comments can also be made out loud at the hearing. Written correspondence received before the commission acts becomes part of the administrative record, and under Government Code section 65009 a later court challenge may be limited to issues raised at the hearing or in writing beforehand. The Planning Division's main line, (925) 252-4920, handles accommodation requests for anyone who needs help reviewing the file.