Community Forum

The City hosted a community workshop on October 14, 2025 at 6:00pm. With the input received from the community and the ARP/PC at the prior study sessions, next steps will be drafting the ODS document, for review by the Planning Commission and lastly by the City Council for adoption.

Community Forum Flyer

ARP/PC Study Sessions

The City hosted a joint meeting of the Architectural Review Panel (ARP) and Planning Commission (PC) on July 25, 2025 at 2:00 PM at the Calabasas Community Center, for the purpose of receiving feedback from the Panelists and Commissioners regarding the development of the Draft ODS Framework. The ARP and PC provided feedback, and recommended that another joint study session is conducted prior to a future community workshop.

July 25, 2025 ARP/PC Study Session Agenda Packet

July 25, 2025 ARP/PC Study Session - Powerpoint Presentation

A secondary ARP/PC Joint Study Session was conducted on September 9, 2025. The ARP and PC provided feedback, which staff and the consultant will take into consideration to make revisions to the draft ODS matrix.

September 9, 2025 ARP/PC Study Session #2 Agenda Packet

Community Survey 

The City held a community survey to obtain feedback from the community, including residents, visitors, and those employed within the City. The survey was available to the public during the month of June, and now that the survey has closed, Staff is in the process of reviewing community feedback for incorporation into the Draft ODS Framework.

Background 

The purpose of Objective Design Standards is to establish a clear set of architectural and site design requirements for new multi-family residential and mixed-use developments. These are standards that are measurable, quantifiable, easily defined, and enforceable.

Under State law, Objective Design Standards are defined as “standards that involve no personal or subjective judgment by a public official and are uniformly verifiable by reference to an external and uniform benchmark or criterion available and knowable by both the development applicant or proponent and the public official prior to submittal” (California Government Code, Section 65913.4).

In recent years, the State has enacted several new laws to increase housing supply, affordability, and reduce obstacles to housing production, and streamline housing development projects. These laws including, Senate Bill No. 35 and Senate Bill No. 330, require housing development projects to be reviewed against objective design standards. Objective Design Standards are a powerful tool that allows communities to respond to State housing laws that are reducing local control of development. They provide an opportunity to ensure that the appearance of new multi-family housing and mixed-use is compatible with the City's vision.

Process

The City of Calabasas is currently developing Objective Design Standards (ODS) for the review of multi-family housing and mixed-use development applications. This effort is in response to State legislation requiring jurisdictions to adopt objective standards and to implement them in a streamlined review of qualifying housing projects. More information will become available on this page regarding upcoming meetings and workshops as the City gets further along in the process.