Rheem Park Objective Design Standards Project

Figure 1; Rheem Park Area

Rheem Park

The Rheem Park Objective Design Standards project was an element of the Comprehensive Advanced Planning Initiative. Its intent was to address Senate Bill 330 (SB 330), which requires that cities and towns provide an expedited development review process for projects meeting “objective standards” adopted by the jurisdiction. These standards must be applied without ambiguity or subjectivity. If an application is consistent with the requirements, it cannot be denied or approved with conditions that would lessen the intensity of housing.

The Rheem Park Design Standards were adopted as a new Chapter 8.210 of the Moraga Planning and Zoning Code. The standards apply to the Rheem Park Area shown in Figure 1. New zoning for this area adopted in 2023 allows for multi-family housing and mixed-use development up to 24 units per acre, in order to meet the Town’s housing obligations. The rezoning heightened the need for objective standards, so the Town could exercise greater control over development in this area. Objective standards are now the primary mechanism to enforce community design goals that were previously implemented through subjective design guidelines.

The Rheem Park Design Standards were adopted in Spring 2023, building on the following:

  • Previously adopted standards for the Moraga Center Specific Plan area
  • Multifamily and mixed-use guidelines from Moraga’s existing townwide Design Guidelines
  • Standards recently adopted by other jurisdictions, including Lafayette, Danville, Palo Alto, Walnut Creek, and Marin County
  • Site visits to shopping centers that were recently updated.
  • The State’s best practices toolkit for creating objective design standards.
  • The Standards have been organized by topic and include a statement of intent for each topic. They are informed by meetings with Rheem Park Area property owners, as well as input from the public.

In 2024, an Illustrated version of the standards was developed to help the public and the development community visualize how the standards could be applied in real world situations. To view the illustrative design standards, click here.