Planned District (PD) Development Standards in Concord
As of the effective date of the Concord Development Code, no new development may be approved using the Planned District (PD) zoning district. Existing residential developments with a PD zoning designation retain this status until the property is redeveloped, at which point they must conform to standard residential district regulations [Section 18.25.040].
Status of Planned District (PD) Zoning
The city of Concord has discontinued the use of the Planned District (PD) zoning district for new development approvals [Section 18.25.040]. Existing residential developments that currently hold a PD zoning designation will retain that designation until such time as the property is redeveloped [Section 18.25.040].
Transitioning Standards for PD Properties
Because many of the preliminary development plans for residential Planned District developments lacked sufficient written records to guide ongoing property changes, the Concord Development Code establishes a method for determining development standards for these sites [Section 18.25.040]:
- Absence of Records: Where no record of development standards exists for a specific residential Planned District, the development standards (such as lot coverage, setbacks, and building height) are determined by using the area of the subject lot to find the equivalent zoning category in the tables below [Section 18.25.040].
- Existing Records: For those residential Planned Districts that do possess a written record of development standards, those specific conditions of approval remain in effect [Section 18.25.040].
Applicable Standards for Equivalent Zoning
If a Planned District lacks written standards, the following tables from the Development Code are used based on the lot size of the subject property [Section 18.25.040]:
| Standard | Applicable Zoning District Table |
|---|---|
| Rural Residential or Single-Family Residential | Table 18.30.030 |
| Residential Low, Medium, or High Density | Table 18.30.040 |
Landscaping and Open Space in Residential Areas
While the Planned District (PD) classification is no longer available for new projects, existing and future residential developments in Concord must comply with general development standards regarding open space and landscaping [Section 18.150.100, Section 18.165.050].
- Private and Common Open Space: Residential developments with three or more dwelling units must provide at least 200 square feet of private and/or common open space per unit, with a minimum of 60 square feet of private open space per unit [Section 18.150.100].
- Recreational Facilities: Residential projects of 25 units or more must provide at least one recreational facility (e.g., game court, play lot, pool, exercise room). Projects with 100 or more units must provide a multi-purpose or recreation room [Section 18.150.100].
- General Landscaping: All new multi-unit residential projects must provide landscaping as required by the city’s development standards, including parking lot landscaping and water-efficient landscaping requirements [Section 18.165.020, Section 18.165.060].
Sections Cited
- Section 18.25.040: Planned district (PD) zoning district
- Section 18.150.100: Open space and recreational facilities for residential development
- Section 18.165.020: Applicability (Landscaping)
- Section 18.165.060: Parking lot landscaping
- Table 18.30.030: RR and RS districts – Development standards
- Table 18.30.040: RL, RM, and RH districts – Development standards