that new construction complements existing structures and preserves the natural environment. The 2030 General Plan highlights Calabasas’s efforts to support thoughtful development, balancing growth with sustainability and open space preservation, aligning with the city’s long-term priorities, and enhancing the quality of life for its residents. EXPANDING MIXED-USE AND AFFORDABLE HOUSING INITIATIVES Calabasas is creating a balanced and sustainable community through the promotion of mixed-use developments and affordable housing. While most of the City maintains a lower-density residential zoning, existing commercial areas such as the Calabasas downtown Civic Center, offer prime opportunities for infill development. Klein describes the vision: “The entire area west of Old Town is zoned for mixeduse development.” This approach will repurpose underutilized commercial spaces, integrating housing into established commercial corridors. The city has identified two principal commercial corridors for this mixed-use zoning: one adjacent to Old Town and another off Las Virgenes Road near the Pepperdine campus. Klein points out the importance of these areas meeting sustainability objectives, noting that they provide housing in developed areas already served by existing infrastructure. This setup allows residents “to walk down the street to get a cup of coffee or pick up some groceries as opposed to driving everywhere.” Calabasas is proactive in meeting California’s housing laws, with Klein noting, “The city was one of the first... to get our housing element certified by the state.”The housing plan includes an inclusionary requirement for projects with five or more units to provide affordable housing. Developers can pay an in-lieu fee, but Klein adds,“We have very high in-lieu fee costs,” making on-site units more common. To address the city’s high median home price of $2 million, an affordable housing overlay zone offers density bonuses and less stringent zoning standards for including additional affordable units, potentially 63 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 05, ISSUE 10 CALABASAS, CA
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