Okay...so not really new to Sacramento, but new to the watchful eye of SJPC. Here's a bit about the Planning & Design Commission. In 2012 the ordinances establishing the Planning Commission and the Design Commission were repealed. In their place, the Planning and Design Commission was established. The Planning and Design Commission is made up of 13 members, one commissioner who’s chosen by each council member, and four professionals/expertise in the field.
They have the power and duty to carry out the State Planning and Zoning Laws. Here’s the legaleeze:
Basically….These are the people who run your house (ing and business building projects) ! Land use permits first get sent to the Planning Director. If there’s a conditional use permit (special circumstance) then it gets sent to the commission. The commission also hears neighborhood disagreements, land use appeals, and gives its options on long range plans to the city council.
This commission is especially important to ensuring an equity lens is being used for new cannabis businesses.
Darrell Steinberg’s appointed commissioner Maya Wallace, answered a few questions about the goals of the commission. She says she views her roles as balancing community with property rights, with equity lens and financial context.
Planning and zoning have some serious ties to social justice. Affluent neighborhoods with the resources to organize have always been more able to get preferential treatment on a government level. A social justice lens would allow for more equitable neighborhood planning.
