The draft Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) document includes a proposed Place Type zoning map and corresponding Place Type standards. These standards align the vision for Castroville with the required development standards. The Comprehensive Plan and the Downtown Mater Plan visioning documents are also here for review.

Comments will be received through December 15th.

Please leave your recommended changes in the public comment box to the right, for all to see. Alternatively you can also send any comments, questions, and feedback in a private message for a direct response from the planning team.

The formal adoption process for the Unified Development Code begins in December 2024 and continues through January 2025. All material will remain online for comment and recommended changes, through December 15, 2024.

Development of the UDO Standards

Building upon Castroville's existing historic DNA and a vision for the future community of Castroville, below is a proposed zoning translation table for revised place type zoning.

The new Place Type zoning categories emulate the historic building patterns of Castroville. The map below demonstrates how Place Type zoning across Castroville can ensure that future development matches the character and feel of historic Castroville.

Review the materials below and request any changes that would fine-tune the map and zoning categories.

To recommend changes to the Place Type zoning categories, use the form to the right. For a Place Type zoning change to a property you own, click the button below and submit the form.

The Place Type zoning, street design standards, and signage design standards together constitute the Unified Development Ordinance. The formal adoption process for the Unified Development Code will begin in December 2024 and continue through January 2025. All material will remain online for comment and recommended changes, through December 15, 2024.

Many of the existing zoning categories do not reflect existing development patterns and do not represent the future vision for Castroville. The table below identifies the translation of existing zoning categories into the Place Type categories. The Place Type categories directly reflect patterns seen in Castroville today.

Click the image to enlarge.

The zoning translation table above and the maps below together will define how each property is reclassified to which Place Type zoning category.

The map below left depicts Castroville's existing zoning categories by color, along with existing buildings in brown. Below right is a map of the preferred growth and development zones based on the availability of existing infrastructure and important topographic characteristics for conservation (ie-flood zones.)

Click the images to enlarge the maps.

Below are the proposed standards for each of the Place Type zoning categories.

If you see any changes that you would recommend, please share those insights in the comment box to the right. Further down on this page is a list of comments and recommended changes that community members submitted at the August 6-7th public meeting.

The Buildings Types and the Private Frontage Types that are listed in the Place Types are detailed below.

If you see any changes that you would recommend, please share those insights in the comment box to the right near the top of this page. Further down on this page is a list of comments and recommended changes that community members submitted at the August 6-7th public meeting.

The various alignments of the public frontage are detailed below, with options based on the type of street the building is placed.

If you see any changes that you would recommend, please share those insights in the comment box to the right near the top of this page. Further down on this page is a list of comments and recommended changes that community members submitted at the August 6-7th public meeting.

Click the images to enlarge.

Below, the various types of Civic Space and green space allowed in the Place Types are detailed. The new development exemplifies how various Place Types and civic spaces should be combined to create complete neighborhoods that reflect historic Castroville.

If you see any changes that you would recommend, please share those insights in the comment box to the right near the top of this page. Further down on this page is a list of comments and recommended changes that community members submitted at the August 6-7th public meeting.

Click the images to enlarge.

The Unified Development Code also aligns the Sign Ordinance with the other specifications for each Place Type. Below are images depicting the types of signage listed in the Place Types.

If you see changes that you would recommend, please share those insights in the comment box to the right near the top of this page. Further down on this page is a list of comments and recommended changes that community members submitted at the August 6-7th public meeting.

A summary of recommended edits and comments received is listed here by category:

PLACE TYPES

• P2 RURAL: Require a designated parking area (no parking on grass)
• P2.5 HISTORIC RESIDENTIAL: Limit height to 1.5 in historic district

• P3 NEIGHBORHOOD: Allow home-based businesses and business signage
• P3 NEIGHBORHOOD: Clear separation between commercial and residential areas
• P3 NEIGHBORHOOD: Allows a duplex and two ADUs or just one ADU on one lot?

• P4 NEIGHBORHOOD COMMERCIAL: Should have a 5ft min build-to line / front setback
• P4 NEIGHBORHOOD COMMERCIAL: Commercial should face and embrace adjacent residential. No strip centers or commercial buildings with backs facing the residential.
• P4 NEIGHBORHOOD COMMERCIAL: Public Works should not take away from the minimum lot coverage.
• P4 NEIGHBORHOOD COMMERCIAL: Allow 3-story mixed-use if the style fits local historical character.

• P5 URBAN DISTRICT: Allow shared parking
• P5 URBAN DISTRICT: Building storefront frontage should include entrances to all uses within the building.
• P5 URBAN DISTRICT: 2-story maximum
• P5 URBAN DISTRICT: 2.5 stories max within the historic core
• P5 URBAN DISTRICT: 5 ft setback minimum (rather than zero)
• P5 URBAN DISTRICT: Shared parking

• EC EMPLOYMENT CENTER: Change to “Industrial Center”?
• EC EMPLOYMENT CENTER: 3-acre lot minimum
• EC EMPLOYMENT CENTER: Max height requirement

PLACE TYPE ALLOCATION PER DEVELOPMENT PATTERN

• Change “Cluster Land Development” to “Conservation Neighborhood” & increase P1 & P2 to 50% each.

CIVIC SPACE

• Include parks requirements for new developments
• Require trees to be planted in backyards

BUILDING TYPES: COMMERCIAL

• Require human-scale frontage designs for commercial and mixed-use commercial buildings
• Limit curb cuts for Highway Commercial

BUILDING TYPES: RESIDENTIAL

• House large lot: How tall would be allowed?
• Mix all of these types to improve/increase density, infill, and affordability.

SIGNAGE

• A-frame sidewalk signs can be problematic for accessibility (any way to limit size to a % of the sidewalk, placed near the building or near the street?)
• Love how the blade sign mimics a village feel
• Reduce pole sign heights (where are these allowed exactly?)
• Control or limit digital signage

PUBLIC FRONTAGE STREET SECTIONS

• How can bike safety lanes be incorporated?
• Can Yield Street Landscaping be recommended for around Houston Square?

COMMENTS THAT MAY NOT BE ABLE TO BE ADDRESSED:

• P3M: Can the age of RVs be regulated, similar to the way RV Parks can require newer RVs? RESPONSE: This is something that a private land owner is able to regulate that the code cannot regulate.
• P2.5: 20 ft maximum build-to line (front setback) within the historic district? RESPONSE: Unfortunately many existing homes in the historic district would not meet a 20ft maximum build-to-line. This process aims to include as many properties as possible (if not all) by right, to allow the historic patterns of Castroville to remain in the future as well as be reflected in new development patterns.

See the input stakeholder gave at the past meetings and past phases of the project. You'll even see how this input has led to decisions throughout the process.