Redlands rezones land for 2,300 homes to meet state housing mandate

REDLANDS, Calif. — Redlands City Council approved a sweeping rezoning plan on June 3 that paves the way for more than 2,300 new housing units by converting industrial and commercial land into residential zones.

Why it matters: The vote marks a huge step in the city’s implementation of its 2021-2029 Housing Element. The rezoning fulfills a requirement under Program 1.1-1 of the state-certified housing plan designed to address the shortage of land available for housing by October 2025. Under this program, the city must rezone to provide land for at least 4,219 units, 1,898 of which are very low and low income units. 

Details: In 2021, the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) assigned Redlands a housing production quota of roughly 3,500 units, a number that includes specific income-based affordability thresholds. The plan rezones 17 parcels — mostly in West Redlands near Citrus Avenue, Nevada Street, and Alabama Street — with additional sites scattered across North Redlands. Nearly all of the parcels are currently zoned for commercial or industrial use. Under this rezoning, most will be converted to R-2 or R-3 multifamily residential zones.

Council member Denise Davis abstained from voting on two specific parcels near her residence but supported the rest of the measure. 

Environmental impacts: The city prepared a subsequent Environmental Impact Report (EIR) as required by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). While many impacts were previously assessed under the 2035 General Plan, the new EIR identified 11 “significant and unavoidable” impacts, including air quality, greenhouse gas emissions and increased vehicle miles traveled.

Despite these findings, city officials say that the long-term benefits, such as improved housing access and economic balance, outweigh the environmental concerns. 

What they’re saying: During public comment, long-time resident Steve Rogers expressed concern about removing parcels from existing specific plans and questioned the quality of the city's General Plan, particularly its infrastructure and traffic elements. “This general plan is in horrible condition,” Rogers said.

The city also received three written comments, including concerns from the San Bernardino County Flood Control District. City staff said those issues would be addressed during future project-level reviews, noting that rezoning alone does not authorize construction.

Moving forward: The approved resolutions include certification of the EIR, amendments to the General Plan and specific plans and introduction of Ordinance No. 2983 to formally update the city’s zoning map.

No specific development projects were proposed alongside the rezoning, however these changes create pathways for future housing proposals to move forward more swiftly.