Have an ADU in Westminster? A driveway proposal still needs council action

Updated October 27, 2026, using the meeting recording. This update replaces the pre-hearing preview with verified actions.

A 3–2 vote, but only a recommendation

A homeowner with an accessory unit wants more driveway parking. A coffee shop wants to open early. A property owner wants to divide a lot.

All three needs touch the land-use update Westminster is considering. On October 21, 2026, the Planning Commission voted 3–2 to recommend that the City Council approve the package.

The commission reviews planning matters and makes recommendations to the council. Its vote does not, by itself, put the new rules into effect.

The official recording, beginning around 3 hours 12 minutes, shows Joseph Nguyen proposing the amended motion and Tommy Nguyen seconding it. Andy Nguyen, Joseph Nguyen and Tommy Nguyen voted yes.

Vice Chair Don Anderson and Chair K.C. Wolbert voted no. The adopted motion recommends approval under Resolution 26-007, Case No. 2026-⁠0053.

Driveways: an extra allowance would rise from 5 to 9 feet

The added recommendation concerns driveways and front-yard parking.

Under draft Title 17, page 30, driveway coverage depends on lot width. Section 17.210.015.B.2 includes an exception for properties with an SB 9 two-unit housing development, an ADU or a JADU.

An ADU is an accessory dwelling unit. A JADU is a smaller type of accessory unit defined by state law; SB 9 refers here to a two-unit housing development under state law.

The draft allows those properties an additional 5 feet of maximum driveway width, excluding walkways. The adopted motion recommends changing that allowance to 9 feet.

That would increase the extra allowance from 5 to 9 feet; it would not set a driveway’s total width at 9 feet. Nor would every homeowner automatically be allowed to add 9 feet.

Commissioners weighed parking demand against the amount of yard left for landscaping. The City Council still needs to consider the recommendation and the proposed text.

One set of rules, many everyday decisions

A coffee shop wants to open early. A restaurant needs parking. A property owner wants to divide a lot. All three could be affected by the rules Westminster is proposing to update.

The zoning code determines which activities can go where. It also sets standards such as building setbacks and parking requirements.

Lot-division procedures sit in another part of the municipal code. This proposal brings both groups of rules into the same update.

The commission considered Item 8.2, Case No. 2026-⁠0053, on October 21, 2026. The sections below explain proposals in the package, not newly enacted rules.

According to the city’s staff report, the last comprehensive zoning update was in 2010. This effort reorganizes the text while proposing changes to standards and procedures.

It is not simply a renaming of chapters or a formatting cleanup.

Early-opening coffee shops could be reviewed differently

One proposal close to everyday life around Bolsa concerns business hours.

The staff report says current rules set separate operating hours for coffee and tea houses. Businesses need a conditional use permit to operate outside those windows.

A conditional use permit, or CUP, allows the city to review an activity and impose conditions to limit its effects on surrounding properties.

The draft would repeal those separate coffee- and tea-house rules. These businesses would instead be regulated like similar food and beverage establishments.

Another proposal changes how late-night operations near residential property are defined.

According to the report, businesses within 150 feet of residentially zoned property can currently need a CUP for operating between midnight and 6 a.m. The draft shifts the focus to noise-generating equipment exposed to the outdoors between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.

The new definition excludes serving customers from that category of late-night operations. The report cites coffee and donut shops opening early as examples of the current issue.

That does not mean a business would be exempt from every permit or noise rule. This change concerns a particular category of CUP review.

Which parking requirements could drop?

Operating hours are one issue. Providing enough required parking is another.

The staff report and draft outline these changes:

• Standalone retail and service businesses: current — One space per 250 square feet; proposed — One space per 300 square feet.
• Freestanding restaurants with customer seating, outside a shopping center: current — One space per 100 square feet; proposed — One space per 200 square feet.
• Restaurants with 13 or more seats in shopping centers of no more than 100,000 square feet: current — Calculation varies with the share of restaurant space in the center; proposed — One space per 300 square feet.

These are proposed standards, not permission for a particular storefront.

For the same floor area, allowing more square feet per parking space generally lowers the required number of spaces. The exact calculation still depends on the business category and applicable rules.

The draft also says outdoor dining areas of no more than 1,000 square feet would not require additional parking. Above that threshold, the excess area would trigger a separate parking calculation.

These are parking requirements for projects, not a promise that more curbside spaces will become available.

Building a home is not the same as dividing a lot

Beyond businesses, the proposal also addresses housing standards and how land is divided.

The standards attachment proposes smaller front setbacks in some residential zones. For example, one measure in the R1 zone would fall from 20 feet to 16 feet.

But the table retains a comparison with distance from the street centerline and special provisions for certain streets. The 16-foot figure cannot be applied to every home.

For lot divisions, the report proposes administrative review for maps creating up to four parcels. An exception applies when the map accompanies another application that still needs Planning Commission review.

Administrative review means city staff or another designated official processes the application under the rules. It does not mean an owner can divide property without applying.

The city also proposes adding Chapter 16.14 for small urban housing projects. The staff report says qualifying projects under state law can include up to 10 parcels and 10 homes.

The report describes a 60-day ministerial approval process, subject to eligibility requirements. Ministerial review applies set standards rather than an open-ended discretionary decision. It does not give every owner a right to divide a lot into 10 pieces.

The draft chapter also prohibits adding an ADU or JADU on a parcel created through this process. That process is separate from the driveway exception the commission recommended changing.

That detail illustrates why different housing paths come with different conditions. This article does not determine which path a particular address qualifies for.

Who decides what happens next?

These changes remain proposals.

After the 3–2 recommendation, the next decision belongs to the City Council. In the recording, staff anticipates bringing the case to a special council meeting on November 18, 2026.

The city’s project webpage also lists November 18, 2026, as tentative. Meeting time and comment arrangements need confirmation when the official agenda is published.

For people preparing to open a business or alter a home, the final text and effective date still matter. The commission’s recommendation does not replace a permit for a particular address.

Follow the case and ask questions

• Case: 2026-⁠0053, land-use and subdivision update.
• Next step: Staff anticipates council consideration on November 18, 2026. The previous hearing’s time and comment deadline do not establish arrangements for that meeting.
• Planning Division: (714) 548-⁠3247
• Email: [planning@westminster-ca.gov](mailto:planning@westminster-ca.gov).
• Questions about the draft: Alice Tieu, Associate Planner, [atieu@westminster-ca.gov](mailto:atieu@westminster-ca.gov).
• Alice Tieu’s phone: (714) 548-⁠3485
• Watch the October 21 meeting: Official recording, motion and vote at about 3 hours 12–14 minutes.
• Website: westminster-ca.gov.

This article is for general information only and is not financial, tax, investment, or legal advice. Please consult a licensed professional before making decisions.

Translation assisted by AI and reviewed by an editor.