The agenda for this week’s meeting of the Coronado City Council includes residential timeshares, consolidating two city commissions, a presentation on the city’s financial forecast, and more. Public comment will be heard.
The meeting is at 4 p.m. in the City Council Chamber at 1825 Strand Way, and will be broadcast here. A recording of the meeting will be posted here.
Tweaking the city’s ban on residential timeshares
Coronado banned residential time shares in 1981, and the current ordinances prohibiting them define them as residentially-zoned properties with shared ownership or usage rights for transient stays.
A new trend has emerged known as fractional ownership, in which multiple parties purchase a single-family home or condominium and divide their time at the property in accordance with their ownership stake. The City Council will consider an ordinance that will clarify that all time shares — including fractional ownership models — are prohibited in the city’s residential zone. The municipal code already prohibits this ownership model, but the ordinance would clarify the policy.
The proposed ordinance contains an exception for “legitimate joint ownership,” in which multiple parties jointly own a property and agree to its use. An example of this could include a trust or other family arrangement, or an LLC owning a property but not using it for transient occupancy. The proposed ordinance clarifies the definition of “time share” and to prohibit advertising timeshares that violate Coronado’s municipal code.
The city is concerned that fractional ownership would reduce the stock of housing for permanent residents of the community, impact housing prices, and threaten the city’s compliance in the state’s Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA). Proponents of fractional ownership say it lowers the barriers for entry to investment in real estate.
Consolidating the Design Review Commission into the Planning Commission
After lengthy discussion, the City Council voted in April to consolidate the two commissions, neither of which are overladen with work, supporters of the move say. More information on this merger is covered here.
The council will introduce an ordinance making the change official and replacing references to the “Design Review Commission” with “Planning Commission” in the city’s code.
Appointing members to the consolidated Planning Commission
The new, consolidated Planning Commission will temporarily expand to up to seven members, allowing all current commissioners to continue their terms if desired. It will eventually reduce to five members through attrition.
The current Planning Commission has three members; the Design Review Commission has four. All seven have expressed interest in serving on the consolidated Planning Commission.
However, four of these commissioners have terms ending in December 2025, which exceeds the recommended limit of three members expiring in one year. Coronado city staff are recommending that the City Council adjust one of the Design Review Commission members’ term to expire in 2026 to avoid high rates of turnover.
The members of the current Planning Commission are Dana Cavanaugh, Jon Ryan, and Scott Metzger. Ryan and Metzger both have terms expiring this year.
The members of the current Design Review Commission are Edry Goot, Rebecca King, Sue Godwin, and Jeremy Stein. Goot and King’s terms both expire this year, and if the City Council appoints both of them to the consolidated Planning Commission, it will consider extending one of their terms by a year.
A presentation on the city’s multi-year general fund financial forecast
The council will hear a presentation on the city’s financial forecast. A staff report outlining the projected balance of the city’s general fund says that the city is “well situation to navigate the current, uncertain economic environment.” The report says short-term projections incorporate an extra layer of caution due to uncertainty from US President Donald Trump’s recent tariffs.
The general fund balance over the next five years is forecast to remain stable, with the fund balance as of fiscal year 2029-30 projected to be at $86.6 million.
The full report is here.
An update on the ongoing Tijuana sewage crisis and actions to mitigate it
The council will hear an update on construction projects and advocacy efforts related to the millions of gallons of untreated wastewater that flow from Tijuana into the Pacific Ocean each day, causing beach closures, odors, and contamination concerns.
Current news on the matter can be found here.
A request to revisit Coronado’s new regulations on beach bonfires
Last year, the City Council went through the laborious process of changing its policy on beach bonfires, balancing the recreational benefits with the concern of smoke sent to nearby residences, most notably to the Coronado Shores condominiums.
After several discussions and compromises, the following rules were imposed: Bonfires are permitted on South Beach, the narrow strip of land adjacent to the shores, but only if they are fueled by propane.
Elsewhere, beachgoers can build fires in personal or city-provided fire rings, provided that wood-fueled fires use clean-burning wood as opposed to materials like pallets. More background on the matter is covered here.
Council member Amy Steward, who was not yet on the council when the decision was made, submitted a Policy No. 9 request that the matter to placed on a future agenda for discussion.
Steward asked that the council discuss potentially amending the ordinance to define South Beach’s boundary as starting at the rock jetty at the Hotel del Coronado and extending to the Naval Amphibious Base, as opposed to starting at Avenida del Sol.
“Due to the prevailing winds, wood fires on the beach from Avenida del Sol north the rock jetty negatively impact residents at the Coronado Shores,” Steward wrote in her request. “This clarifies the designation of South Beach and will minimize impact on Coronado Shores residents.”
