City of Calipatria Eastside Specific Plan

The City of Calipatria Eastside Specific Plan is a planning-level regulatory framework designed to stimulate residential, commercial, and light industrial development in the city's underutilized eastern half. Aiming to address housing stagnation observed since 2011, the plan focuses on 326 properties, approximately 55% of which are currently undeveloped. The plan establishes new zoning designations, including Residential Commercial Mixed-Use (RC), Residential Industrial Mixed-Use (RI), and Commercial Industrial (CI), to support diverse land uses while ensuring compatibility with existing neighborhoods. Rather than approving specific projects, this framework sets design standards to ensure visually pleasing developments and establishes roadway level of service standards in accordance with the General Plan Circulation Element. The project has undergone environmental review through an Initial Study and Mitigated Negative Declaration, confirming compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). This review addressed potential impacts on air quality, biological resources, cultural resources, geology, and greenhouse gas emissions, including consultations with the California Native American Heritage Commission. While the plan provides the regulatory structure for future growth, all subsequent developments must comply with adopted mitigation measures and all applicable federal, state, and local requirements. Specific oversight, such as the approval of landscaping types, is managed by the County of Imperial Agricultural Commissioner's Office.