City Council - Jan 13, 2026 06:30 PM - Meeting

Concord's first regular City Council meeting of 2026 moved briskly through a crowded agenda that touched on housing policy, pedestrian safety, and the search for the city's next top administrator. The council unanimously advanced a zoning change that would allow taller buildings in key commercial and residential corridors — a state-mandated step to unlock housing production — while also greenlighting a federal grant application to close a dangerous sidewalk gap near a charter school. Meanwhile, residents used public comment to flag an under-the-radar federal move that could route San Francisco's massive immigration court caseload to Concord, and a group of local Scouts delivered a pointed lesson on e-bike safety.

• Zoning ordinance clears first reading to allow 7-foot height increases in commercial, mixed-use, and high-density residential zones

• City Manager recruitment profile approved; interviews expected in April

• Council backs grant request to MTC for sidewalk improvements near Rocketship Glenbrook

• Resident warns of potential immigration court relocation from San Francisco

• Scouts press council on e-bike rules for minors; staff directed to improve public information

• Mayor ratifies 2026 committee assignments and external board appointments

• Community honors longtime leader Ava Sudeth with Martin Luther King Jr. Day proclamation

Concord took a significant step toward meeting its state-mandated housing goals, unanimously introducing an ordinance that would raise maximum building heights by seven feet in three zoning districts: Commercial Office (CO), Commercial Mixed-Use (CMX), and High-Density Residential (RH).