Planning for Lodi’s Future Growth –
3-Part Workshop Series
During Summer 2025, the City Council hosted a three-part workshop series focused on how Lodi will grow in the years ahead. Each session explored a key aspect of city planning, infrastructure, and funding:
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June 3, 2025 – Part I: Led by Community Development, this session covered the General Plan (GP) and Sphere of Influence (SOI).
👉 View Community Development's Part I Presentation (PDF) -
June 10, 2025 – Part II: A joint presentation from Public Works (PW) and Lodi Electric Utility (LEU) focused on utilities and infrastructure needed to support future growth.
👉 View Public Works' Part II Presentation (PDF)
👉 View Lodi Electric Utility's Part II Presentation (PDF)
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June 17, 2025 – Part III: A discussion with outside legal counsel and Economic Development (EDD) exploring funding strategies and next steps to support long-term development.
Shaping Tomorrow’s
Lodi
– Learn How
City Expansion within the Sphere of Influence
In California land use planning, a sphere of influence (SOI) is a designated area beyond a city's official boundaries that represents where the city is expected to grow and provide services in the future. The Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) determines these boundaries to guide development, ensure efficient service delivery, and prevent urban sprawl.
The SOI helps cities and counties plan for infrastructure, such as roads, water, and public safety, in areas that may eventually be annexed into the city. However, being within a city's SOI does not mean immediate annexation—it simply means that the city has a long-term interest in that area.
These designations help coordinate growth, avoid conflicts between jurisdictions, and promote orderly development. They play a crucial role in shaping the future of communities while balancing environmental and economic considerations.
In 2022, the Municipal Services Review (MSR) was updated by the City of Lodi for the San Joaquin LAFCO in compliance with the 2000 Cortese-Knox-Hertzberg Act, which requires each LAFCo to prepare service reviews prior to establishing or updating SOIs. According to LAFCO policies, the purpose of an MSR is to evaluate the provision of services from a comprehensive perspective and recommend actions, when necessary, to promote the efficient provision of those services. This MSR must define the probable 30-year boundary of its service area and the agency’s sphere horizons at the end of the 10 and 30-year time period coordinated with this MSR.
Active Annexation Applications
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Maverik (PL2023-040)
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Location: 4872 E. Kettleman Lane + Adjacent Right of Ways (~9.71 Acres).
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Status:
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Approved by Lodi Planning Commission & City Council in 2025.
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Submitted to LAFCO for consideration in December 2025.
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Anticipated LAFCO Public Hearing Spring 2026.
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Westside "F" (2024-09 A)
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Location: Approximately 95 acres (~20 parcels) bounded by West Kettleman Lane to the south, West Vine Street to the north, and portions of Westgate Drive, Taylor Road, and Lower Sacramento Road to the east and west.
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Status:
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Application submitted March 13, 2025.
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Outstanding issues include reliance upon and/or contingency on the City’s proposed Phase 4 Code Amendments related to assumption of Williamson Act contracts, as well as whether the application will be amended to include a General Plan Amendment and prezoning change for an existing commercial parcel to allow High Density Residential development.
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Planning Commission and City Council hearings anticipated Summer 2026, followed by submittal to LAFCO for review.
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Growth Allocations
In 1991, the City adopted a Growth Management Allocation Ordinance (GMAO) to regulate the location, amount, and timing of residential development. The ordinance establishes a residential density allocation system, with the goal of promoting designated percentages of the mix of housing types listed in Table 51 of the 6th Cycle Housing Element. The percentages were derived from the breakdown of existing housing units in Lodi when the ordinance was first conceived in 1989.
The allocation for a given year is calculated in the following manner: Lodi’s Department of Finance (DOF)
population estimate x 0.02 ÷ Lodi’s DOF estimate of persons per household = number of allocations. For example,
the city population was 66,305 in 2022, and new DOF numbers show Lodi at 2.7 persons per household in 2022. Calculate two percent of the city’s current population: 66,305 x 2% = 1,326.1. Divide 1,326.1 by the average number of persons per household: 1,326.1 / 2.7 = 491.1, meaning that, for the year 2022, 491 new allocations became available. To calculate allocations by density, divide these 491.1 (491) units into the three housing types: 44 percent low-density; 28 percent medium-density; 28 percent high-density. This breakdown by density establishes an upper limit for the number of permits each year.
As part of the City’s Growth Allocation Plan and Resolution #2023-41, which provides the current required Growth Allocation process, the City Council reviews requests for new residential projects to determine whether the project complies with the Growth Management Plan and should be issued Allocations for new residential growth.
Under the City’s Growth Management Plan and Process, the City Council considers Growth Allocation requests before the project itself is considered for approval by Council. A public hearing is required for each Growth Allocation consideration.
Exemptions from Growth Allocations
In recognition of potential constraints, the following are exempt from requirements for Growth Allocations:
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Commercial and industrial projects.
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Senior citizen housing.
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Construction of a new or replacement of a single-family home.
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Reconstruction of any residential unit that was originally constructed with a Growth Allocation.
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Residential project of four (4) units or less, including attached and detached units.
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Accessory Dwelling Units.
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Emergency Housing.
Further, between 2021 and 2023, the City amended the ordinance to address potential constraints and streamline procedures for processing applications. These amendments included, but were not limited to, the following:
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Allowing applications for Growth Allocations to be accepted at any time of year, replacing the prior once a year application process.
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Allowing applications for Growth Allocations to proceed directly to City Council, rather than first being reviewed by the Planning Commission and then being forwarded to the City Council for approval.
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Allowing for the City Council to issue Growth Allocations early in the process for projects on lands that are not yet annexed into the City, subject to their successful annexation.
To address potential constraints, Housing Element Program 1.2 commits the City to amend the Growth Management Allocation Ordinance to exempt housing units affordable to extremely low-, very low-, or low-income households with longterm affordability restrictions, as well as to provide a staff-level ministerial process for approving extensions to existing allocations.
As of May 2026, 2,079 units were available for allocation, including 985 Low Density, 628 Medium Density, and 466 High Density units.