Honorable Mayor and Members of the Hermosa Beach City Council
Regular Meeting of August 10, 2021
Title
TEXT AMENDMENT 21-02 CONSIDERATION OF AMENDMENTS TO THE HERMOSA BEACH MUNICIPAL CODE REGARDING OFF-STREET PARKING IN COMMERCIAL ZONES AND DETERMINATION THAT THE PROJECT IS EXEMPT FROM THE CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT (CEQA) PURSUANT TO SECTIONS 15061 AND 15308 AND THAT THE ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS FOR THE PROPOSED AMENDMENTS HAVE BEEN CONSIDERED UNDER THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT PREPARED FOR THE CITY OF HERMOSA BEACH’S COMPREHENSIVE GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT
(Community Development Director Ken Robertson)
Body
Recommended Action:
Recommendation
Staff recommends City Council introduce the first reading of an ordinance to amend Hermosa Beach Municipal Code Section 17.26.050, Chapter 17.44, and Section 17.52.035 regarding off-street parking in commercial zones, as recommended by the Planning Commission (Attachment 1).
Body
Executive Summary:
At its August 22, 2017 meeting, City Council unanimously voted to adopt its first general plan update since 1979, PLAN Hermosa. PLAN Hermosa is the culmination of a multi-year community-wide effort reflecting on the community and its future and articulating a shared vision.
Zoning and subdivision regulations are one of the primary tools a city has for implementation of its general plan. Zoning and subdivision regulations translate the policies of a general plan into parcel specific regulations, including land use regulations and development standards. The type and intensity of land uses that are permitted and how they perform is critical to achieving PLAN Hermosa’s vision for neighborhood preservation and enhancement, economic development, coastal resource protection, environmental sustainability, and community health. The targeted parking amendments are one part of the comprehensive zoning code update which seeks to update the City’s zoning and development standards to implement PLAN Hermosa.
At its July 20, 2021 meeting, the Planning Commission unanimously voted to recommend the City Council adopt the proposed ordinance, which would amend Hermosa Beach Municipal Code Section 17.26.050, Chapter 17.44, and Section 17.52.035 regarding off-street parking in commercial zones.
Background:
The targeted parking amendments were part of the larger effort to update the comprehensive zoning code and subdivision regulations. Previous planning documents that informed the targeted amendments include the Zoning Code Assessment Report (Attachment 3), the General Plan and related parking goals and policies (Attachment 5), the Coastal Zone Parking and Management Study (Attachment 7), and the 2014 Downtown Core Revitalization Strategy Recommendations (Attachment 9).
Stakeholder interviews conducted as part of the Zoning Code Assessment and members of the Stakeholder Advisory Group for the Economic Development Committee indicated parking as a restriction to redeveloping and attracting new businesses to Hermosa Beach. Each group cited amending the parking standards as a community priority, to be addressed ahead of the comprehensive zoning code update. The City moved forward with this recommendation, seeking to lift barriers to development, promote the economic vitality of the City’s commercial areas, and support small-scale commercial establishments. Staff intends to bring the comprehensive zoning code update back for Planning Commission and City Council consideration and recommendation at a later meeting.
Analysis:
The proposed changes focus on flexibility, adaptive re-use, and allowing investment in small projects that would otherwise require additional parking or costly parking in-lieu fees. The following analysis summarizes the proposed text amendments:
Modify HBMC Section 17.26.050. The Zoning Code currently restricts limited outdoor dining on private property to 200 square feet (with no additional parking requirements), no alcoholic beverage service, and no dining on roof decks. The proposed changes would allow limited outdoor dining on private property up to 400 square feet (with no additional parking requirements), alcoholic beverage service, and dining on roof decks. There are no changes to the allowed operational hours which limits outdoor dining to 7:00 a.m.-11:00 p.m. in the C2 and C3 Zones and 7:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m. in all other zones that the use is allowed; the use still requires an administrative permit.
Modify HBMC Chapter 17.44 (Off-street parking). The targeted parking amendments focus on flexibility, adaptive re-use, and allowing investment in small projects that would otherwise require additional parking or costly parking in-lieu fees.
Change of Use
The current zoning code requires changes of use to a more intensive use (e.g. from an office 1:250 square feet to a restaurant 1:100 square feet) to provide additional parking for the increased parking requirement. Except, in the Downtown District, non-restaurant uses less than 5,000 square feet changing to a restaurant must provide all required parking, with no parking credit allowed for the existing or prior use.
The proposed changes allow a change of use without requiring additional parking, provided there is no change in building square footage and the new use is not a late-night alcohol establishment.
Currently, in the Downtown District, all development must provide required parking on-site for the proposed use, without consideration of whether it is a ground floor retail use.
The proposed change would allow no on-site parking for the first 5,000 square feet of ground floor non-residential, non-office, and non-late night alcohol establishment use in the Downtown and C-1 Zones.
Flexibility in Meeting the Parking Requirements
In the current code, any addition to a commercial building requires additional parking for the additional square footage. The proposed changes would allow a limited amount of additional square footage without requiring additional parking (10 percent or 500 square feet whichever is greater), after which additional parking would be required for the additional square footage, provided that the use is not a late-night alcohol establishment.
The code currently contains specific limitations to discretionary parking programs (e.g. parking plans, common parking facilities, and Downtown in-lieu fees. The proposed changes remove these specific limitations within discretionary parking programs and allows the Planning Commission to weigh merits of request (e.g. common parking facilities), and refines allowances for flexibility in parking design (e.g. tandem parking, valet parking, mechanical parking).
Modify HBMC Section 17.52.035. The proposed changes eliminate requirements for buildings nonconforming to parking requirements in a commercial or manufacturing zone to support the proposed changes to HBMC Chapter 17.44 (Off-street Parking).
Environmental Determination:
Pursuant to Public Resources Code §21083.3 and CEQA Guidelines §15183, projects that are consistent with the development density of existing zoning, community plan or General Plan policies, for which an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) was certified, shall be exempt from additional CEQA analysis, except as may be necessary to determine whether there are project-specific significant effects that are unusual to the project or site that would otherwise require additional CEQA review.
The text amendments have no new impacts that have not already been analyzed in the General Plan EIR, Supplemental EIR and there are no cumulative or off-site impacts from the proposed project that were not already addressed in the General Plan EIR. As such, the text amendments are exempt from further CEQA review.
The project is also categorically exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Section 15061 of the CEQA Guidelines. Section 15061 states that CEQA applies only to projects that have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. Reducing the availability of parking spots for certain commercial uses in the City would reduce impacts on the environment by reducing car trips to City businesses and encourage the use of public transportation or other alternative to driving. The zone text changes are also categorically exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Section 15308, which exempts actions by regulatory agencies to protect the environment.
General Plan Consistency:
This report and associated recommendation have been evaluated for their consistency with the City’s General Plan. Relevant Policies are listed below:
Governance Element
Goal 5. Small beach town character is reflected throughout Hermosa Beach.
Policies
5.1 Residential and commercial compatibility. Provide a balance between residential and commercial uses and strive to ensure their compatibility.
5.2 Development decisions. Strive to conduct the development review process in a consistent and predictable manner.
5.3 Clear regulations. Establish clear, unambiguous regulations and policies to clearly communicate the City’s expectations for new development.
5.4 Guidelines and standards. Provide for clear development guidance, standards, and rules by developing tools and guidelines to illustrate concepts of local character.
5.5 Community benefits. Consider incentives for new development that provides a substantial economic benefit to the community such as retail sales taxes, transient occupancy taxes or higher-paying jobs. Prohibit the provision of incentives that outweigh the direct benefits from the use.
5.6 Revitalization incentives. Develop and provide incentives to assist developers in revitalization and rehabilitation of existing structures, uses and properties.
5.7 Visitor and resident balance. Recognize the desire and need to balance visitor-serving and local-serving uses as a key to preserving character and the economic vitality of the community
Goal 6. A broad-based and long-term economic development strategy for Hermosa Beach that supports existing businesses while attracting new business and tourism.
Policies
6.1 Long-term economic development. Support the development and implementation of long-term economic development strategies that seek to establish and keep new businesses and a strong middle class in Hermosa Beach over the decades to come.
6.2 Regional presence. Encourage economic development strategies that will make Hermosa Beach a driving force and jobs center behind the regional economy of the South Bay region.
6.3 Diversified economy. Encourage economic development strategies that allow the city to move beyond reliance on its two main industries - accommodation and food service and retail trade- and transform itself to a mature mix of economic activity and job opportunities.
6.5 Creative economy. Prioritize strategies that will create an economy full of diverse talents, trades and goods for the city. For long lasting economic success, a range of services, arts, entertainment and retail should be supported on all scales of the city’s economy.
6.7 Retail base. Encourage economic development reflective of the character of Hermosa Beach with small and medium scale retail development within Hermosa Beach in order to create a stronger tax base and increase the City’s tax revenue.
Land Use Element
Goal 1. Create a sustainable urban form and land use patterns that support a robust economy and high quality of life for residents.
Policies
1.5 Balance resident and visitor needs. Ensure land uses and businesses provide for the needs of residents as well as visitors.
1.7 Compatibility of uses. Ensure the placement of new uses does not create or exacerbate nuisances between different types of land uses.
1.9 Retain commercial land area. Discourage the conversion of commercial land to residential uses.
Goal 3. A series of unique, destination-oriented districts throughout Hermosa Beach.
Policies
3.4 Emerging employment sectors. Strive to create districts that support increased employment activity, particularly for growing or emerging economic sectors.
3.5 Compact office formats. New employment uses should be designed in a compact format with minimal front setbacks from the street, typical lease spans of 40 feet or less, and where feasible, combined with other commercial uses.
Goal 4. A variety of corridors throughout the city provide opportunities for shopping, recreation, commerce, employment and circulation.
Policies
4.2 Employment centers. Encourage the development and co-location of additional office space and employment centers along corridors, preferably above ground-floor commercial uses on second or third floors.
4.10 Pedestrian access. For all new development, encourage pedestrian access, and create strong building entries that are primarily oriented to the street.
Goal 5 Quality and authenticity in architecture and site design in all construction and renovation of buildings.
Policies
5.2 High-quality materials. Require high quality and long lasting building materials on all new development projects in the city.
5.3 Locally appropriate materials. Require architectural designs, building materials and landscape design to respect and relate to the local climate, topography, history, and building practices.
5.5 Preservation and adaptive reuse. Provide incentives for the preservation or adaptive reuse of historic structures and iconic landmarks.
5.6 Eclectic and diverse architecture. Seek to maintain and enhance neighborhood character through eclectic and diverse architectural styles.
Goal 6 A pedestrian-focused urban form that creates visual interest and a comfortable outdoor environment.
Policies
6.6 Human-scale buildings. Encourage buildings and design to include human-scale details such as windows on the street, awnings and architectural features that create a visually interesting pedestrian environment.
6.7 Pedestrian oriented design. Eliminate urban form conditions that reduce walkability by discouraging surface parking and parking structures along walkways, long blank walls along walkways, and garage-dominated building facades.
6.8 Balance pedestrian and vehicular circulation. Require vehicle parking design to consider pedestrian circulation. Require the following of all new development along corridors:
• Where parking lots front the street, the City will work with existing property owners to add landscaping between the parking lot and the street.
• Parking lots should be landscaped to create an attractive pedestrian environment and reduce the impact of heat islands.
• The number of curb cuts and other intrusions of vehicles across sidewalks should be minimized.
• When shared parking supply options are not available, encourage connections between parking lots on adjacent sites.
• Above-ground parking structures should be designed according to the same urban design principles as other buildings.
• Encourage the use of systems to increase parking lot efficiency, such as mechanical lift systems or occupancy sensors.
Goal 10. A strong sense of cultural and architectural heritage.
Policies
10.5 Adaptive reuse and sustainable development. Promote historic preservation as sustainable development and encourage adaptive reuse of historic or older properties.
Mobility Element
Goal 4. A parking system that meets the parking needs and demand of residents, visitors, and employees in an efficient and cost effective manner.
Policies
4.1 Shared parking. Facilitate park-once and shared parking policies among private developments that contribute to a shared parking supply and interconnect with adjacent parking facilities.
4.8 Ensure commercial parking. Ensure that prime commercial parking spaces are available for customers and other short-term users throughout the day.
4.11 Consolidated parking facilities. Consider the development of new small-scale parking structures or shared facilities outside of the Downtown core and incorporate adaptability standards so that they may serve other uses in the future.
Fiscal Impact:
There are no direct fiscal impacts anticipated with the implementation of the proposed ordinance. To the extent the more flexible parking approach encourages new development, it may indirectly encourage investment and redevelopment of properties that could result in increased property tax revenue over the longer term.
Attachments:
1. Draft Resolution and Ordinance
2. Targeted Parking Amendments
3. Zoning Code Assessment
4. Prior Introductory Power Point Presentation
5. General Plan Goals Consistency
6. Map of Commercial Properties Total Building Square Footage
7. Coastal Zone Parking Management Study
8. Economic Market Study
9. 2014 Downtown Core Revitalization Strategy Recommendations
10. Link to March 4, 2020, Joint City Council/Planning Commission Study Session Agenda
11. Link to May 19, 2020, Planning Commission Agenda
12. February 17, 2021, Economic Development Stakeholders Advisory Group Meeting Notes
13. Link to March 1, 2021, Economic Development Committee Agenda
14. Link to March 3, 2021, Joint City Council/ Planning Commission Study Session Agenda
15. Link to April 20, 2021, Planning Commission Agenda
16. Link to July 20, 2021, Planning Commission Agenda
Respectfully Submitted by: Melanie Emas, Assistant Planner
Concur: Ken Robertson, Community Development Director
Noted for Fiscal Impact: Viki Copeland, Finance Director
Legal Review: Mike Jenkins, City Attorney
Approved: Suja Lowenthal, City Manager