Honorable Mayor and Members of the Hermosa Beach City Council
Regular Meeting of September 14, 2021
Title
CITY COUNCIL REVIEW AND DISCUSSION OF THE
DRAFT LAND USE PLAN AMENDMENT AND AUTHORIZATION
TO SUBMIT TO THE CALIFORNIA COASTAL COMMISSION
(Community Development Director Ken Robertson)
Body
Recommended Action:
Recommendation
Staff recommends City Council:
1. Solicit public comment; and
2. Adopt the attached resolution amending and updating the City’s Certified Coastal Land Use Plan, focused on the Mobility Element, and authorizing submittal to the California Coastal Commission.
Body
Executive Summary:
The California Coastal Act (California Public Resources Code Sections 30000 et seq) was enacted by the State Legislature in 1976 to provide long-term protection of California’s coastline through partnerships with local jurisdictions. The Coastal Act contains policies that address public access to the coast, coastal recreation, the marine environment, coastal land resources, and coastal development; all within the City’s Coastal Zone.
The Coastal Zone of Hermosa Beach represents approximately 43% of the City’s land area and includes two miles of sandy shoreline, the City’s downtown core of commercial activity, the civic center area, neighborhood commercial establishments, and a mix of residential land uses including single-family homes, small multi-unit complexes, mobile homes, and larger multifamily apartment complexes. The Coastal Zone extends inland (east) from the beach to Ardmore Avenue, with certain exceptions (Attachment 4).
In 2017, City Council adopted the City’s first comprehensive general plan update since 1979, PLAN Hermosa, an “Integrated General Plan and Coastal Land Use Plan.” The original intent of the General Plan and integrated Coastal Land Use Plan (LUP) was to replace the City’s Local Coastal Plan. The last comprehensive update was completed in 1982. There have been several amendments to the City’s Local Coastal Plan, which serves as the City’s Local Coastal Land Use Plan. While the City’s intent is to apply for a comprehensive certification of the General Plan and Integrated LUP with the long-term goal of achieving certification of a complete Local Coastal Program, a substantial amount of work remains to address policy concerns raised by Coastal Commission staff prior achieving certification of a complete Local Coastal Program.
As an alternative to a full update to the City’s LUP, City staff proposed, and Coastal Commission staff agreed, to a partial revision of the LUP. This partial revision, focused on the City’s Mobility Element of the General Plan (Attachment 3), would be a positive first step toward reaching the ultimate mutual goal of achieving full certification of a comprehensively updated and certified Local Coastal Program, which includes the Land Use Plan and Implementation Plan.
Staff recommends City Council authorize the amendment and update of the City’s Certified Coastal Land Use Plan, focused on the City’s Mobility Element, and authorize submittal to the California Coastal Commission.
Background:
In 1981, the City of Hermosa Beach adopted the Local Coastal Plan. Since adoption, the plan has been amended with the most recent amendment in 2004.
Past Coastal Commission Actions
|
Approved Date |
Description |
|
1982 |
The Coastal Commission certified the City’s Local Coastal Plan. |
|
October 1984 |
The Commission approved LUPA 1-84, as submitted, to increase the height limits on a 2.9-acre parcel of land from 45 feet to 54 feet to permit the construction of a 5-story hotel on "Biltmore" site adjacent to The Strand. Development standards included 54-foot height limit, 390 parking spaces, hotel signage criteria, replacement of existing on-site public parking spaces, traffic/circulation criteria, and mitigation measures to minimize adverse impacts. Initially, Coastal Commission favored 470 parking spaces whereas the City required 313. Parking analysis showed an average daily use at 382. Both parties agreed to 390 parking spaces. |
|
February 1986 |
The Commission approved LUPA 1-85, as submitted, which changed the land use designation of .87 acre of land located at 446 Monterey Blvd, Hermosa Beach, from open space to high density residential. |
|
March 1991 |
The Commission approved, with suggested modifications, LUPA 1-90. The amendment rezoned a portion of the Specific Plan Area to change the designation to Medium Density Residential and to change the designation of Parking Lot “C” to General Commercial. The subject site is located on the east side of The Strand between 14th and 15th Streets. The City intended to sell the "Biltmore" site "using the monies to acquire excess available properties (school sites) for open space parkland uses and any remainder to pay off the railroad right-of-way.” Suggested modifications included 1) amend designation of "Biltmore" site from hotel to medium density residential/Commercial (Public Open Space Acquisition overlay); 2) amend the designation for property commonly known as Parking Lot C from Specific Plan Area to General Commercial/Public Beach Parking; 3) amend page 11, 2nd paragraph, by eliminating the exception to the height limits of the zoning ordinance for the hotel site between 13 and 151h Streets; 4) insert definitions and 5) amend the 7th policy under Item 2 on page 12. |
|
October 1994 |
The Commission approved, with suggested modifications, LUPA 1-94, which amended the LUP text to reduce parking requirements for the Downtown Commercial District. Suggested modifications included 1) the City may grant exceptions to the parking requirements for new buildings, expansions, and/or intensification of use within the downtown district if the City can assure that there is parking available within the Downtown Enhancement District (DED) to support beach access and the proposed development; 2) the City may approve exceptions for commercial development up to 96,250 square-foot of new commercial development, if findings are made. Exceptions are: 1) when parking is required, for projects on lots exceeding 10,000 square feet and/or 1:1 F.A.R. parking in excess of that existing on site at the time of the proposal shall be provided at 65 % of current parking requirement. 2) In the DED, projects on lots less than 10,000 square feet and less than 1:1 F.A.R., no parking other than parking existing on the site at the time of the proposal shall be required. As mitigation for impacts from increased parking demand that are created by new development an in-lieu fee shall be required if the impact is not mitigated by requiring additional parking spaces, not to exceed 100 spaces. |
|
January 2004 |
The Commission approved, with suggested modifications, LUPA 2-03 to modify parking and access policies to encourage new sources of parking and parking strategies, remove the downtown commercial development cap, and reduce parking requirement for office and retail uses. |
|
January 2014 |
The Coastal Commission awarded <https://documents.coastal.ca.gov/reports/2016/8/f5-8-2016.pdf> grant funding to support Local Coastal Program (LCP) planning. Hermosa Beach received a grant of $100,000 towards drafting the City’s LCP. |
|
August 2016 |
The Coastal Commission awarded <https://documents.coastal.ca.gov/reports/2016/8/f5-8-2016.pdf> a third round of grant funding to support local governments in completing or updating Local Coastal Programs (LCPs) consistent with the California Coastal Act, with special emphasis on planning for sea-level rise and climate change. Hermosa Beach received a grant of $135,899 to continue working towards a certified LCP. |
At the August 22, 2017 meeting, City Council unanimously voted to adopt its first comprehensive general plan update since 1979, PLAN Hermosa, an “Integrated General Plan and Coastal Land Use Plan.” PLAN Hermosa is the culmination of a multi-year community-wide effort reflecting on the community and its future and articulating a shared vision.
Past Council Actions
|
Approved Date |
Description |
|
August 22, 2017 |
City Council adopted Plan Hermosa the City’s integrated General Plan and Coastal Land Use Plan |
During the process of creating PLAN Hermosa, the City engaged several hundred community members through a series of community events, workshops, online surveys, and input during study sessions. The City also used newsletters and mailings, its website, e-mail, and other means to communicate with the community about process. The Mobility Element is a result of the extensive community outreach.
The Mobility Element is intended to facilitate mobility of people and goods throughout Hermosa Beach by a variety of modes, with balanced emphasis on automobiles, bicycles, pedestrians, and alternative fuel vehicles. This element identifies the general location and extent of major thoroughfares, transportation routes, parking facilities, and alternative transportation facilities needed to support a multimodal transportation system. The City held several study sessions and community workshops to discuss the City’s mobility issues and opportunities.
Discussion:
While the California Coastal Act does not include a section that specifically addresses transportation/mobility issues, it does promote public access to coastal resources and states that development must maintain access to coastal resources and maintain and distribute parking supply or adequate public transportation so as to minimize adverse impacts. Specific provisions of the Act related to mobility include:
• Provide measures to expand coastal access through sufficient parking and alternative transportation;
• Identify measures to provide parking and alternative transportation to recreation and visitor-serving facilities; and
• Maintain development and design standards for highway and roadway corridors through scenic areas or areas of special character.
The current parking access section in the Local Coastal Plan (pages 3-6) contains specific policies and programs related to off-street parking, replacement parking, parking ratios in the Downtown District, and in-lieu parking.
The original intent of the General Plan and integrated Coastal Land Use Plan (LUP) was to replace the City’s Local Coastal Plan. The last comprehensive update was completed in 1982. There have been several amendments to the City’s Local Coastal Plan which serves as the City’s Local Coastal Land Use Plan.
City staff began preliminary discussions with Coastal Commission staff regarding integrating the Coastal Land Use Plan into the General Plan as far back as 2014 and has had frequent meetings since that time. While the City’s intent is to apply for a comprehensive certification of the General Plan and Integrated LUP with the long-term goal of achieving certification of a complete Local Coastal Program, a substantial amount of work is still needed to address policy concerns raised by Coastal Commission staff.
As an alternative to a full update to the City’s LUP, City staff proposed, and Coastal Commission staff agreed, a multi-phased approach breaking up the LUP update into its elements and submitting revisions one element at a time, starting with the Mobility Element. The first installment of this partial revision approach focuses on the City’s Mobility Element of the General Plan (Attachment 3). Submitting the revised Mobility Element at this time, as opposed to waiting until all elements of the LUP are revised, would be a positive first step toward reaching the ultimate mutual goal of achieving full certification of a comprehensively updated and certified Local Coastal Program, which includes the Land Use Plan and Implementation Plan.
If approved, the amendment would replace outdated parking standards with the goals and policies from the Mobility Element of Plan Hermosa. The amendment would replace pages 3 through 5a and two policies on page 6 of the 1982 Local Coastal Plan with the Mobility Element of the General Plan.
General Plan Consistency:
This report and associated recommendations have been evaluated for their consistency with the City’s General Plan. In addition to the policies in Mobility Element, relevant policies are listed below:
Governance Element
Goal 1. A high degree of transparency and integrity in the decision-making process.
Policies:
• 1.1 Open meetings. Maintain the community’s trust by holding meetings in which decisions are being made, that are open and available for all community members to attend, participate, or view remotely.
• 1.2 Strategic planning. Regularly discuss and set priorities at the City Council and management level to prioritize work programs and staffing needs.
Goal 2. The community is active and engaged in decision-making processes.
Policies:
• 2.1 Multiple outreach methods. Consistently engage in community outreach through neighborhood forums, social media, the latest technologies, personal interaction, and other methods on a regular basis.
• 2.2 Universal outreach. Utilize diverse methods of outreach that promote public participation and ensure Hermosa Beach events are communicated to all segments of the communities.
Land Use Element
Goal 8. A range of coastal-dependent and visitor-serving uses available to serve a variety of income ranges and amenity desires.
Policies:
• 8.1 Coastal-dependent uses. Prioritize coastal-dependent uses over non-dependent developments near the shoreline, unless future demand for such facilities is already adequately provided for in the area.
• 8.2 Coastal-related uses. Accommodate coastal-related uses within reasonable proximity to the coastal-dependent uses they support.
• 8.8 Public access. Within the commercial core, prioritize use of private lands suitable for visitor serving commercial recreational facilities that enhance public coastal access over private local-serving residential or commercial development or industrial development, but not over coastal-dependent uses.
Parks + Open Space Element
Goal 6. The coast and its recreational facilities are easily accessible from many locations and by multiple transportation modes.
Policies:
• 6.4 Transit access. Coordinate with regional agencies and neighboring jurisdictions to improve regional and local transit access to beach access points.
• 6.8 High quality connections. Support high quality connections to adjacent jurisdictions along The Strand to promote safe and efficient circulation of pedestrians, bicyclists, and other nonmotorized uses.
• 6.10 Paid parking. Provide parking payment systems that respond to demand and improve ease of use.
• 6.11 Regional parking coordination. Coordinate with neighboring jurisdictions to develop consistent parking rules, rates, and enforcement.
• 6.12 Comprehensive bike and pedestrian network. Prioritize completion of proposed South Bay Bike Master Plan improvements in the Coastal Zone that connect to other bike routes and paths throughout the city and to the surrounding region.
Environmental Determination
In accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), Public Resources Code Section 21080.9, CEQA does not apply to activities and approvals by the City as necessary for the preparation and adoption of a Land Use Plan Amendment. The application is for an amendment to the Land Use Plan, which must be certified by the California Coastal Commission before it takes effect.
Fiscal Impact:
There are no direct fiscal impacts anticipated with the implementation of the proposed Land Use Plan. To the extent the more flexible approach to mobility 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
2. 1982 Local Coastal Plan
3. Mobility Element of the General Plan
4. Coastal Zone Map
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