Honorable Chair and Members of the Hermosa Beach Planning Commission
Special Meeting of September 22, 2022
Title
SPECIAL MEETING TO REVIEW AND DISCUSS THE
COMPREHENSIVE ZONING CODE UPDATE:
CITYWIDE STANDARDS
(Associate Planner Maricela Guillen)
Recommended Action:
Recommendation
Staff recommends Planning Commission:
1. Receive presentation;
2. Solicit public comments; and
3. Provide comments as appropriate on the Comprehensive Zoning Code Update: Citywide Standards. No formal Planning Commission actions or decisions are required at this meeting.
Body
Summary:
On August 22, 2017, the Hermosa Beach City Council unanimously adopted the first general plan update since 1979, PLAN Hermosa. PLAN Hermosa is the culmination of a multi-year community-wide effort to reflect on the community and its future and articulates 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 comprehensive zoning code update (ZCU) would result in updated zoning and subdivision ordinances that:
• Are consistent with and implements the General Plan/Coastal Land Use Plan;
• Are modern and reflects the City’s current uses, practices, and development patterns;
• Provide clear decision-making protocols and streamlined review processes, where
appropriate;
• Retain the character and scale of the community’s neighborhoods, districts, and
corridors;
• Add to the economic vitality and promotes adaptive reuse and reinvestment of
properties;
• Address previously created nonconforming situations and balances whether to allow
their continuance or bring them into compliance; and
• Are clear, concise, understandable, and easy to use.
Background:
The draft Citywide Standards are one part of the comprehensive zoning code update. The Citywide Standards includes regulations or programs that apply citywide, including affordable housing density bonus provisions; updating zoning standards for condominiums, historic preservation sites, nonconforming uses and structures, off-street parking performance standards and signs; and provisions for the O-S-O Open Space Overlay Zone.
Past Meetings
|
Meeting Date |
Description |
|
March 4, 2020 |
Joint City Council/Planning Commission Study Session - Introduction to the Zoning and Subdivision Ordinance Assessment for Feedback |
|
May 19, 2020 |
Planning Commission - The Final Zoning and Subdivision Ordinance Assessment Presentation |
|
February 17, 2021 |
Economic Development Stakeholders Advisory Working Group - Introduction to the Targeted Parking Amendments to Receive Feedback |
|
March 1, 2021 |
Economic Development Committee - Introduction to the Targeted Parking Amendments to Receive Feedback |
|
March 3, 2021 |
Joint City Council/Planning Commission Study Session - Introduction to the Comprehensive Zoning and Subdivision Ordinance for Feedback |
|
April 20, 2021 |
Planning Commission - Commissioner Item to Provide Input as a Follow-up to the March 3rd Study Session |
|
July 20,2021 |
Planning Commission - Unanimous Recommendation to the City to Approve the Text Amendments to Hermosa Beach Municipal Code Section 17.26.050, Chapter 17.44, and Section 17.52.035 |
|
August 10, 2021 |
City Council - Approval of Parking Text Amendments |
|
February 2, 2022 |
Special Planning Commission Meeting to discuss Draft Land Use Regulations |
|
April 6, 2022 |
Special Planning Commission Meeting to discuss Draft Land Use Regulations |
|
June 7, 2022 |
Special Planning Commission Meeting to discuss Draft District and Design Standards |
|
August 8, 2022 |
Special Planning Commission Meeting to discuss Draft District and Design Standards |
Analysis:
The Preliminary Citywide Standards presents draft provisions for the regulation of land uses in the Zoning Ordinance. The Preliminary Draft District and Design Standards document includes the following sections:
1. Introduction. The introduction provides an overview of the contents of the Preliminary Citywide Standards, highlights provisions for regulations or programs that apply citywide, and identifies draft provisions for the O-S-O Open Space Overlay Zone.
2. Affordable Housing, Density Bonus and Incentive Program. The existing Affordable Housing, Density Bonus and Incentive Program Zoning Ordinance standards have been reorganized, clarified, consolidated to improve usability, and updated to ensure consistency with State law.
3. Condominiums. The existing regulations and permit procedures governing condominiums and the conversion of existing buildings to condominiums are reorganized, clarified, consolidated to improve usability, and updated to be consistent with State law. This section is also updated to include standards and requirements relating to tenant protection provisions and residential condominium conversions, with design standards being removed to be consistent with the same design standards as any other development.
4. Historic Resources Preservation. The existing standards have been updated, revised, and reorganized to be consistent with other Chapters of the Municipal Code. New provisions establish procedures for the designation, review, maintenance and enforcement of historic resources and landmarks. Definitions of terms related to historic resources will be grouped with other definitions and found at the end of the updated Zoning Ordinance.
5. Nonconforming Uses, Structures, and Lots. This section of the code will be revised to offer more flexibility for nonconforming structures in order to promote adaptive reuse of existing structures. Some distinctions in the proposed draft language include allowing alternations and additions to nonconforming structures under specific conditions, expansion of a nonconforming use with Conditional Use Permit approval subject to Planning Commission review, and provisions applied when nonconforming uses or structures are abandoned, destroyed, restored reconstructed or rebuilt.
6. Off-street Parking. This code section has been modified to update required number of parking spaces in the residential zones. Parking requirements in neighboring jurisdictions were considered as part of establishing changes to the Off-Street Parking standards. Some proposed changes include consideration for parking reductions and flexibility provisions when parking demand generated by a project are adequately served, added short- and long-term parking requirements and parking area design and development standards, including landscape requirements for parking areas.
7. Performance Standards. Criteria for determining if a use or activity creates a nuisance or impact on adjoining property is established. Where an impact is also addressed in another part of the municipal code or by other regulations, the regulations reference the applicable code.
8. Signage Standards. Regulations are reorganized, clarified, and consolidated to incorporate sign regulations and permit procedures from the existing sign ordinance. Some notable changes include adding policy implementations and certain provisions of the Sign Handbook into the Signage Standards with review authority given to the Director if all established sign standards are met and to the Planning Commission when a request to deviate from the standards applies. Other changes include additional development standards for ‘freestanding signs’.
9. O-S-O Open Space Overlay Zone. This code section is moved and updated to include applicability, parking area development standards and exclusions from calculations when a portion of a lot is designated O-S-O Open Space Overlay Zone.
Conclusion
After receiving direction from the Planning Commission, Staff will incorporate comments into a revised draft and prior to final adoption of the Comprehensive Zoning Code Update, a subsequent public hearing will be held by the Planning Commission.
Attachments:
1. Presentation Slides
2. Draft Citywide Standards
3. Link to August 8, 2022 Planning Commission Staff Report
Respectfully Submitted by: Maricela Guillean, Associate Planner
Approved: Jeannie Naughton, Community Development Director