Supplemental
Information
Honorable Chair and Members of the Hermosa Beach Planning Commission
Special Meeting of February 2, 2022
Title
Special Meeting to Review and Discuss the Comprehensive Zoning Code Update: Land Use Regulations
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: Land Use Regulations. No formal Planning Commission actions or decisions are required at this meeting.
Body
Background:
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.
The draft land use regulations are one part of the comprehensive zoning code update. Use Regulations specify which land uses are permitted, conditionally permitted, or prohibited in each zoning district in the City and if special requirements apply.
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 |
Analysis:
The Preliminary Draft Land Use Regulations presents draft provisions for the regulation of land uses in the Zoning Ordinance. The Preliminary Draft Use Regulations document includes the following sections:
• Introduction. The introduction provides an overview of the contents of the Preliminary Draft Use Regulations, explains the relationship between the General Plan Land Use Designations, existing Zoning Districts, and proposed Zoning Districts, and summarizes the revisions to the existing land use regulations.
• Use Allowances By Zone. This section establishes the allowed uses within each zoning district throughout the City. Land uses are organized according to use groups (Residential Uses; Public and Semi-Public Uses; Commercial Uses; Industrial Uses; and Transportation, Communication, and Utility Uses) and presented in tables intended to provide a quick summary and comparison of possible uses in a given zone. Definitions of each use are presented in the Use Classifications section of the paper. The use allowances tables establish whether a land use is allowed, and the process required for securing approvals. As presented in the Preliminary Draft Use Regulations, a land use may be 1) permitted by right, with design review where applicable, 2) permitted subject to a Minor Use Permit, 3) permitted subject to a Conditional Use Permit which requires public notice and hearing, or 4) prohibited.
• Standards for Specific Uses. This section establishes standards and requirements applicable to particular uses that are allowed in some or all zones (e.g., emergency shelters, home occupations, wireless facilities).
• Use Classifications. Use Classifications are the set of definitions that explain in more detail what the allowable uses are in each of the zoning districts. Land uses have been revised and consolidated into use groups based on common function, product, impacts, or physical characteristics. The groups are designed to be broad enough to allow classification of new, unanticipated uses, to reduce confusion and the need to amend this section of the Ordinance.
Staff requests that the Planning Commission provide feedback on the draft land use regulations, considering the following questions:
1. Does the list of permitted and conditional uses in each district adequately reflect the purposes of those districts and the policies of the PLAN Hermosa?
a. Are there any uses, currently not allowed by the draft regulations, that should be permitted, or vice-versa?
b. Should any additional limitations be added to control the location, scale, or operation of new or expanded uses in certain zoning districts?
2. Are there additional uses needing supplemental regulations in the Standards for Specific Uses?
a. What aspects of these uses make them a problem?
b. How should these aspects be controlled?
Summary:
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 Land Use Regulations
3. Draft Master Land Use Table
4. Land Use Regulations Handout
5. Zoning Code Assessment
6. SUPPLEMENTAL - Email from Josh Krasnegor 1/31/22
7. SUPPLEMENTAL - Email from Jon David 2/2/22
Respectfully Submitted by: Melanie Hall, Interim Associate Planner
Approved: Ken Robertson, Community Development Director