TO:
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THROUGH:
Bruce Moe, City Manager
FROM:
Anne McIntosh, Community Development Director
Nhung Madrid, Senior Management Analyst
Rafael Garcia, Assistant Planner
SUBJECT:Title
Ordinance No. 19-0004 Amending the Manhattan Beach Municipal Code as it Relates to Commercial Development Standards in the General Commercial (CG) Zoning District along Sepulveda Boulevard (Community Development Director McIntosh).
a) CONDUCT PUBLIC HEARING
b) INTRODUCE ORDINANCE NO. 19-0004
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Recommended Action
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that after conducting the public hearing, the City Council introduce Ordinance No. 19-0004 (Version A, Alternative 1), amending the Manhattan Beach Municipal Code (MBMC) to amend the commercial development standards in the General Commercial (CG) zoning district along Sepulveda Boulevard.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
In September 2017, staff commenced the Sepulveda Initiatives Planning Project. Staff collaborated with a community based Ad Hoc Working Group to formulate recommendations related to height, setbacks, and desirable land uses and features for the Sepulveda Corridor. Since April 2017, several public hearings have been held by the Planning Commission and the City Council. An ordinance amending the zoning code and adding an Overlay zone to amend the development standards for the General Commercial zoned lots along Sepulveda have been prepared to increase the height limit to 45 feet. If the Council wants to retain the current 30 feet height limit, a second ordinance has been attached which will not change the current 30 feet height limit but will eliminate current Code provisions relating to a sloped roof and parking location within the building footprint.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
There are no direct fiscal implications associated with the recommended actions.
BACKGROUND:
On October 2, 2018, the City Council conducted a public hearing to consider various policy and zoning code amendments to implement the recommendations of the Sepulveda Initiatives Ad Hoc Working Group and the Planning Commission. Following the public hearing and discussion, the City Council directed staff to provide additional information and research regarding height, roof pitch, and medical office uses along the Sepulveda Corridor.
DISCUSSION:
The following are the key discussion items staff was directed to research by the City Council.
Height
What additional height is needed for elevator shafts or other mechanical equipment?
Additional height for elevator shafts and mechanical equipment vary depending on the nature of the improvement. Staff reached out to several nearby cities to gain more clarity on the extent of flexibility that is provided for over height improvements. Hermosa Beach allows a wide variety of improvement to exceed the height limit by up to 8 feet in height so long as the over height improvement accounts for no more than 5 percent of the roof area of the building. Redondo Beach allows mechanical equipment, related housing and screening to exceed the height limit by 4 feet so long as the improvement contains no habitable living space. El Segundo also allows elevator overruns to extend above the height limit.
What is the height of hotels in neighboring cities such as Hermosa Beach or El Segundo?
Staff reached out to several cities including Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach and El Segundo regarding existing hotel heights within their cities. The hotel heights for the hotels are the following:
Hermosa Beach
§ Hotel Hermosa, 2515 Pacific Coast Hwy, Hermosa Beach: 41 to 45 ft.
§ Hampton Inn & Suites, 1530 Pacific Coast Hwy, Hermosa Beach: 30 to 40+ ft. (site has significant grade change)
§ Holiday Inn Express & Suites, 125 Pacific Coast Hwy, Hermosa Beach: 35 ft.
§ New Hotel, 1429 Hermosa Avenue, Hermosa Beach: 30 ft.
Redondo Beach
§ Best Western Plus, 1850 S. Pacific Coast Hwy, Redondo Beach: 30 to 43 ft.
§ Former Palos Verdes Inn, 1700 S. Pacific Coast Hwy, Redondo Beach: 44.5 ft. with projections above (height is legal non-conforming, zoning was different prior to 1995)
El Segundo
§ Aloft El Segundo, 475 N. Pacific Coast Highway, El Segundo: 96.5 ft.
§ Hampton Inn & Suites, 888 N. Pacific Coast Highway, El Segundo: 110.5 ft.
What are the height limits in neighboring cities?
Height limits along Sepulveda Boulevard (Pacific Coast Highway) within the neighboring cities varies depending on the commercial zoning designation of the lot. The height limits for the neighboring cities are the following:
Hermosa Beach
- 35 feet in the C-3 zoning district
- 30 to 35 feet in the SPA7 and SPA8 districts
Redondo Beach
- 30 feet in commercial zones
- Mixed use Zones vary between 30 to 45 feet
o 30 feet for commercial projects
o 38 feet for mixed use projects
o 45 feet with Planning Commission design review
El Segundo
- 45 feet in the C-3 or CO zoning districts along the west side of Pacific Coast Highway (code amendment in process to increase to 55 feet)
- 200 feet in the C-3 or CO zoning districts along the east side of Pacific Coast Highway
- 65 feet in the C-4 zoning district along the east side of Pacific Coast Highway
Provide information about the financial aspect of a development as it relates to increased height.
City staff has been having discussions with a developer that will elaborate on the financial aspect of the development as it relates to increased height during staff’s oral report.
What specific contact have we had from developers interested in building hotels?
Staff has been in contact with hotel representatives that are interested in potentially bringing new hotels to the city. These hotel developers will be providing a presentation as part of the public hearing.
Roof Pitch
The maximum allowed height limit within the General Commercial (CG) zoning district along Sepulveda Boulevard is 30 feet. However, a roof pitch of at least four vertical feet for each 12 lineal feet of roof area is required or structure parking must be provided at or below ground level as part of the building footprint. If the roof pitch is less or if there is no structure parking as part of the building footprint, the maximum building height is reduced to 22 feet. This development standard limits the maximum allowed height for many structures to only 22 feet, in that much of the development proposed is often modern or contemporary architectural design which is characterized by a flat roof design.
The City of Hermosa Beach does not have any type of roof pitch requirement that is applied to commercial properties along Pacific Coast Highway. City staff indicated that the design must be consistent with the general plan and, in some cases, projects may have to go through some type of design review process. The City of Redondo Beach also doesn’t have any type of roof pitch requirement for commercial properties abutting Pacific Coast Highway. The City of El Segundo doesn’t have a roof pitch requirement along Pacific Coast Highway, but they do have a regulation that reduces bulk and massing at the second floor within the downtown area only.
Daylight Plane
Currently, the City’s zoning code requires that along a rear property line abutting a residential district, structures will not intercept a “one-to-one” or 45° daylight plane inclined inward from a height of 15′ above existing grade at the property line. This is proposed to be changed so that along a rear property line abutting a residential district, structures will not intercept a 60° daylight plane inclined inward from a height of 15′ above existing grade at the property line. The daylight plane requirement acts as a setback, in that it requires buildings to be further setback along the upper floor levels (floor levels above the 1st floor level) when abutting a residential property at the rear. Additional flexibility with the daylight plane requirement may be needed if additional height is granted (i.e. greater than 30 feet/three stories).
The City of Hermosa Beach does not have a daylight plane requirement, but they do have an 8-foot setback requirement with an additional two feet of setback for each additional story above the first floor when a commercial building abuts against a residential zone. The City of Redondo Beach does not have a daylight plane requirement, but they do have a setback requirement of 20 feet when a commercial property abuts a residential zone. The City of El Segundo does not have a daylight plane requirement or any additional setbacks along Pacific Coast Highway for commercial properties abutting a residential zone.
Medical Office Uses on Sepulveda Boulevard
The City Council requested additional information about the quantity of existing medical office uses along the Sepulveda Corridor. The map and matrix (Attachment) provides a list of the facility’s business name, address, lot size, and building square footage for all medical office uses along the corridor with a valid business license.
POLICY ALTERNATIVES:
Staff has prepared two versions of the draft ordinance for City Council consideration. Version A will increase the height limit to 45 feet for hotel uses only for General Commercial (CG) lots along Sepulveda Boulevard which are a minimum of 135 feet in depth and 20,000 square feet in area. The ordinance will also amend the daylight plan requirement from 45 degrees to 60 degrees allowing for potentially lesser setbacks, greater heights and greater massing adjacent to residential zoning districts. Version B (Alternative #2 below) maintains the height limit at 30 feet for all uses, regardless of lot depth or area. However, this alternative proposes to remove the need for a roof pitch or that structured parking be provided as part of the building footprint at the ground or below ground levels. Alternative #2 is not proposing to alter the daylight plane requirement. Both alternatives will allow for a change in use without the need for a use permit, as well as an additional 5 feet of height for all roof mounted mechanical equipment and elevator shafts. The potential alternatives before the City Council are as follows:
ALTERNATIVE #1:
Introduce the first ordinance (increasing the allowed height to 45 feet, for hotel uses proposed on minimum sized lots within CG zoned lots along Sepulveda Boulevard. The ordinance will also amend the day light plane requirement in order to provide additional flexibility.
PROS:
The ordinance will allow an increased height of 45 feet for hotel uses which is likely to attract hotel development along Sepulveda Boulevard. Future hotel development is likely to generate additional tax revenue.
CONS:
Members of the community have expressed concerns regarding the increased height along Sepulveda Boulevard, especially adjacent to residentially zoned properties.
ALTERNATIVE #2:
Introduce the second ordinance maintaining the 30-foot height limit, but without the need of a roof pitch or that structured parking be provided.
PROS:
The ordinance will provide some additional flexibility by not requiring developers to comply with an obsolete provision of the code that doesn’t accomplish much. This will also maintain the current architectural character and scale along Sepulveda Boulevard.
CONS:
No increase in height may prevent, or at the least make future development more challenging, if future projects need additional height.
ALTERNATIVE #3:
Don’t introduce either draft ordinances and maintain the status quo.
PROS:
The height limit will be maintained as-is which eliminates the likelihood of new
development impacts being generated on adjacent properties related to height.
CONS:
No increase in height may prevent or make future development more challenging if
future projects need additional height. This alternative will also maintain the provisions pertaining to the roof pitch and structured parking as part of the code. This will also prevent buildings over 5,000 square feet, in size, or sites which are 10,000 square feet, in area, from being able to process a change of use without the need of a Use Permit.
ALTERNATIVE #4:
Return the matter to the Planning Commission for further
consideration.
PROS:
Provides the Planning Commission with opportunity to evaluate both ordinances and
possibly develop a formal recommendation for the City Council, as the Planning
Commission previously did not make a formal recommendation.
CONS:
Additional staff time will have to be allocated to prepare future agenda items for the
Planning Commission and City Council.
PUBLIC OUTREACH/INTEREST:
Public outreach and engagement has been performed since commencement of the project in September 2017. The City convened five public Ad Hoc Working Group meetings from January to March 2018. All meetings had community members in attendance, and staff created and maintained a dedicated webpage where all project specific information was posted to keep the community informed of the project details and status.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW:
The City has reviewed the recommended changes for compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and has determined that there is no possibility that an enabling ordinance may have a significant effect on the environment; therefore, pursuant to Section 15031(b)(3) Guidelines the activity is not subject to CEQA. Thus, no environmental review is necessary at this time. Depending on City Council direction, additional environmental review may be necessary at a later date.
LEGAL REVIEW:
The City Attorney has reviewed this report and determined that no additional legal analysis is necessary.
Attachments:
1. Ordinance No. 19-0004 (Version A, Allowing 45 Feet Height)
2. Legislative Digest (Version A)
3. Ordinance No. 19-0004 (Version B, Maintaining Current 30 Foot Height Limit)
4. Legislative Digest (Version B)
4. Overlay Map Exhibit
5. Matrix of Medical Offices on Sepulveda Corridor
6. Sepulveda Opportunity Sites