TITLE
Recommendation to declare ordinance amending the Use District Map of the City of Long Beach as said Map has been established and amended by amending portions of Part 22 of said Map from R-1-L (Single-Family Residential, Large Lot) to CCA (Community Commercial Automobile-Oriented), read and adopted as read. (District 8)
DISCUSSION
On April 4, 2019, the Planning Commission conducted a public hearing on the proposed rezoning project (No. 1708-12), considered public testimony, and recommended approval on the requested actions to the City Council (Attachment A - Planning Commission staff report).
The project site is located on the west side of Long Beach Boulevard between E. 44th Street and E. San Antonio Drive. The adjacent use to the north is residential, to the west is a golf course, to the south is an office building, and to the east across Long Beach Boulevard is a shopping center. The site is located on the easterly border/boundary line of the Los Cerritos neighborhood to the west and the westerly border/boundary line of the Bixby Knolls neighborhood to the east (Attachment B - Location Map). The present development of the site consists of a demolished 6,354-square-foot restaurant building with two remaining walls partially dismantled down to the bare studs (Attachment C - Photos).
The proposed rezoning is not associated with any other discretionary action for the project site. The project site is currently zoned Single-Family Residential with Large Lots (R-1-L) and Community Automobile Oriented District (CCA) with a general land use designation of LUD No. 8P - Pedestrian Oriented Retail Strip. The approximate area of the R-1-L zoning designation measures approximately 25-feet by 150-feet. The R-1-L zoning designation on the site captures the northern driveway of the parking lot and northern portion of the former restaurant building. The remainder of this site is zoned CCA. The proposed zone change would result in the entirety of the parcel being zoned Community Automobile Oriented District (CCA) (Attachment D - Proposed Use District Maps).
The General Plan designation LUD No. 8P: Pedestrian-Oriented Retail Strip is intended for “retail uses catering primarily to pedestrian trade… where shoppers can arrive by foot or by car and park in one location and then stroll to a number of shops, services, and restaurants.” In contrast, the current zoning of the property is Single-Family Residential with Large Lots (R-1-L) which allows for residential uses. The proposed zone change would eliminate the inconsistency of the underlying general plan land use designation (LUD No. 8P: Pedestrian-Oriented Retail Strip). Residential uses permitted by the current R-1-L zone are not consistent with LUD No. 8P which is meant to accommodate commercial uses specific to the CCA zone. The proposed zone change will provide continuity with the other pedestrian oriented commercial uses to the south along Long Beach Boulevard and further promote the orderly development of the City in a manner consistent with the General Plan. A comparison of key differences in both the R-1-L and CCA zones are provided (Attachment E - R-1-L and CCA Comparison Table).
The request is not anticipated to adversely effect the character, livability, or surrounding area and is anticipated to provide a more compatible site consistent with the goals and objectives of the general plan.
Public hearing notices were published in the Long Beach Press Telegram on May 6, 2019, and distributed on May 7, 2019; no responses were received as of the date of preparation of this report. Any written testimony received following the preparation of this report will be provided to the City Council, prior to the hearing.
In accordance with the Guidelines for Implementation of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), a Negative Declaration (ND) was prepared for the proposed project evaluating potential impacts to aesthetics, agricultural resources, air quality, biological resources, cultural resources, geology and soils, greenhouse gas emissions, hazardous materials, hydrology and water quality, land use and planning, mineral resources, noise, population and housing, public services, recreation, transportation and traffic, utilities and service systems, and tribal resources impacts. The ND determined that the project, would not result in any significant adverse environmental impacts.
The ND was distributed to public agencies and made available for public review and comment for a CEQA-required 30-day Notice of Intent review period, that started on February 8, 2019 and ended March 10, 2019. Public comments were received by the Gabrieleno Band of Missions Indians Kizh Nation and the California Department of Transportation during the review period but did not require further analysis (Attachment F - Negative Declaration and Attachment G - Comment Letters).
At the April 4, 2019, meeting of the Planning Commission, the Commission took action to recommend approval of the project: six Planning Commissioners approved the project proposal, and one Commissioner was absent (Attachment H - Findings). No public testimony was received for the project.
This matter was reviewed by Assistant City Attorney Michael J. Mais and by Budget Analysis Officer Julissa José-Murray on April 30, 2019.
TIMING CONSIDERATIONS
City Council action is requested on May 21, 2019 pursuant to Section 21.21.504 and Section 21.25.103 of the Zoning Regulations requires a public hearing for a Zone Change within sixty (60) days of the April 4, 2019 Planning Commission hearing.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal or local job impact associated with this recommendation.
SUGGESTED ACTION
Approve recommendation.
BODY
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF LONG BEACH AMENDING THE USE DISTRICT MAP OF THE CITY OF LONG BEACH AS SAID MAP HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED AND AMENDED BY AMENDING PORTIONS OF PART 22 OF SAID MAP FROM R-1-L (SINGLE-FAMILY RESIDENTIAL, LARGE LOT) TO CCA (COMMUNITY COMMERCIAL AUTOMOBILE-ORIENTED)
Respectfully Submitted,
LINDA F. TATUM, FAICP
DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT SERVICES
APPROVED:
PATRICK H. WEST
CITY MANAGER