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PC - PUBLIC HEARING: Consideration of a City-Initiated Annual Zoning Code Amendment (P2025-0023-ZCA), Modifying Various Sections of the Zoning Code for Clarifications, Corrections, and Updates, and Exemption from CEQA
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Meeting Date: March 26, 2025
Contact Person/Dept: Jose Mendivil, Associate Planner
Gabriela Silva, Associate Planner
Emily Stadnicki, Current Planning Manager
Phone Number: (310) 253-5757 / (310) 253-5736 / (310) 253-5727
Fiscal Impact: Yes [ ] No [X] General Fund: Yes [ ] No [X]
Public Hearing: [X] Action Item: [ ] Attachments: [X]
City Council Action Required: Yes [X] No [ ] Date: [TBD]
Public Notification: (Email) Public Notifications - Planning Commission (02/06/25), Meetings and Agendas - Planning Commission (02/20/25, 03/20/25); (Posted) City website (02/06/25), Social Media (02/10/25); (Published) Culver City News (02/06/25)
Department Approval: Mark E. Muenzer, Planning and Development Director (03/14/25)
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RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the Planning Commission adopt Resolution No. 2025-P005, recommending the City Council adopt an exemption under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3), and approve the Zoning Code Amendment to make corrections, clarifications, and updates to various portions of the Zoning Code as detailed in Exhibit A.
PROCEDURES
1. Chair calls on staff for a report and the Planning Commission poses questions to staff.
2. Chair opens the public hearing, providing the public the opportunity to speak.
3. Chair seeks a motion to close the public hearing after all testimony has been presented.
4. Planning Commission discusses the matter and arrives at its decision.
BACKGROUND
As part of ongoing maintenance and implementation of the Zoning Code, staff has identified various discrepancies in the Zoning Code that require correction, clarification, and/or update to apply the Zoning Code effectively and consistently. In addition, revisions are also necessary to comply with changes to State law.
Proposed changes include text and/or diagrams related to rooftop decks, equipment setbacks/projections, standards for site walls/fences, height measurement of rooftop projections, parking stall measurements and placement, electric vehicle charging equipment, bicycle parking, accessory residential structures (not including accessory dwelling units), temporary storage containers, community meetings, various definitions, and details relating to land uses such as health and fitness and pet grooming.
Changes for consistency with State law include secondhand stores (also known as thrift shops) and public notification requirements for certain public hearings.
The proposed Zoning Code Amendment is organized by topics or Zoning Code Chapters or Sections, including:
* 17.210.015 - Residential District Land Uses and Permit Requirements
* 17.210.020 - Residential Zoning Districts Development Standards
* 17.220.015 - Mixed Use District Land Uses and Permit Requirements
* 17.220.020 - Mixed Use Zoning District Development Standards
* 17.300.020 - Setback Regulations and Exceptions
* 17.300.025 - Height Measurement and Height Limit Exceptions
* 17.300.030 - Fences, Hedges, and Walls
* 17.300.035 - Screening
* 17.310.020 - Landscape Area Requirements
* 17.320.035 - Parking Design and Layout Guidelines
* 17.320.045 - Bicycle Parking
* 17.400.100 - Residential Uses - Accessory Residential Structures
* 17.400.115 - Temporary Storage Containers
* 17.520.015 - Allowed Temporary Uses, Special Events, And Temporary Events
* 17.610.020 - Non-conforming Structures
* 17.625 - Required Community Meetings
* 17.630.010 - Notice of Public Hearings
* 17.700.010 - Definitions of Specialized Terms and Phrases
ANALYSIS
As staff continues to implement the Zoning Code, certain clarifications and corrections surface, including feedback from the public as well as the Enforcement Services Division and City Council. The proposed changes reflect the items identified as necessary to ensure the public has clarity on the requirements.
Other changes are intended to streamline housing production, such as reducing the number of community meetings required for residential development projects to one meeting (from the current two meeting requirement). While streamlining the City's review of housing projects, it also more closely matches community meeting requirements for neighboring jurisdictions, while still encouraging neighborhood input on development projects. The community meeting requirement for non-residential projects would remain at two community meetings, to reflect the City's typically additional amount of local discretion in the review of commercial projects.
This issue was raised by City Council on March 10th and remanded to Planning Commission for further discussion. Staff included it as part of this recommendation, scheduled for City Council action on May 12, 2025.
The proposed amendment also makes changes to comply with Assembly Bill (AB) 2632, which prohibits a local agency from treating a thrift retail store differently from a non-thrift retail store, as it relates to zoning, development standards, or permitting. The bill does allow a local agency to require thrift stores meet certain aesthetic or design standards. Accordingly, said standards are added in Section 17.400.105 as detailed in Exhibit A of the proposed resolution (Attachment 1).
Another change proposed for compliance with State law, per AB 2904, pertains to the public notification requirements for Planning Commission public hearings on zoning code amendments that affect permitted uses. For consistency, the proposed amendment increases the Planning Commission public hearing notification period for all zoning code amendments from 14 days to 20 days.
Attachment 2 provides a detailed list of the changes and explanation of their need and effect.
PUBLIC OUTREACH
Public notification via a publication in the Culver City News, was published on February 6, 2025, and posted on the City website and distributed electronically via GovDelivery on the same date for the meeting of February 26, 2025. The matter was continued to the meeting of March 26, 2025. As of the writing of this report, staff has not received any public comments.
FISCAL ANALYSIS
The proposed Zoning Code Amendment has no anticipated fiscal impact to the City.
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION
Pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines, the adoption of the proposed Zoning Code Amendment, is exempt per Section 15061(b)(3), because it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment.
CONCLUSION
The revisions proposed in this amendment will serve to improve the effective implementation and enforcement of the Zoning Code, while maintaining the public interest, health, safety, convenience and welfare, and consistency with the City's overarching goals and objectives. The proposed amendment is consistent with the General Plan and Zoning Code, and the findings are made as outlined in Resolution No. 2025-P003 (Attachment 1).
ATTACHMENTS
1. Proposed Planning Commission Resolution No. 2025-P005, including Exhibit A: Proposed Zoning Code Text Changes in "strikethrough/underline" format
2. Summary of Proposed Zoning Code Revisions
MOTION
That the Planning Commission:
Adopt Resolution No. 2025-P005, recommending to the City Council adoption of an exemption under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3), and approval of the Zoning Code Amendment to make the corrections, clarifications, and updates to various portions of the Zoning Code as outlined in Exhibit A.