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PC - Consideration of a City-Initiated Zoning Code Amendment to Modify Definition and Parking Requirement for Fitness Studio Uses.
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Meeting Date: April 22, 2020
Contact Person/Dept: Michael Allen/Current Planning Manager
William Kavadas/Assistant Planner
Phone Number: (310) 253-5727 / (310) 253-5706
Fiscal Impact: Yes [] No [X] General Fund: Yes [] No [X]
Public Hearing: [X] Action Item: [] Attachments: [X]
Public Notification: (E-Mail) Meetings and Agendas -Planning Commission (4/17/2020); (Posted) City Website (2/06/2020); Gov Delivery (2/06/2020); NextDoor (2/06/2020); (Published in) Culver City News (2/06/2020).
Department Approval: Sol Blumenfeld, Community Development Director (4/16/2020)
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RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends the Planning Commission adopt a resolution recommending to the City Council approval of a Zoning Code Text Amendment to modify the definition and parking requirement for fitness studio uses.
PROCEDURES:
1. Chair calls on staff for a brief staff report and the Planning Commission poses questions to staff as desired.
2. Chair opens the public hearing and receives comments from the general public.
3. Chair seeks a motion to close the public hearing after all testimony has been presented.
4. Commission discusses the matter and arrives at its decision.
BACKGROUND:
On February 26, 2020, Planning Commission considered the proposed Zoning Code Amendment to modify the definition and parking requirement for both stand-alone fitness studios and when located within mixed use developments to accommodate the changing retail environment.
The Zoning Code Amendment modifies the “Studio” definition to specifically include fitness related activities as a type of permitted studio use and to set a maximum area of instructional space of up to 3,000 square feet. The code required parking for a studio use remains the same at 1 stall per 200 square feet with the exception that when a studio use is located in the Commercial Downtown (CD) District or within a Mixed-Use project, the parking requirement is 1 stall per 350 square feet.
The Planning Commission acknowledged the increased interest in fitness studio uses and the need to tenant vacant commercial spaces in an evolving commercial landscape. However, the item was continued to a date certain to allow for additional research by staff. Planning Commission expressed concern regarding a potential for oversaturation of fitness studio uses in any one area or mixed use development and requested staff to incorporate a measure into the Zoning Code Amendment to prevent this from occurring.
At the April 13, 2020, City Council meeting discussed proposed changes to the Mixed Use Ordinance and recommended that ground floor retail requirements be expanded to include pedestrian activators (e.g. studio uses, child care)
DISCUSSION:
Staff conducted additional research into potential square footage and parking scenarios for mixed-use projects that include fitness studios. As a case study, staff reviewed commercial square footage information for the under-construction mixed-use “Lucky” development at 12821 Washington Boulevard. The Lucky is a five-story mixed-use development with 37 dwelling units and 7,200 square feet of retail space. Table 1 provides parking requirements based on use for the individual tenant spaces. Tenant 105 is proposed as a fitness studio use.
Table 1: Lucky Parking Requirements
|
Tenant Space |
Area (sf) |
% of Total |
Code Required Parking* |
|
|
|
|
Retail (1/350sf) |
Fitness Studio (1/200sf) |
|
Unit 101 |
1,494 |
21% |
4.3 |
7.5 |
|
Unit 102 |
1,488 |
21% |
4.3 |
7.4 |
|
Unit 103 |
1,438 |
20% |
4.1 |
7.2 |
|
Unit 104 |
801 |
11% |
2.3 |
4.0 |
|
Unit 105-Studio |
2,000 |
28% |
5.7 |
- |
|
Instructional Area |
1,335 |
- |
- |
6.7 |
|
Ancillary (reception, office, lockers, etc.) |
665 |
- |
- |
- |
|
Total Retail Area |
7,221 |
100% |
20.6 |
32.8 |
Staff suggests that commercial parking for mixed use developments be reduced by excluding non-instructional space such as locker rooms or reception and thereby reduce the parking demand requirement. As shown in the table, twelve (12) additional parking spaces would be required if the building was tenanted entirely by fitness uses. By comparing parking requirements for only the proposed fitness use in Unit 105, one (1) additional parking space would be required because ancillary areas would not be included in parking calculations. If the tenant space were proposed with all instructional area and no ancillary areas, the use would require four (4) additional parking spaces.
The subject tenant space occupies 28 percent of the subject mixed-use development and would require between one (1) and four (4) additional parking spaces if parked at the existing rate of one (1) per 200.
As discussed during the February 26, 2020 Planning Commission public hearing, fitness studio uses may be neighborhood serving in mixed-use buildings which allows for some internal capture of trips (trips entirely within the mixed-use development). It is expected that surrounding residents, including those residing within mixed-use projects, will patronize the fitness studio business and that fitness studio users will also patronize other businesses within the mixed-use development.
A fitness studio square footage cap of 30 percent gross commercial floor area, consistent with the Lucky case study, would allow property owners to lease to fitness studio uses while ensuring that parking demand does not exceed what would generally be absorbed by internal capture. If a developer wanted to allow additional fitness studio floor area exceeding the 30 percent allowance, it would be parked at the general ratio of one (1) parking space per 200 square feet.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
Staff recommends updating Chapter 17.700 to define “Studio” uses as follows:
Studios for Art, Dance, Music, Photography, and the like. Small-scale facilities, typically accommodating one group of students at a time, in no more than one instructional space in no more than 3,000 square feet of instructional area. These include facilities for: individual and group instruction and training in the arts; performing arts and production rehearsal; photography, and the processing of photographs produced only by users of the studio facilities; and fitness studio uses including, but not limited to, martial arts training, studios; and aerobics, yoga, personal training, indoor cycling, pilates, and gymnastics, or a similar use as determined by the Director studios with no other fitness facilities or equipment. Larger facilities are included under the definition of “Schools, Specialized Education and Training or “Health/Fitness Facilities.”
Staff recommends modifying Chapter 17.320 to reflect Studio parking requirements as follows:
|
Land Use Type: Recreation, Education & Public Assembly |
Vehicle Spaces Required |
|
Studios for dance, art, music, photography, martial arts, personal fitness, etc |
1 space per 200 sf of gross floor area. 1 space per 350 sf of gross floor area in CD Zone or in mixed-use projects (only up to 30% of total mixed-use project commercial floor area). Remaining commercial floor area calculated at 1 space per 200 sf of gross floor area. |
Proposed text amendments are also provided in Exhibit A to Attachment No. 1.
PUBLIC COMMENT:
Staff received no public comment prior to the finalization of agenda packets.
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION:
Pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) of the California Environmental Quality Act, the proposed Zoning Code Text Amendment is considered exempt because it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the “project” to amend Zoning Code Sections 17.320 - Off-Street Parking and Loading and 17.700 - Definitions, will have a significant effect on the environment. The project by itself, does not result in any physical changes in the environment because it will only amend the Zoning Code to modify parking requirements and definitions to clarify smaller scale and specialized fitness studios, and does not result in changes to existing land use, density or an intensification of development beyond what the Zoning Code currently allows.
FISCAL ANALYSIS:
There are no fiscal impacts related to this item.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Draft Planning Commission Resolution No. 2020-P002 and Exhibit A - Proposed Code Amendments
2. Planning Commission Staff Report dated February 26, 2020 with Attachments
MOTION:
That the Planning Commission:
Adopt a Resolution recommending to the City Council approval of a Zoning Code Text Amendment to modify definition and parking standard for fitness related studio uses.