To: MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
From: MARC WIENER, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
TITLE
title
DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION ON THE CITY’S GENERAL PLAN UPDATE
DIRECT STAFF TO INCLUDE THE LATEST HOUSING ELEMENT UPDATE IN THE ARTICLE XXVII TRAFFIC ANALYSIS RELATED TO THE PROPOSED GENERAL PLAN MODIFICATIONS
PROVIDE DIRECTION ON THE SCOPE OF THE GENERAL PLAN LAND USE ELEMENT AND ZONING ORDINANCE MODIFICATIONS TO BE CONSIDERED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE APPROVAL BY AUGUST 4, 2026 AND THE CORRESPONDING BALLOT MEASURE TO BE SCHEDULED FOR THE NOVEMBER 2026 GENERAL ELECTION
end
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The General Plan is comprised of various State required elements and provides long-term policy direction to guide the physical development and sustainability of the City. The City is in the process of updating the Land Use, Open Space and Conservation, Safety, and Noise Elements of the General Plan, and associated Zoning Ordinance amendments, as required for consistency and implementation. Adoption of the updated Land Use Element (LUE) is scheduled for late July or early August. The remaining elements (Open Space & Conservation, Safety, and Noise) are scheduled for adoption in late summer or fall of 2026. The purpose of this discussion item is to provide the City Council and community with a final opportunity to discuss the draft LUE update prior to consideration of adoption.
Some of the amendments to the LUE update and associated Zoning Ordinances constitute a “Major Change in Allowable Land Use” which are subject to Article XXVII of the City’s Charter and will be voted on as part of the general election on November 3, 2026. The specific changes triggering this requirement include the proposed increases in floor area ratio (FAR) along Artesia and Aviation Boulevards, setting a FAR limit in the Public Institutional Zones, and minor changes to FAR in some of the City’s commercial and industrial zones. Staff is seeking direction on the scope of the ballot measure in relations to these land use changes.
Pursuant to Article XXVII, a Traffic Study and Land Use Analysis associated with the major changes in land use has been posted on the City’s website (See attached link) 30 days prior to adoption and are available to the public. Staff is seeking the City Council’s direction on whether the recent Housing Element Updates, adopted on May 5, 2026, should be included in the Article XXVII Traffic analysis as part of the “current plan.” Additionally, it is recommended that the Council give direction on the scope of the General Plan Land Use Element and Zoning Ordinance modifications to be considered for adoption by August 4, 2026, and the corresponding ballot measure to be placed on the November 3, 2026 General Election.
BACKGROUND
In the fall of 2024, the City Council held a series of public hearings to consider the proposed focused General Plan Update. The project was segmented so that items in the LUE related to implementation of the 6th Cycle Housing Element, along with other non-Housing Element related residential amendments, would be adopted first. This occurred on November 5, 2024. Since that time, the City Council has taken the following actions on the General Plan:
• August 5, 2025 - The City Council conducted a focused discussion on LUE policies related to Artesia and Aviation Boulevards, and expressed support for increasing the FAR from 0.6 to 1.5 to incentivize commercial reinvestment and help achieve the vision of the Artesia and Aviation Corridors Area Plan (AACAP). The City Council later reviewed associated amendments to development standards in the Zoning Ordinance that aligned with the higher FAR and included provisions for rooftop dining.
• January 6, 2026 - The City Council conducted a discussion on LUE policies related to historic preservation and directed staff to maintain policies that continue to value historic properties while promoting a voluntary historic designation process.
• January 20, 2026 - The City Council conducted focused discussions on the allowed building floor area ratio (FARs) for Public Institutional (PI) properties. The City Council supported maintaining FARs and land use designations as originally proposed in the draft updated LUE, with the exception of the Beach Cities Health District campus, which Council directed to consider setting at 1.25 FAR to accommodate future services.
• March 3, 2026 - The City Council reviewed and provided policy direction on changes to the land use designations from Public “P” to “OS” (Parks and Open Space) for all, or portions of, three School District owned properties identified as Alta Vista Elementary School Fields; the former Franklin School Site (Friendship Campus); and Lincoln Elementary School Fields. Regarding the three sites, the City Council made separate motions directing the following: 1) that the land use designations at Alta Vista be updated so that “P” and “OS” designations follow the fence line separating Alta Vista School and Alta Vista Park; 2) to maintain a “P” designation for the portion of the property occupied by Friendship Campus and an “OS” for Franklin Park; and 3) that the “OS” designation at Lincoln Elementary be applied to the area above the baseball fields and parking lot.
• May 5, 2026 - The City Council adopted amendments to the 6th Cycle 2021-2029 Housing Element and associated Zoning Ordinance (2nd reading on May 12, 2026). The amendments replaced the Affordable Housing Overlay zones, required to meet the City’s Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA), with High Density Multi-Family Residential (65 du/ac) and Mixed-Use zoning designations (65 du/ac to 80 du/ac) obligating future redevelopment of the identified “housing sites” to include a minimum of 50% of the floor area as residential. The change in designations is reflected in the draft LUE update. Staff is providing a final draft version of the LUE (Attachment 1) and a redline version (Attachment 1) highlighting these changes.
This item provides the City Council and community an opportunity to give input on other goals and policies contained within the draft LUE. A summary of the proposed updates is provided below.
Land Use Element (LUE): In 2016, the City initiated the process of updating its General Plan, including the Land Use Element. The LUE provides the primary basis for City decisions on development applications and establishes policies to help guide the general framework for the future pattern of growth, development, and sustainability in Redondo Beach. The goals, policies, and implementation measures within this element support the City’s Vision, and Guiding Principles, contribute to the character of the community and serve the health, safety, and needs of the community. Some of the important components include the land use plan, including the land use map and designations; the focus areas and special policy area discussions; and the implementation measures (Appendix B).
Following years of outreach and collaborative efforts to gain feedback from the community, the General Plan Advisory Committee (GPAC), Planning Commission, City Council, and other stakeholders (residents and the business community at public workshops), a vision statement and guiding principles were established. The goals, policies, and implementation measures contained in this Element were developed with the vision and guiding principles in mind.
As established by the vision statement and guiding principles, the intent of the approach in the development of the LUE and Land Use Plan (map and designations) was to maintain the fundamental pattern of existing land uses in the City, preserve residential neighborhoods and commercial and industrial districts, provide opportunities for enhancement and improvements through intensification or reuse within centers of community activity and identity, and to provide locations and development intensities for accommodating the City’s State-mandated RHNA.
As such, changes to the plan aimed to:
• Preserve established residential neighborhoods and principal commercial districts allowing for infill development and recycling of uses that are compatible with adjacent development.
• Maintain the fundamental pattern of existing land uses, preserving residential neighborhoods and commercial and industrial districts, while providing opportunities for intensification or reuse of focused areas of the City (Special Policy Areas, for example).
• Focus on reuse or repurpose of underutilized sites (transitioning retail properties), corridors, and areas located adjacent to the freeway and proposed (or planned) Metro station stops such as the North Tech District, Galleria, and South Bay Marketplace.
• Target change in areas essential to satisfy the City’s State-mandated obligation to demonstrate it could meet its RHNA requirements for housing in accordance with the Housing Element that was adopted by the City Council on May 5, 2026 and later certified by State HCD.
In addition to identifying the locations and residential development intensities required in order to satisfy the City’s RHNA obligation and maintain its certified Housing Element, the development of new and innovative goals and policies for environmental sustainability, historic preservation, and the development of Special Policy Areas (SPAs) for enhancing, revitalizing, and, in some cases, preserving the City’s most critical commercial and industrial centers were the most significant new components of the updates to the Land Use Element. The following seven SPAs warrant special policy direction due to the role they play in the City, either as a gateway, corridor, district, or activity centers:
• North Redondo Tech District (SPA-1)
• Artesia Boulevard (SPA-2)
• Aviation Boulevard (SPA-3)
• Galleria (SPA-4)
• North PCH (SPA-5a)
• Central PCH (SPA-5b)
• Torrance Boulevard (SPA-5c)
• South PCH (SPA-6)
• Riviera Village (SP-7)
The associated amendments to the City’s Zoning Ordinance, Zoning Ordinance for the Coastal Zone, and Local Coastal Plan that serve to make consistent and implement the City’s LUE goals and policies and Land Use Plan are tentatively scheduled for consideration of adoption in late July or early August. Some of these modifications require Article XXVII related voter approval.
RECOMMENDATIONS
• Provide input and direction on the LUE and Zoning Ordinance modifications to consider for administrative approval by August 4, 2026.
• Direct staff to update the Article XXVII Traffic Analysis to incorporate land use changes associated with the latest amendments to the City’s Housing Element as part of the “current plan” which would be posted 10 days after Land Use Element and Zoning Ordinance adoption.
• Provide direction on the scope of the Article XXVII related ballot measure to be scheduled for the November 3, 2026 general election. As the Council is aware, Article XXVII requires that voters approve major changes in land use. The remaining General Plan update items that are subject to Article XXVII can be broken into two general categories: 1) the proposed increases in FAR along the Artesia and Aviation Boulevards and certain other commercial and industrial zones (i.e. the North Redondo Tech District) and 2) setting a FAR limit in the Public Institutional Zones which includes all City, School District, and BCHD properties. The City Council has several options in this regard, including A) combining the LUE and Zoning Ordinance changes as one ballot measure, B) separating the Artesia and Aviation Blvd. (and other commercial and industrial) FAR increases from the Public Institutional (PI) Zone FAR limits, or C) separate and defer the decision on the PI Zone FAR limits to a later date, as part of a future election cycle.
ENVIRONMENTAL STATUS:
On November 5, 2024, the City Council certified a program Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR) for the City’s focused General Plan Update (State Clearinghouse No. 202305073). Separate addendums were adopted on December 3, 2024 pertaining to amendments made for the proposed FAR in the Public Institutional Zones and May 5, 2026 pertaining to amendments made for the updated Housing Element.
COORDINATION
This administrative report was coordinated with the Offices of the City Manager and City Attorney.
FISCAL IMPACT
The net cost of the services provided by PlaceWorks Inc., for the General Plan Update has been $2,507,856 and is funded by the City’s General Plan Maintenance Fund. The estimated cost of the additional Article XXVII analysis will be provided during the meeting presentation.
APPROVED BY:
Mike Witzansky, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS
• Updated Land Use Element
• Updated Land Use Element (Redline Version)
• Link to Article XVII Traffic Analysis and Land Use Summary