To: PLANNING COMMISSION
From: Marc Wiener, Community Development Director
Sean Scully, Planning Manager
TITLE
title
A public hearing to consider an Ordinance amending Title 10 Chapter 2 Zoning and Land Use of the Redondo Beach Municipal Code pertaining to amendments to the C-2 and C-2-PD zones located on properties within the Artesia and Aviation Corridors Area Plan (AACAP).
RECOMMENDATION
1. Open the public hearing and take testimony, receive and file all documents and correspondence on the proposed project;
2. Accept all testimony from staff, and public and deliberate;
3. Close the public hearing;
4. Adopt the attached Resolution recommending that the City Council adopt the CEQA Exemption Declaration, and amend Title 10 Chapter 2 Zoning and Land Use of the Redondo Beach Municipal Code pertaining amendments to the C-2 and C-2-PD zones on properties within the Artesia and Aviation Corridors Area Plan:
A RESOLUTION OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF REDONDO BEACH, CALIFORNIA, RECOMMENDING THAT THE CITY COUNCIL AMEND TITLE 10 CHAPTER 2 ZONING AND LAND USE OF THE REDONDO BEACH MUNICIPAL CODE PERTAINING TO AMENDMENTS TO THE C-2 AND C-2-PD ZONES LOCATED ON PROPERTIES WITHIN THE ARTESIA AND AVIATION CORRIDORS AREA PLAN.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Artesia and Aviation Corridor Area Plan (AACAP-Adopted December 8, 2020), was derived from the General Plan update and includes strategies and development standards intended to help incentivize the revitalization of the Artesia and Aviation Corridors. To date, the Artesia and Aviation corridors have not experienced revitalization and redevelopment as envisioned in the AACAP.
On August 5, 2025, the City Council held a meeting to discuss the City’s General Plan update with a specific focus on policies related to the Artesia and Aviation corridors. The City Council discussed, took public testimony, and considered numerous revitalization strategies, including but not limited to, increasing the Floor Area Ratio (FAR) for properties within the AACAP area from 0.6 to 1.5 and reduced or eliminated open space requirements. Separately, in an effort to support revitalization, the City Council approved the elimination of commercial parking requirements for properties within the AACAP area, on October 21, 2025 (Ordinance No. 3306-25).
On January 6, 2026, staff presented a draft Zoning Ordinance amendment that reflected the City Council’s past guidance to increase the development potential for commercially zoned lots (C-2 and C-2-PD) in the AACAP area, which included increasing the FAR from 0.6 to 1.5, while establishing updated building height, number of stories, and setback requirements. The City Council supported the draft amendments with the following direction:
1. Development standards should ensure a walkable environment is created that places the first-floor commercial level at-grade.
2. Landscaping should be incorporated into projects to improve the aesthetic design.
3. Ensure design guidelines avoid over-advertised storefronts, promote high quality design, and avoid excessive lighting.
4. Update the City’s sign ordinance on a future update.
The Council directives have now been incorporated into the draft Ordinance. Pursuant to Government Code § 65854, staff is requesting that the Planning Commission review and provide recommendations to the City Council on the draft Zoning Ordinance prior to it’s adoption.
BACKGROUND
Following the adoption of the AACAP in 2020, the City conducted parking surveys, workshops, studies and analyses and guided amendments to encourage the redevelopment of the AACAP. Past Amendments include the increasing the FAR from 0.5 to 0.6 and the elimination of the commercial parking requirement.
At the City Councils public meeting on January 6, 2026, City staff presented a draft Zoning Ordinance amendment to the development standards including but not limited to floor area ratio (FAR), building height, stories, and setbacks for the Commercial zones C-2 and C-2-PD located on properties within the AACAP. A summary of the proposed zoning amendments are as follows:
• Increases the maximum Floor Area Ratio (FAR) from 0.6 to 1.5.
• Increases maximum building height from 30 feet to 45 feet.
• Increases the maximum number of stories from two to three.
• Additional third floor average setback of five feet from the second-floor building frontage
• Reduced the building setback for corner and reverse corner lots from 10 feet to five feet.
• In the C-2-PD zone the front yard setback is increased from three feet to five feet for consistency with the C-2 zone and to provide more pedestrian and restaurant seating areas.
• Eliminate the 10 percent usable public open space requirement.
• Require a minimum first-floor commercial ceiling height of 12 feet to emphasize the ground level commercial space.
• Establish design standards for higher-quality façade materials, articulated storefronts, corner treatments, and pedestrian-oriented lighting.
Attached to this Administrative Report is the draft Planning Commission Resolution that includes the specific amendments to RBMC “Section 10-2.622 Development standards: C-2 commercial zone and 10-2.625 Development standards: C-2-PD pedestrian-oriented commercial zone within the Artesia and Aviation Corridors Area as underline and strikethroughs and all the required findings for amending the City’s Zoning Ordinance.
ENVIRONMENTAL
The Planning Commission will also consider recommending that the City Council adopt environmental findings/exemptions that state additional regulations and/or amendments of existing C-2 and C-2-PD building intensity and development standards within the Artesia and Aviation Corridors were included in the scope of the Certified program Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR) (State Clearinghouse No. 202305073) for the City’s focused General Plan Update. Pursuant to CEQA Sections 15162 and 15168(c)(2)(e)(1) and (2) the program EIR adequately describes the proposed building intensity amendments for purposes of CEQA and would not result in new significant environmental effects or a substantial increase in the severity of previously identified impacts beyond those disclosed in the certified program FEIR. Furthermore, future development projects proposed pursuant to the amended development standards will be subject to project-level review in accordance with CEQA.
ATTACHMENTS
1. PC Resolution