To: MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
From: MARC WIENER, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
TITLE
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DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION ON THE PLANNING COMMISSION’S RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE CITY COUNCIL ON THE DRAFT ZONING AMENDMENTS PROPOSED FOR ARTESIA AND AVIATION BOULEVARDS IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE GENERAL PLAN-LAND USE ELEMENT UPDATE
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
As part of the General Plan update, the City is evaluating modifications to the Land Use Element and Zoning Ordinance amendments to encourage redevelopment along Aviation and Artesia Boulevards. On January 6, 2026, the City Council reviewed draft Zoning Code amendments applying to properties located in the C-2 commercial and C-2-PD pedestrian-oriented commercial zones within the Artesia and Aviation Corridors Area Plan (AACAP). The proposed Zoning Code amendments would allow an increase in Floor Area Ratio (FAR) from 0.6 to 1.5 and include modifications to the development standards pertaining to architectural design, building height, allowed number of stories, and setback requirements. At the January 6, 2026 City Council meeting, staff also presented draft Rooftop Dining zoning regulations that would be applied to properties located within the AACAP. The City Council supported the draft amendments and provided the following direction, which was incorporated into the proposed revisions:
C-2 and C-2-PD AACAP
1. Development standards should ensure a walkable environment is created that places the first-floor commercial 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.
Rooftop Dining
1. Permit rooftop dining through an Administrative Use Permit (AUP) process.
2. Limit rooftop dining to the AACAP to avoid delays and consider applying these regulations to other commercial zones at a later date.
3. Clarify that increased height allowed for accessory structures would also be allowed for elevators.
4. Establish privacy protections for adjacent residential properties with additional setbacks, buffers, and design treatments.
5. Ensure there are measures to mitigate potential lighting and noise impacts to adjacent properties.
On February 19, 2026, the Planning Commission was presented with the draft Code amendments to the C-2 and C-2-PD zones within the AACAP. The Planning Commission expressed support for the revitalization and redevelopment of the Artesia and Aviation corridors, including the proposal to increase the FAR allowance. The Planning Commission emphasized the importance of establishing standards that would ensure future developments have a high-quality design, are at the appropriate scale, and include pedestrian-oriented features at the ground level, consistent with the AACAP vision. The Planning Commission was also supportive of the draft Rooftop Dining regulations and agreed that if conditioned properly, it would contribute positively to the vibrancy of properties within the AACAP. The Planning Commission continued its review of the Rooftop Dining regulations.
Staff is presenting the Planning Commission’s recommendations to the City Council and is seeking direction on future actions related to Rooftop Dining regulations.
BACKGROUND
The Planning Commission reviewed the draft Zoning amendments at their February 19, 2026 meeting and made the following recommendations to the City Council as outlined below.
AACAP C-2 and C-2-PD Zone Amendments
Community Engagement and Visual Tools
1. Prior to adopting the proposed amendments to the C-2 and C-2-PD development standards, initiate a public outreach visioning process to guide the development and design standards and build community buy-in.
2. As part of any public outreach visioning process, develop visual photo simulations to depict the changes in streetscape associated with the increase to a 1.5 FAR, three stories, and a maximum height of 45 feet.
Development Standards
3. Artesia Boulevard and Aviation Boulevard have different character and attributes and may warrant different development standards related to FAR, the number of stories, and height.
4. The maximum development potential for the lot should not be granted automatically, but instead should be contingent upon compliance with certain design criteria and potentially based on desired use of the upper floors.
5. All levels above the first-floor should have additional setbacks from the first level to reduce massing along the street frontage and negative canyonization and shadow effects.
6. Design standards should require variations in the wall planes of the front elevations for increased building articulation and added visual interest.
7. A first floor 10-foot front yard setback should be considered to provide a more engaging and walkable pedestrian environment that could incorporate additional area for outdoor dining and other street activation options.
8. The development standards should maintain the 10 percent usable public open space requirement for larger-sized lots.
Rooftop Dining
Community Engagement and Regulatory Review
1. The rooftop dining regulations should be included with the visioning process that is recommended with the AACAP C-2 and C-2-PC amendments.
2. A Conditional Use Permit (CUP) should be required for the review of rooftop dining projects rather than an Administrative Use Permit.
Development Standards
3. The rooftop dining area should be included and calculated as commercial floor area and factor into the FAR for projects.
4. Consider increasing the setback to rooftop dining operations from 20 feet to 30 feet from a property line that is contiguous to a residential zone.
5. Structures for rooftop dining, including elevators, should be included in the maximum allowed height for the zone.
Aesthetics and Screening
6. Require rooftop dining areas be adequately set back and screened from residential uses.
7. Prohibit the use of rooftop dining areas for storage.
Mitigation and Operational Oversight
8. Noise mitigation should be incorporated into the project design with sound absorbing materials, sound walls, landscaping, and other sound limiting elements.
9. Ongoing noise monitoring should be conditioned and required of the restaurant operator to ensure noise levels do not exceed the noise regulations and address noise issues if they arise.
10. Hours of operation should be established in the permit to ensure late night impacts are mitigated.
Alternative Rooftop Uses
11. Consider the allowance of other uses on roofs like gardens/parks, recreational areas, and outdoor movies.
Assembly Bill 2011 Considerations
It is important to note that the development standards on Artesia and Aviation Boulevards are impacted by recent changes to State Housing Law from Assembly Bill (AB) 2011, which applies independently of the City’s General Plan and Zoning Ordinance as it pertains to housing projects. AB 2011 and AB 2243, which revised AB 2011 and became effective on January 1, 2025, have fundamentally changed the role of commercial zoning in housing production by mandating the ministerial approval of certain affordable housing projects and qualifying mixed-income projects located on commercially zoned properties fronting “commercial corridors.” AB 2011 overrides local zoning and prohibits subjective design review, discretionary hearings, or California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) review for qualifying projects.
Site eligibility requirements under AB 2011 depend on satisfying multiple requirements as outlined below.
The site must abut a commercial corridor, defined as a non-freeway street with a right-of-way between 70 and 150 feet. Additionally, the sites cannot contain or be adjacent to industrial uses or contain tenant occupied housing within the last 10 years. Both Artesia and Aviation are AB 2011 qualified “commercial corridors” and are subject to the provisions of AB 2011.
An AB 2011 project must also include mixed-income housing projects that include at least 15% of the units for lower-income households.
In addition to “site criteria” and affordability requirements described above, AB 2011 prescribes a number of specific “development standards.”
These include allowable density, building height, setbacks, the amount of commercial square footage in a mixed-use project, and parking. For Artesia Boulevard, the AB 2011 development standards for a qualifying mixed-income project would generally be:
• Density: 30 units/acre (sites less than 1 acre); 60 units/acre (sites greater than 1 acre)
• Building Height: 45 feet
• Setbacks: 10 feet along street frontage; 0 foot side yards; 10 feet when adjacent to residential uses. Additional upper story setbacks are also required adjacent to residential uses (7 feet additional setback for each upper story)
State law also provides that “other” local objective zoning standards shall apply. These “other” development standards are determined by identifying the closest zoning district that allows multifamily residential at the density proposed by the project. For the Artesia and Aviation Corridors, this would be the MU-1 zoning standards.
As a result of AB 2011, even without the proposed local amendments allowing three stories and 45 feet in height, residential or mixed-use developments of four or potentially five stories could be constructed along the Artesia and Aviation Corridors, pursuant to state law.
COORDINATION
This Administrative Report was prepared in coordination with the City Manager’s Office.
FISCAL IMPACT
Funding for the preparation of this report and zoning amendments is available in the annual Operating Budget of the Community Development Department.
APPROVED BY:
Mike Witzansky, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS
• Reso - Planning Commission Resolution No. 2026-02-PCR-01
• Draft Amendments - Rooftop Dining Standards