To: MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
From: BRANDY FORBES, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
TITLE
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DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION ON POTENTIAL AMENDMENTS TO THE ZONING ORDINANCE AND THE COASTAL LAND USE IMPLEMENTING ORDINANCE TO ADD ANIMAL KENNEL AS AN ALLOWED USE IN THE CITY IN CERTAIN ZONING DISTRICTS
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In response to a City Council referral, staff has prepared the following report outlining options for amending the Zoning Ordinance and Coastal Land Use Implementing Ordinance to add “Animal Kennel” as an allowed use within specific zones. After researching provisions for animal kennels, including State regulations and other municipalities’ ordinances, staff have outlined the various options City Council has for regulations to ensure the animal kennel uses do not adversely affect surrounding properties, uses, and residents. Staff recommends that the City Council review the options and provide direction on provisions for the ordinances.
BACKGROUND
Current Regulations for Animal-Related Uses
Currently, Redondo Beach Municipal Code Sections 10-2.402 and 10-5.402 define “Kennel” as “any lot or premises on which four (4) or more dogs or cats at least four (4) months of age are kept, boarded, or trained, whether in special buildings or runways or not.” Currently per the code sections, kennel uses may be permitted only as incidental to an “Animal Hospital”.
Animal-related uses are currently only allowed in Commercial and Mixed-Use zones in Redondo Beach. The uses include” Animal Feed and Supplies” as permitted by right, and “Animal Grooming”, “Animal Hospitals”, and “Animal Sales” as conditionally permitted (i.e. these uses require a Conditional Use Permit). Animal-related uses are currently not listed as allowed uses within the Industrial Zones. Again, the definition of “Animal Hospital” in Sections 10-2.402 and 10-5.402 allows a kennel as incidental to the hospital use.
It is recommended that any amendments adding “Animal Kennel” as a stand-alone use require a Conditional Use Permit (CUP), to enable conditions to be placed on the operation of the business to ensure the protection of health, safety, and welfare of adjacent properties and residents, as well as the animals. The following table reflects the zoning districts in which other municipalities allow animal kennels and the approval processes required.
Options for the Regulation of Animal Kennels
California Health and Safety Code Standards
The California Health and Safety Code sets standards for pet boarding facilities to protect the welfare of the animals. Attached to this report is a copy of the California code section related to Pet Boarding Facilities. These regulations are required by the State, and it is recommended that any amendments adding “Animal Kennels” to the Redondo Beach Municipal Code require compliance with this section of the California Health and Safety Code. The California code addresses the following:
• Maintenance of facilities and equipment
• Implementation of pest control
• Containment of pets
• Sanitization of facilities
• Storage of food
• Provision of an area for isolating sick pets from healthy pets
• Accommodation of the well-being of pets (heating, cooling, lighting, ventilation, shade, protection from elements)
• Specifications for enclosures
• Regulations on length of time in enclosures
• Limitations on number of pets per enclosure
• Requirements for observing each pet
• Provision of food and water
• Notification of owner of pet if sick or injured
• Established protocols for natural disasters and emergency evacuations; pick up/drop offs; and when personnel on site
Zoning Districts and Buffer Zones
Staff requests direction from City Council as to which zoning districts animal kennels would be allowed. As stated previously, animal-related uses are currently allowed in certain Commercial (C) and Mixed-Use (MU) zones, but not in the Industrial (I) or Industrial-Commercial (IC) zones. However, City Council may want to consider adding “Animal Kennels” to the uses allowed in industrial zones, too, as it seems the industrial zones would be well suited to accommodate this use. Typically, the industrial zones do not border residential properties, and existing land uses allowed in industrial zones are more intensive in terms of noise. Thus, animal kennels may likely not cause a detrimental impact in the existing industrial zones.
In researching other cities’ regulations. many of the municipalities that allow animal kennels require a “buffer zone” from residential properties. These buffer zones vary from as little as 100 feet (Inglewood) to as much as 500 feet (LA City). The City of Torrance has a 300-foot buffer area from any school, park, residential zone, or residential use. There are several cities in the area that do not require a buffer zone, including Manhattan Beach. Hermosa Beach and Lawndale do not allow animal kennels as a use at all.
Although a buffer zone would help minimize the animal kennel impact on residential properties, implementing a buffer zone may significantly restrict the number of locations in which the use would be feasible. For example, almost all the commercially zoned properties along Artesia and Aviation Boulevards abut residential properties. Therefore, implementing a buffer zone would in essence create a situation where animal kennel businesses could not be established along Artesia or Aviation Boulevards. Similar situations exist along 190th Street, Pacific Coast Highway south of Torrance Boulevard, and S. Catalina Avenue in the Riviera Village. Additionally, should the Council decide to allow animal kennels within the industrial zones, a buffer would affect those industrial properties along the northside Manhattan Beach Boulevard, as they are only 100 feet away from the residential properties on the southside of the boulevard.
An alternative to a residential buffer would be to establish a minimum distance between animal kennel businesses, similar to the separation requirements for massage businesses, tattoo shops, and thrift stores. This would limit the number of animal kennels within a geographic area without severely diminishing the number of potential locations, as a buffer zone would. Although staff has not found other municipalities that require a separation between animal kennels, given that the majority of commercial properties in Redondo Beach have shallow lot depths, and almost all are close to residential properties, the separation option may be more viable than the buffer option in Redondo Beach. Adverse impacts would be partially mitigated by the separation requirement.
Additional Regulations
Although the California Health and Safety Code does regulate certain aspects of pet boarding facilities, the City Council may also want to incorporate additional regulations including, but not limited to, the following:
• Feeding and watering
• Administering medications
• Enclosure size
• Exercise requirements
• Waste disposal and drainage
• Heating and ventilation
• Noise attenuation (Hawthorne requires soundproofing and perimeter wall)
• Property enclosure requirements
• Limitation on the number of animals
• Specifications on hours of operation
Some sample ordinances from other municipalities are attached for review, to see how they have addressed these issues. The City Council can consider the zoning districts, CUP requirements, buffers, and these additional items related to animal kennels during the discussion item at the October 1, 2019 meeting and provide direction to staff on how to proceed.
COORDINATION
The preparation of the Administrative Report and options for the ordinances have been coordinated with the City Attorney’s Office.
FISCAL IMPACT
The cost of preparing this report is included within the Community Development Department’s portion of the adopted 2019-2020 Annual Budget and is part of the department’s annual work program.
APPROVED BY:
Joe Hoefgen, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS
• California Health and Safety Code Pet Boarding Facilities
• City of Huntington Beach buffer zone requirement
• City of Torrance buffer zone requirement
• City of Manhattan Beach Animal Care Regulations
• City of Newport Beach Regulations of Kennels
• PowerPoint Presentation