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Zoning Code & Zoning Map Update
Project Planner: Amy Seeraty, Senior Planner
Contact Information: Email Amy Seeraty / (310) 544-5231
Project Planner: Octavio Silva, Senior Planner
Contact Information: Email Octavio Silva / (310) 544-5234
The City's Zoning Code (also commonly referred to as the Development Code) is intended to be a user-friendly, fluid document that is updated periodically to reflect current laws and trends of the community, and to reflect the vision and policies of the City's General Plan. Zoning codes control the physical development of land and the uses for each individual property based on zoning district (i.e., residential, industrial, recreational, or commercial).
The City's Zoning Map serves as extension of the Zoning Code, in that the map identifies the various zoning districts throughout the City. Similar to the Zoning Code, the Zoning Map is intended to be periodically updated to be consistent with the City's General Plan.
As the City's General Pan was recently updated, both the Zoning Code and Zoning Map need to be amended to ensure consistency between the various documents. On November 7, 2018, the City Council initiated Code Amendment proceedings to conduct a comprehensive update to the Zoning Code and Zoning Map. A copy of the of initiation request is available below:
November 7, 2018 City Council Staff Report (PDF)
In accordance with Chapter 17.68, the comprehensive update and related amendments to the Zoning Code require review by the Planning Commission, who will then forward a recommendation to the City Council. To begin this process, the Planning Commission will be asked to form a subcommittee to assist Staff in preparing the amendments to the Zoning Code. Based on the scope of the proposed updates to the Zoning Code and Zoning Map, Staff has prepared the tentative timeline listed below:
- Planning Commission Subcommittee Review: January to June 2019
- Planning Commission Public Hearings : July to October 2019
- City Council Public Hearing: December 2019 to March 2020.
On April 1, 1997, the City Council approved the last comprehensive update to the Zoning Code (Title 17), which came to fruition after years of review and participation by City Staff, community members, the Planning Commission, and the City Council. Since then, the City Council has adopted periodic amendments to the Zoning Code to further clarify and enumerate certain sections, but no comprehensive update has occurred in over 20 years.
In recent years, Staff has observed members of the public and decision makers expressing concerns with the usability of the Zoning Code in the following general areas:
- Inconsistent and disorganized codes that require flipping to various sections to ascertain development standards
- Ineffective graphics
- Lack of graphics
- Onerous and outdated regulations
- Outdated and wordy text
- Ambiguous and confusing text, requiring some degree of interpretation
In order to ensure that zoning regulations in the City are reflective of the community’s vision, as expressed in the updated General Plan, the following table summarizes some of the proposed amendments:
Proposed Amendments
| Code Section | Description |
|---|---|
Chapters 17.02 (Single-Family Residential Districts) | Relocate and update the applicable development standards cited in Section 17.48 pertaining to setbacks, lot coverage, heights, etc. Expand the list of prohibited uses. |
17.04 (Multi-Family Residential Districts) | Relocate and update the applicable development standards cited in Section 17.48 pertaining to setbacks, lot coverage, heights, etc. Expand the list of prohibited uses. |
17.08 (Home Occupations) | Update text to reflect current types of home occupations occurring and establishing standards that minimize impacts to the surrounding neighborhood. Provide a list of prohibited home occupations. |
17.12 (Commercial Districts) | Update text to reflect current types of uses to be permitted by-right or by a conditional use permit, and clarify the development standards. Provide a list of prohibited uses. |
17.32 (Open Space Hazard) | Update the text to be consistent with Chapter 15.20 (Landslide Moratorium Area). |
Create a new Open-Space Hillside Chapter | A new Open-Space Hillside Chapter and Zoning Map designation will be created to be consistent with the new land use designation established in the updated General Plan. This Chapter will replace the Open-Space Hazard designation on properties outside of the Coastal Zone and the landslide moratorium area. |
Create a new Open-Space Preservation Chapter | A new Open-Space Preservation Chapter and Zoning Map designation will be created to be consistent with this new land use designation established in the updated General Plan to identify the preserve areas pursuant to the 2018 NCCP/HCP. |
17.44 (Agricultural District) | Delete this Chapter in its entirety to be consistent with the Agriculture land use designation that was removed and replaced with Recreational-Passive through the General Plan update. |
17.48 (Use and Development Standards) | Relocate the use and development standards listed in this chapter to the respective chapters in 17.02 and 17.04. Create a separate chapter for Intersection Visibility Triangles (Section 17.48.070) |
17.56 (Environmental Protection) | Update the text to be more relevant to current trends in terms of lighting, noise, and construction activities. |
17.62 (Special Use Permit) | Update the list and duration of time temporary special uses may be permitted. |
17.76.010 (Parking Lot Permits) | Relocate this to Section 17.50 (Non-Residential Parking Code). Update text accordingly. |
17.76.020 (Antennas) | This section is grossly outdated and does not comply with current state and federal regulations, and does not comply with or address the types of antennas currently requested. |
17.76.030 (Fences, Walls and Hedges) | Clarify and simplify language, and add language addressing arterial fences and walls. |
17.76.040 (Grading Permit) | Clarify and simplify language to be consistent with the Building Code, and update the entitlement process and required findings to eliminate redundancy. |
17.76.050 (Sign Permit) | This section is outdated with current state and federal regulations, and does not comply or address the types of signs currently requested. Clarify and simplify language and the entitlement process especially for shopping centers and real estate signs. |
17.76.050 (Extreme Slope Permit) | Combine this Section with Section 17.48.060 (Extreme Slope) to centralize regulations and the permitting process in one section of the Zoning Code. |
17.83 (Green Building Construction) | Update text to reflect current state and federal laws pertaining to green building and renewable energy systems (solar) and provide a streamlined entitlement process consistent with the City Council-adopted Emissions Reduction Action Plan (ERAP). |
17.96 (Definitions) | Update definitions to reflect changes made to the Zoning Code. |
The Zoning Map was originally adopted in 1975 and updated in 2012. The 2012 update digitized the original map and mapped a handful of zone changes that occurred to individual properties over the years. The Zoning Map now needs to be updated for consistency with the updated General Plan Land Use Map. Below is a summary list of proposed changes to the Zoning Map.
- Relocate Open-Space Hazard boundary lines.
- Rename the current zoning designation of Open-Space Hazard to Open-Space Hillside for properties located outside of the Coastal Zone and the Landslide Moratorium areas.
- Remove the existing zoning designation of Agriculture.
- Create the Open-Space Preservation zoning designation for properties located with the City’s Palos Verdes Nature Preserve.
- Remove Overlay Control Districts from properties that comprise the Palos Verdes Nature Preserve.
- Create the Open Space-Recreational designation for City-owned properties used as parks, trails, or open space.
- Update the Zoning Districts within several Residential Planned Developments (RPD) that have dual zoning to a single zoning designation consistent with the originally approved densities.
- Change the zoning designation for 3778 Coolheights Drive from Single-Family Residential (RS-1) to Open Space Hazard (OH) consistent with the General Plan Land Use Map and a Settlement Agreement.
- Change zoning designations to specific properties for consistency with the updated General Plan Land Use Map.