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,CROR'ING TOG£¢ leport
TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
ATTENTION: Ryan Smoot, City Manager
FROM: Elizabeth C. Oba, Director of Planning and Building Services Alexander Salgado, Associate Planner
SUBJECT: Consideration and possible action to receive, file and provide direction on the conceptual Arts District Overlay Zone (ADOZ).
DATE: August 10, 2026
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The City Council continues to look for options to bring life to the vacant and underused properties along Clark Avenue between Alondra Boulevard and Flower Street (the "corridor"). Per the Council's previous direction, Planning staff worked with De Novo Planning Group ("De Novo") to develop a conceptual Arts District Overlay Zone ("ADOZ") that would give this stretch of Clark Avenue a new set of zoning rules built around arts, culture, and small-scale local business. Based upon the City Council's actions tonight, a draft ordinance would be prepared to implement the ADOZ. Among other things, such regulations would identify which businesses are allowed, how new and rehabilitated buildings should look from the sidewalk, and how residents could live and work in the same space. This approach would advance the City's larger goals of drawing private investment back to the corridor, adding housing choices, and making arts and culture a visible part of everyday life in Bellflower.
The Overlay would be entirely voluntary; a property owner may choose to develop under the new arts -district rules, but no owner has to. Owners who do not opt in would keep their current zoning unchanged. This report explains the trade-off the overlay offers property owners which includes more flexibility and faster, cheaper approvals in exchange for design and use standards that build a coherent arts district. It also highlights the policy choices the Council should weigh before the overlay moves forward.
RECOMMENDATION TO CITY COUNCIL
1) Receive, file, and provide direction regarding the conceptual ADOZ; or 2) Alternatively, discuss and take other action related to this item.
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Staff Report — Study Session — Arts District
August 10, 2026
De Novo completed the foundational work under the Agreement, including a June 2026 Case Study Memorandum reviewing three comparable arts districts (Attachment C) and drafted potential zoning regulations (that are still being reviewed) for properties along Clark Avenue between Alondra Boulevard and Oak Street (Attachment A). Staff recommends moving the overlay's southern boundary from Oak Street to Flower Street so that Simms Park can anchor future arts programming and community events. De Novo also studied Clark Avenue from Flower Street to the southern city border and concluded that this segment does not suit the ADOZ, for three reasons.
First, part of the south corridor already falls under the Housing Opportunity Overlay Zone, so a second overlay would duplicate rules already in place. Second, the area's largely commercial and industrial character lacks the smaller, walkable, convertible storefronts an arts district depends on, leaving little room for the infill, adaptive reuse, and cohesive design the district needs. Third, Simms Park gives the district a natural southern edge and gateway, supporting a unified approach to identity, signage, and streetscape. Staff therefore recommends setting the district's southern boundary at Flower Street and leaving out the segment between Flower Street and Rose Street. Because the overlay would allow residential and live/work uses in places where they are not permitted today, adopting it will also require an amendment to the General Plan Land Use Element, which staff would prepare if directed by the City Council.
DISCUSSION
1. How the Overlay Works
The ADOZ concept is a voluntary set of zoning rules layered on top of the corridor's existing base zoning. A property owner may elect to develop under the overlay in place of the base zoning, but the choice is the owner's alone. Without opting in, property owners are subject to the existing zoning. For an owner who does opt in, the overlay's rules control wherever they differ from the base zoning, even where the overlay is more permissive, so a single, predictable framework governs the project. Where the overlay says nothing about a particular subject, the City's standard code and the underlying zoning still apply. This design is the central policy feature of the overlay: it lets the City set a clear vision for the corridor while leaving each owner free to decide whether the arts -district path fits their property. The City Council previously implemented the CENTZ (in 2019) and the DAZL (in 2020). Much like the ADOZ, these overlay zones must be activated by an applicant, i.e., an owner must opt in for the zoning overlay. Absent such application, the underlying zoning remains.
The ADOZ is designed to make the arts -district path the easier and faster one. Small projects, including urban infill, the reuse of existing buildings, and new construction under 10,000 square feet would be prioritized for streamlined environmental review under CEQA, which should shorten timelines and reduce cost for the modest, incremental projects the corridor needs.
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Staff Report — Study Session — Arts District
August 10, 2026
4. A Walkable, Active Street: Frontage and Design
Much of the overlay is aimed at what pedestrians experience at street level, because a successful arts district depends on an inviting, active sidewalk. New development would generally reserve the ground floor facing Clark Avenue for active, public -facing uses such as shops, studios, and galleries, keeping homes on upper floors or toward the rear. For live/work units, the workspace must sit at the front along Clark Avenue, with the living space behind or above it.
Design standards reinforce this street -facing character. Storefronts would sit close to the sidewalk, with a shallow front setback that pulls buildings up to the street edge and puts activity on display. At least 60 percent of the ground -floor street frontage must be clear glass so passersby can see the activity inside, and primary entrances must open directly onto the sidewalk. To keep the street feeling open and safe rather than fortified, the overlay prohibits visible exterior security bars and roll -down metal grates, while still allowing less intrusive security measures. These design standards are the ones most directly tied to the community's vision.
5. Building Size and Setbacks
The overlay adjusts basic building rules to fit the corridor's small, shallow lots and to encourage reinvestment. Buildings could rise up to three stories or 40 feet, there would be no minimum lot size, and a building could cover its entire lot. Front setbacks would be shallow to bring storefronts to the sidewalk, and side and rear setbacks would not be required, which helps owners make full use of tight parcels. These allowances matter in practice because many of the corridor buildings could not be rehabilitated or expanded under conventional setback and lot coverage regulations.
The overlay also invites the district to spill out into the public realm in ways that add life to the street. With an encroachment permit, features such as awnings, canopies, plant containers, parklets, sidewalk dining, and even chalk or mural surfaces could extend into the right-of-way. Outdoor sculpture and murals meant to be seen from the street would need no permit and would not have to meet setback rules, as long as the art is not an advertisement and does not block pedestrian, bicycle, or vehicle traffic. Together, these provisions treat the sidewalk as part of the district's canvas and lower the barriers to the small touches that give an arts district its identity.
6. Parking
Parking is often the single biggest obstacle to reusing older commercial buildings, and the overlay addresses it directly. A live/work unit would need just two off-street spaces total, covering both the home and the business. When an existing building changes to a permitted creative use, it would not have to add parking it never had. This is an important allowance for the corridor's small legacy storefronts. Mixed -use projects would receive an automatic parking reduction that reflects the way homes and shops use spaces at different times of day, and required parking could be located off -site nearby when it will not fit on the lot. Conventional parking requirements would otherwise block much of the reinvestment the City is trying to encourage.
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Arts District Overlay (ADOZ)
Summary
1. Land Uses
What is allowed by right. Any use already permitted in the base zone may operate here.
Live/work units may operate, and a list of arts -oriented businesses may operate by right — galleries, studios, art and craft stores, cafes, restaurants, bakeries, photographic studios, and tattoo parlors, among others. Artisanal or micro -manufacturing may operate by right, but each business must stay under 5,000 square feet and must keep all production indoors.
What needs a discretionary permit. Some uses may operate only with Director - or Commission -level approval:
Administrative Use Permit (staff review): micro -brewery, makerspace, restaurant serving alcohol, and small ( 5,000 sq ft) community centers, museums, and theaters.
What is prohibited. A use not on the list is prohibited unless the Planning Director finds it similar in character, intensity, and impact to a listed use. Live/work units must not be combined with adult businesses or auto repair/detailing.
Live/work rules. A live/work unit must be at least 750 square feet, must devote 33-50% of its floor area to workspace, and must be occupied by the business operator. Up to two non-resident employees may work in the unit; three or more require a Conditional Use Permit.
Policy decision points. The use list is arts -focused and largely by -right, which speeds approvals but narrows flexibility. Council may want to decide (a) whether the <5,000 sq ft manufacturing cap and indoor -only rule fit the businesses it wants to attract, and (b) how much discretion to leave the Planning Director over unlisted uses.
2. Building Height
Buildings must not exceed 3 stories or 40 feet, whichever is lower.
There is no minimum lot size.
• Lot coverage may reach 100%.
Policy decision points. Forty feet over three stories, combined with full lot coverage and no minimum lot size, allows dense, small -lot infill. Council may want to confirm this scale fits the low -intensity character the overlay's purpose describes, and whether upper -floor step -backs or transitions to adjacent homes are needed. -7-
Adaptive reuse: converting a pre-2026 building to a creative or live/work use is exempt from current lot -coverage limits, and existing nonconforming setbacks are treated as conforming.
Policy decision points. The design rules push a continuous, transparent, pedestrian storefront wall at the sidewalk. Council may want to confirm that the mandatory active - ground -floor rule is workable on every block, and that the security -device prohibitions match business owners' safety concerns.
3 De Novo Planning Group
EM E E 0
A Land Use Planning, Design, and Environmental Firm
Draft Memorandum
Date: June S, 2026
To: Elizabeth Oba, City of Bellflower
From: De Novo Planning Group
Subject: Bellflower Arts District Overlay, Case Studies Introduction
This memorandum supports the process to establish an Arts District within the City of Bellflower, generally along Clark Avenue between Oak Street and Alondra Boulevard. To provide a comprehensive regulatory framework for this initiative, this document analyzes three case studies:
1. Haynie's Corner (Evansville, Indiana)
2. South A Street/SOFA Art District (Santa Rosa, California)
3. Hapeville Arts District (Hapeville, Georgia)
By utilizing best practices from these municipalities, this memorandum outlines strategic applications tailored specifically for Bellflower.
Haynie's Corner SOFA District Hapeville Arts District
OCorporate Office Southern California
1020 Suncast Lane, Suite 106 180 E Main Street, Suite 108 El Dorado Hills, CA 95762 Tustin, CA 92780
916.949.3231 714.453.7711
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FIVII www.denovoplanning.com
info(aDdenovoplanningxom
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infrastructure. To attract and retain owner occupants, the City will offer targeted grants to Low to Moderate Income (LMI) residents, gap financing, interest rate buydowns, and free or discounted properties, while continuing to land bank unused parcels.
Community and Professional Partnerships: Mobilize a local volunteer corps, partner directly with building and design professionals, and secure corporate and university sponsorships to coordinate labor and material donations.
Sustainable Rehabilitation: Launch a building material salvage program to reclaim, recycle, and reuse architectural elements from demolished structures.
Evansville Municipal Code Chapter 18.115, Arts Overlay Zone Soon after the Redevelopment Plan was published, Evansville passed the Arts Overlay Zone Ordinance in 2011.
The purpose of the Arts Overlay Zone (AOZ) is to:
"[...]facilitate investment involving improvements to land and structures within the district, while encouraging artistic and creative uses. The ADZ overlays properties already classified into existing zoning districts. The objective is to offer more flexibility in uses allowed
and development standards in the AOZ as
incentives for new development. The intended
result of the overlay is to help establish a mixed use
area with art -related businesses, other low
intensity, neighborhood -supporting businesses,
live/work units and traditional residences
integrated together in a manner that maintains the
residential character of the area. The AOZ uses an
innovative approach allowing artists and owners
and operators of support businesses to occupy
joint living and commercial space within the some
structure that would otherwise not be allowed in
many of the underlying zoning districts. The
creation of the AOZ promotes investment through
mixed use development that expands the presence
of and/or otherwise enhances the arts within the
zone. "3
Geographically, the AOZ does not cover the entirety of Haynie's Corner. Instead, it functions as a targeted regulatory core positioned directly in the center of the district. While the broader Haynie's Corner area encompasses four historic residential neighborhoods, the strict legal boundaries of the AOZ are tightly drawn around the central commercial and mixed -use blocks immediately surrounding the intersection of Putnam, Adams, Jefferson, and Washington avenues.
3 City of Evansville, Evansville Municipal Code Chapter 18.115, Arts Overlay Zone, 2026. Available at:
https://www.codepublishina.com/IN/Evansville/html/Evansvillel8/Evansvillel8ll5.html#18.115.020 . Accessed May 28, 2026.
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Haynie's Corner Arts District Association
While the Evansville Arts Redevelopment Area Plan and the 2011 Arts Overlay Zone laid the legal and physical foundation for the district, the Haynie's Corner Arts District Association (HCADA) served as vital community leaders that brought the district's brand to life. A group of volunteers came together in 2011 to form a board and organize around shared values hoping to promote art and enhance the neighborhood. Creating a mission, developing bylaws, and establishing an executive committee along with formal board members allowed the group to establish itself as a 501c3 in 2015.
The Association coordinates major recurring events that activate the streetscape, such as the monthly "First Fridays" (featuring free live music, food trucks, and family -friendly activities), "Front Porch Fest," and the "Funk in the City" art festival. By maintaining a dedicated board comprised of local business owners, working artists, and residents, the HCADA ensures that the neighborhood's ongoing economic development remains dedicated to supporting the arts, advocating for local creators, and sustaining a genuine sense of community.
2. South A Street (SOFA) Art District, Santa Rosa, California Officially called the South A Street Art District, but more familiarly known as the SOFA District in Santa Rosa, California, this two -block corridor (approximately 0.13 miles) adjacent to Highway 101 is home to nearly 30 to 40 working artists' studios, as well as several galleries and businesses.
Before it was an arts district, South A Street was a commercial and automotive service corridor with auto transmission repair garages, plumbing warehouses, and light industrial workshops. The district's formal identity took shape in the mid-2000s. An organic coalition of independent artists, businesses, and galleries began moving into the area around 2005. Artists targeted vacant automotive repair facilities because their structural features such as high ceilings, open floor plans, and roll -up garage bay doors were ideal for artistic production.
Downtown Station Area Specific Plan —
Neighborhood Mixed Use Designation
In October 2020, the Santa Rosa City
Council adopted an updated Downtown
Station Area Specific Plan (DSASP),_
which includes the SOFA District.4
Within the DSASP, the SOFA District is
currently zoned as Neighborhood
Mixed Use (NMU). The NMU
designation allows for new multi -family
development in all -residential or
mixed -use buildings, combined with a
broad mix of uses including
professional office, retail,
entertainment, and other
neighborhood -scale supporting uses.
4 City of Santa Rosa, Downtown Station Area Specific Plan, 2020. Available at: https://www.srcity.orx/2911/Downtown- Station-Area-Specific-Plan. Accessed June 1, 2026.
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for work -related activities that are beyond the scope of a home occupation. A work/live unit is intended to function predominantly as work space with incidental residential accommodations that meet basic habitability requirements. "5
The nonresidential component of a live/work or work/live project may include uses allowed within the applicable zoning district, subject to certain limitations. Vehicle maintenance and adult businesses are prohibited. Additionally, the Zoning Administrator may deem certain activities incompatible with residential uses or determine that they jeopardize the health or safety of residents.
To maintain the integrity of mixed -use
developments, the municipal code establishes
strict dimensional
regulations for both unit types, operating under
a baseline requirement of a 1,000 square foot
minimum net total floor area. The regulatory
distinction between the two formats depends
entirely on which use serves as the primary
function of the space:
Live/Work Units (Residential -Primary): In a
live/work configuration, the residential
component is the dominant use. The code
restricts the secondary workspace (such as
an artist studio or office) to a maximum of
30 percent of the total floor area or 400
square feet, whichever is greater.
Work/Live Units (Commercial -Primary): In
a work/live configuration, the utility is
flipped, making the commercial or
industrial workspace the dominant use. The
residential living quarters are capped at a
maximum of 30 percent of the total floor
area or 400 square feet, whichever is
greater.
The code also includes operating requirements that pertain to occupancy, nonresident employees, and client/customer visits. No portion of a live/work or work/live unit may be separately rented or sold as a commercial space for any person not living in the unit or as a residential space for any person not working in the same unit. Employment of three or more persons who do not reside in the unit may be permitted subject to Conditional Use Permit approval.
S City of Santa Rosa, Santa Rosa Municipal Code, 2026. Available at: https://ecode360.com/42982309 . Accessed June 1, 2026.
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The ordinance defines a live -work unit as a space containing both residential and non-residential components, where the business or creative activity serves as the primary use and the residential component is secondary.
Each unit must contain sleeping quarters, cooking facilities, and complete sanitary facilities, while the residential and work areas must be shown separately on floor plans and maintain separate entrances. To maintain the employment and production focus of the district, the ordinance establishes several operational standards:
• A minimum unit size of 500 square feet is required;
• At least 50 percent of the unit must be dedicated to non-residential workspace; • A minimum of 250 square feet must be dedicated to residential living area; • The workspace may employ no more than two employees per shift, including the resident operator; • The residential and commercial portions may not be separately rented or sold; and • One off-street parking space is required per live -work unit, in addition to any parking required for the non-residential component.
The overlay permits multifamily residential development and live -work housing while encouraging active commercial uses at street level. Ground -floor spaces facing public streets, sidewalks, and alleys are intended to remain occupied by commercial, arts -related, or other non-residential uses that contribute to a vibrant pedestrian environment. Urban design standards require parking to be located behind buildings or screened from view, while building entrances must face public streets. To support the district's creative identity, certain outdoor sculptures and artistic installations are exempt from permit requirements when they do not obstruct circulation or function as advertising.
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ADDITIONAL IMPLEMENTATION PROGRAMS
Beyond updating zoning regulations, establishing a successful arts district requires active community engagement, strategic programming, and dedicated financial tools. The following implementation programs detail how Bellflower can foster a vibrant cultural identity and incentivize long-term investment along the Clark Avenue corridor.
1. Community Partnerships and Volunteer Design Committees Drawing directly from the case studies, such as Evansville's establishment of a Design Review Committee and/or an arts district association, Bellflower could form volunteer -led steering committees to help design the overlay and set aesthetic guidelines. Empowering local artists, residents, and business owners to actively shape the district ensures the resulting regulations reflect the community's identity.
2. Financial Incentives
Bellflower can explore financing strategies modeled after Evansville's revitalization. The City could establish a Enhanced Infrastructure Financing District (EIFD), which captures future property tax growth to fund economic development and maintenance without increasing property taxes.' To implement this, the City would form a Public Financing Authority (PFA), comprised of three elected officials and two local community members, to oversee the Arts District's Infrastructure Financing Plan (IFP). Utilizing tools like Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds, the City can offer targeted grants to Low -to -Moderate Income (LMI) residents, fund property rehabilitation, and provide housing gap financing to attract and retain owner -occupant artists and business owners.
3. Streamlined Public Art Permitting
To encourage organic neighborhood branding, Bellflower can follow Hapeville's model by exempting specific public murals and outdoor sculptures from standard, lengthy permitting processes, provided they do not obstruct pedestrian circulation or function as commercial advertising.
4. First Friday Art Walks and Programming
Organizing and promoting monthly "First Friday" art walks along the Clark Avenue corridor is an effective way to organically build a district identity and generate consistent foot traffic. These recurring events activate the streetscape by allowing local artists, makers, and musicians to set up temporary pop-up booths alongside established businesses. This strategy serves as a low-cost marketing tool, introducing the broader Bellflower community to the arts district.
5. Creative Occupancy Verification
The City can protect the maker -focused identity of the corridor and ensure spaces are utilized by active makers by implementing administrative checks. This includes tying live/work occupancy to an active Bellflower Business License or requiring a basic portfolio review for prospective tenants. ' SCAG, Enhanced Infrastructure Financing District (EIFD), n.d. Available at: https://scag.ca.gov/post/enhanced- infrastructure-financing-district-eifd. Accessed June 4, 2026. 111 Page
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