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CITY OF GLENDALE, CALIFORNIA
REPORT TO THE SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL
AGENDA ITEM
Report: Update on the General Plan’s Land Use, Mobility, and Environmental Justice Elements
1) Motion accepting the status report on the preparation of the Land Use, Mobility, and Environmental Justice Elements, and proposed update to the General Plan Land Use Map, subject to Council comments thereon.
COUNCIL ACTION
Item Type: Report Only
Approved for July 30, 2024 calendar
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Staff and the consultant, Amanda Tropiano from De Novo Planning Group, are presenting a status update on the preparation of the Land Use and associated Land Use Map, Mobility, and Environmental Justice Element. Based on Council’s feedback, staff will continue with the preparation of the draft Land Use, Mobility, and Environmental Justice Elements for public outreach and subsequent presentation to City Boards and Commissions for review and recommendation to the Council for adoption. 2 5
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0 RECOMMENDATION
Accept the presentation and report on the Land Use, Mobility, and Environmental Justice Element and provide comments, if any.
ANALYSIS
The City is in the process of preparing comprehensive updates to the Land Use and Mobility Elements of the General Plan and a new Environmental Justice Element, led by the hired consultant, De Novo Planning Group; the last status update was presented to City Council on January 30, 2024. The following is a status update on:
1) Land Use Element, including an outline of proposed policy topic areas and proposed amendments to the Land Use Element Map;
2) Mobility Element, including an outline of proposed policy topic areas; and, 3) Environmental Justice Element, including a discussion of outreach activities and an outline of proposed policy topic areas.
LAND USE ELEMENT
The Land Use Element will include policy guidance, a definition of land use designations, a Land Use Map, and buildout projections to promote thoughtful, equitable, and accessible distribution of different land uses throughout the Planning Area.
Policy Topic Outline
The updated Land Use Element will include goals, policies, and implementation actions which provide direction regarding the City’s long-term physical growth and development.
The Element is expected to include policy direction related to the following topics:
1) Land Use Map
2) Managed Growth
3) Compatible Development
4) Urban Design
5) Economic Development
Land Use Designations
State General Plan law requires that the Land Use Element indicate the maximum densities and intensities permitted within the Land Use Map. The Land Use Designations (see Exhibit 1) in the General Plan will specify the type of allowed uses associated with each designation, as well as any applicable range of development intensity, which is expressed in density and/or floor area ratio. Zoning, specific plans, and individual development projects must be consistent with the intensities allowed under the General Plan.
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0 Proposed revisions to the City’s land use designations include:
1) Revisions to the category definitions to better reflect the City’s current and future land use goals
2) Addition of two new residential categories (High/Very High Density Residential and Very High Density Residential allowing for up to 50 dwelling units per acre and up to 100 dwelling units per acre, respectively) to accommodate stand-alone multifamily residential uses around the future Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) stops along Glenoaks Boulevard and at the corner of Broadway and Glendale Avenue and between the 134 Freeway and Glenoaks Boulevard, west of Central and east of Pacific Avenues, as well as directly south of the 134 Freeway in the Pacific Avenue Gateway area
3) Division of current Mixed-Use designation into two categories: Mixed-Use Residential (which allows for a mix of residential and nonresidential uses) and Mixed-Use Nonresidential (which allows for a mix of nonresidential uses only) 4) Creation of a new “City-Owned Residential Overlay” to allow for multifamily development at City-owned properties
5) Creation of a new “Specific Plan” designation to improve administration of Specific Plan areas
Proposed Land Use Map Revisions
An essential component of the Land Use Element is the Land Use Map. Glendale’s Land Use Element, including the Land Use Map, was last comprehensively updated in 1986. However, various General Plan Amendments (text and map), Specific Plans (Town Center Specific Plan for the Americana at Brand and Downtown Specific Plan), and Community Plans have been adopted since the last comprehensive update which also guide long-term land use decisions (Current Map - Exhibit 2). Objectives of the Proposed Land Use Map (see Exhibit 3) revisions include:
1) Updates to create consistency with current zoning/built uses 2) Updates to reflect land use changes already approved through other actions (i.e., Community Plans and Specific Plans)
3) Resolving the appropriate designation of parcels with more than one designation/zone
4) Application of new land use designation and standards for areas proximate to the BRT stops and the area north of the 134 Freeway, south of Glenoaks Boulevard, west of Central Avenue and east of Pacific Avenue
5) Application of a new overlay to allow for multifamily development at City-owned properties
6) Application of a new Specific Plan designation to the Downtown and Town Center areas (as identified on the Map; no changes to the actual specific plans or boundaries)
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0 Preparation of the Proposed Land Use Map does not reflect final policy direction or adoption of a new Land Use Map. Rather, the Proposed Land Use Map serves as a starting point for the Project’s environmental analysis. The entire Land Use Element (including the Proposed Land Use Map), Mobility Element, and Environmental Justice Element will be comprehensively analyzed in an Environmental Impact Report (EIR), which will evaluate and document all potential environmental impacts, identify ways to mitigate those impacts, and disclose any significant impacts associated with implementation of the Proposed Land Use Map that cannot be fully mitigated. The EIR includes preparation of detailed technical studies including a traffic impact analysis, noise analysis, and air quality/greenhouse gas emissions analysis.
Realistic Buildout Summary Projections
The “realistic” buildout summary projection represents the reasonably foreseeable development potential that could occur within the community over the coming decades (i.e., through 2045) based on the land use revisions. The “realistic” buildout summary projection is not a goal; it is simply used to help determine reasonably foreseeable private and public development that could occur, together with any additionally needed infrastructure such as roadway improvements and number of parks, all of which would be evaluated in an environmental impact report including mitigation (if any) required to offset significant environmental impacts that could occur with implementation of the General Plan. The buildout calculations are based on the total acreage of each land use category and the applicable permitted maximum density or intensity, as if the City is flat and each parcel meets the minimum lot size and developable standards. However, the development potential of each individual parcel is influenced not only by the land use designation, but by market conditions, physical site characteristics, variation in development typology, environmental constraints, infrastructure requirements, and detailed standards in the zoning code. Therefore, it is not realistic to assume that all parcels would develop to their maximum potential (end of the density or intensity range) under the implementation time frame projected for the updated Land Use Element.
The Proposed Land Use Map revisions would result in allowing for the potential of an additional 5,990 units over what is already allowed in the City’s current General Plan.
This includes modifications in the allowable number of residential units as identified in the table below by proposed land use category, and the locations of such changes are illustrated in the City map in Exhibit 4:
Proposed Land Use Category Change in Allowable Realistic Units Community Commercial Services/Centers +109
High Density Residential (1)
High/Very High Density Residential +271
Low Density Residential +13
Low/Medium Density Residential +281
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0 Medium Density Residential +43
Mixed-Use Residential +3,400
Neighborhood Commercial +19
Public/Semi-Public (401)
City-Owned Residential Overlay +1,713
Right-of-Way (113)
Very High Density Residential +642
Very Low Density Residential +14
Total +5,990*
*Individual rows may not sum exactly due to rounding errors within designation categories.
MOBILITY ELEMENT
The Mobility Element will include policy guidance and exhibits to promote safe and efficient multimodal circulation throughout the Planning Area. he Mobility Element builds on the City’s recent transportation planning efforts such as the Bicycle Transportation Plan and the Citywide Pedestrian Plan. The Mobility Element also provides for coordination with the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro), which serves as the coordinating agency for transportation funding for Los Angeles County and strives to help plan a better street environment for all types of users, as exemplified by the LA Metro Complete Streets Policy.
Policy Topic Outline
The updated Mobility Element will include goals, policies, and implementation actions which provide direction regarding decisions concerning the City’s multimodal transportation system, which includes roadway, public transit, bicycle, pedestrian, and rail modes of travel, plus parking, goods movement, and recent trends in transportation services such as micromobility. The Element is expected to include policy direction related to the following topics:
1) Complete Streets
2) Walking and Bicycling
3) Public Transit, Ridesharing, and Carpooling
4) Local and Regional Traffic Demand
5) Environmental Health and Air Quality
6) Parking
7) Goods Movement
NEW ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ELEMENT
The new Environmental Justice Element will include policies to reflect efforts to ensure that all community members, regardless of race, ethnicity or income, have equal access to an inclusive, safe and healthy environment, including clean air and water, parks, and other essential resources. This effort will be closely tied to ongoing updates to other 6 5
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0 General Plan Elements, including the Land Use, Circulation, and Safety Elements as well as other citywide plans like the Climate Action and Adaptation Plan, Pedestrian Plan, and Bicycle Transportation Plan.
Policy Topic Outline
The new Environmental Justice Element will include goals, policies, and implementation actions to minimize pollution and its effects on all neighborhoods, with an emphasis on those in disadvantaged communities. The new Environmental Justice Element is expected to include policy direction related to the following topics:
1) Pollution Exposure & Air Quality
2) Public Facility Access
3) Healthy Food Access
4) Safe and Sanitary Homes
5) Physical Activity Access
6) Community Engagement
7) Improvements and Programs
8) Unique Health Risks
Environmental Justice Community Outreach
Community engagement is a key component of the City’s efforts to create a new Environmental Justice Element. Focused engagement related to this effort includes the following activities:
•Booth at Glendale Fire Service Day on May 11, 2024 (complete) •Booth at Glendale Cruise Night on July 20, 2024 (complete) •Booth at National Night Out on August 6, 2024 (upcoming) •Approximately 50,000 multilingual direct mailers delivered to residents of environmentally sensitive communities in Glendale (delivery the week of July 22) •Dedicated project website (GlendalePlan.com)
•Multi-lingual Environmental Justice survey (online and in hard copy) distributed on social media, website, newsletters, flyers, and direct mail •Project Factsheet, business cards, and other collateral material available at City Hall and other community facilities
•Interviews with key stakeholders (upcoming)
STAKEHOLDERS/OUTREACH
An extensive public outreach campaign to gather public comment is included as part of the comprehensive update of the Land Use and Mobility Elements and new Environmental Justice Elements. The outreach will include online engagement, advisory committee meetings, community events, surveys and other activities, including, but not 7 5
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0 limited to, providing the public with a timeline for all public meetings leading to the proposed adoption of the updated Elements and new Environmental Justice Element.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact associated with this report or the adoption of the Elements.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW (CEQA/NEPA)
No environmental review is required at this time. Environmental review in compliance with State and Local CEQA Guidelines will be conducted as part of the Project once the Land Use, Circulation and EJ Elements are in sufficiently final form.
CAMPAIGN DISCLOSURE
This item is exempt from campaign disclosure requirements.
ALTERNATIVES TO STAFF RECOMMENDATION
Alternative 1: The City Council may comment and provide direction on the Land Use Element Update.
Alternative 2: The City Council may consider any other alternative proposed by staff.
ADMINISTRATIVE ACTION
Submitted by:
Bradley Calvert, Director of Community Development
Prepared by:
Vilia Zemaitaitis, Deputy Director of Long Range Planning Approved by:
Roubik R. Golanian, P.E., City Manager
EXHIBITS/ATTACHMENTS
1. Proposed Land Use Designations
2. Current Land Use Element Map
3. Proposed Land Use Element Map
4. Map Identifying Areas of Development Potential Changes for Realistic Buildout Summary Projections