Maywood City Council
November 28, 2023

AGENDA

REGULAR MEETING OF THE MAYWOOD CITY COUNCIL AND THE

SUCCESSOR AGENCY TO THE MAYWOOD COMMUNITY

REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2023 AT 5:30 PM

Maywood City Council Chambers
4319 E. Slauson Avenue, Maywood, CA 90270
www.cityofmaywood.com
I. CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL

CALL TO ORDER

ROLL CALL
II. CITY OFFICIALS
MAYOR
Frank Garcia

MAYOR PRO TEM
Mayra Aguiluz

COUNCIL MEMBERS
Jessica Torres
Eduardo De La Riva
Heber Marquez

CITY CLERK
Brian E. Juarez

CITY TREASURER
Mary Mariscal

CITY MANAGER
Jennifer E. Vasquez

CITY ATTORNEY
Roxanne Diaz
III. MEETING PROCEDURES
THIS MEETING WILL BE HELD IN PERSON.

THE MEETING WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR VIEWING VIA ZOOM:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85668824952 AND VIA THE CITY'S FACEBOOK PAGE.

Public Participation Options:

1. In-Person: Council Chambers located at 4319 E. Slauson Avenue, Maywood, CA

2. Before the Meeting: Public comment will be accepted for the record in advance by 4:00 p.m. the day of the meeting by email to
[email protected]; or if you are unable to email, please call the City Clerk's Office at (323) 562-5714. Your comment will be made part of the written record but will NOT be read verbally at the meeting.

In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you need special assistance to participate in the Council Meeting, please contact the City Clerk’s Office (323) 562- 5714 within 72 hours of the meeting.

IV. MAYOR, COUNCILMEMBERS AND STAFF COMMENTS
V. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION (Agenda Items; Time allotted: 3 minutes) Speakers wishing to address the City Council on an item on the agenda may use the instructions provided in section III. MEETING PROCEDURES beginning on page 1 of this agenda.

VI. PRESENTATION

1. PRESENTATION OF THE DRAFT VERSION OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE

ELEMENT OF THE GENERAL PLAN
VII. PUBLIC HEARING

2. ADOPTION OF RESOLUTION NO. 6327 AMENDING THE GENERAL PLAN

CIRCULATION ELEMENT, SAFETY ELEMENT, AND LAND USE ELEMENT AND

MAKING A FINDING OF EXEMPTION UNDER THE CALIFORNIA
ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT (CEQA) GUIDELINE 15061(B)(3)
VIII. CONSENT CALENDAR
All matters listed under CONSENT CALENDAR are considered to be routine and can be acted on by one roll call vote. There will be no separate discussion of these items unless members of the City Council request specific items to be removed from the Consent Calendar for separate discussion or action.

3. MINUTES OF THE NOVEMBER 15, 2023, REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING

4. CONSIDERATION OF APPROVAL OF A LEASE AGREEMENT WITH THE COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES FOR PROPERTY AT 4323 E. SLAUSON AVENUE FOR THE

CONTINUED USE OF THE PREMISES AS THE MAYWOOD CESAR CHAVEZ

LIBRARY

IX. DISCUSSION/ACTION ITEMS

5. CITY COUNCIL APPOINTMENT OF FIVE MEMBERS TO THE YOUTH

COMMISSION
X. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION (Non-Agenda Items; Time allotted: 3 minutes) Speakers wishing to address the City Council on a non- agenda item you may use the instructions provided in section III. MEETING PROCEDURES beginning on page 1 of this agenda.

XI. ADJOURNMENT - The next Regular Meeting of the Maywood City Council is scheduled for Wednesday, December 13, 2023, at 6:00 p.m. in the City Council Chambers.

PUBLIC ACCESS TO MEETING AGENDA AND AGENDA PACKETS
I, _______________________________, City Clerk or Deputy City Clerk, hereby certify that this agenda was duly posted by law at 4319 E.

Slauson Avenue, Maywood, CA 90270 and the City Website. Any public record, relating to an open session agenda item, that is distributed within 72 hours prior to the meeting is available for public inspection at the Maywood City Hall, 4319 E. Slauson Avenue, Maywood CA 90270.

If you challenge in court any discussion or action taken concerning an item on this Agenda, you may be limited to rising only those issues you or someone else raised during the meeting or in written correspondence delivered to the City at or prior to the City's consideration of the item at the meeting. In compliance with the ADA, if you need special assistance for the meeting, call (323) 562-5723 within 72 hours prior to the meeting so the City can make reasonable arrangements to ensure accessibility.

CITY OF MAYWOOD – ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ELEMENT

1.1 Table of Contents

1.0 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 1.2

1.1 ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE POLICY FRAMEWORK ................................................................ 1.4

1.1.1 Federal Laws and Policies......................................................................................... 1.4

1.1.2 State Laws and Policies............................................................................................. 1.4

1.2 ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ADVOCACY.................................................................................... 1.5

1.3 RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER GENERAL PLAN ELEMENTS........................................................ 1.5

1.4 MAYWOOD’S ENVIRONMENTAL CONTEXT .............................................................................. 1.6

2.0 IDENTIFYING DISADVANTAGED COMMUNITIES ................................................................... 2.7

2.1 METHOD 1 ........................................................................................................................................ 2.8

2.2 METHOD 2 ........................................................................................................................................ 2.8

2.3 METHOD 3 ........................................................................................................................................ 2.9

2.4 OTHER INDICATORS....................................................................................................................... 2.9

2.4.1 Demographics ............................................................................................................. 2.9

2.4.2 Exposure to Pollution and Environmental Hazards ............................................ 2.10

2.4.3 Health Indicators....................................................................................................... 2.15

2.5 SUMMARY ......................................................................................................................................2.17

3.0 COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT ................................................................................................. 3.17

4.0 ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE PLANNING VISION ................................................................. 4.21

4.1 ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ISSUES IN THE CITY OF MAYWOOD .....................................4.22

4.2 ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE GOALS AND POLICIES ..............................................................4.23

4.2.1 Reduce Exposure to pollution (Including Improved Air Quality)....................... 4.23

4.2.2 Promote Public Facilities ......................................................................................... 4.26

4.2.3 Promote Food Access.............................................................................................. 4.27

4.2.4 Promote Safe and Sanitary Homes ....................................................................... 4.28

4.2.5 Promote Physical Activity........................................................................................ 4.30

4.2.6 Reduce Unique or Compound Health Risks Not Otherwise Addressed ......... 4.32

4.2.7 Promote Civic Engagement in the Public Decision-Making Process.............. 4.33

4.2.8 Prioritize Improvements and Programs to Address Community Needs........ 4.35

CITY OF MAYWOOD – ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ELEMENT

1.2 1.0 INTRODUCTION
In 2016, the State of California passed Senate Bill 1000 Government Code Section 65302(h) (SB 1000) adding an Environmental Justice (EJ) element to municipal general plans. Communities must identify whether they have environmental justice (or “disadvantaged communities”) within their jurisdiction and, if disadvantaged communities are identified, develop an Environmental Justice element, or incorporate Environmental Justice into their other general plan elements.

This requirement went into effect in 2018 and applies when a community updates two or more of its general plan elements.

This is the City of Maywood’s first Environmental Justice element. The purpose of an EJ element is to address public health and other environmental issues for the vulnerable populations in EJ communities. These populations have long borne the brunt of inequitable policies. California Government Code Section 65040.12 works to minimize adverse effects of environmental hazards on populations most at risk of harm and create a healthy environment for all groups, again with a particular focus on improving health outcomes of disadvantaged populations. The purpose of EJ policies is to reduce impacts on populations experiencing adverse environmental affects, ensure equitable access to services and facilities, promote meaningful community engagement from those populations in municipal government and its decision-making process, and improve public health outcomes.

Under SB 1000, a disadvantaged community is one that is identified by the California Environmental Protection Agency under pursuant to Section 39711 of the Health and Safety Code and/or an area that is a low-income area that is disproportionately affected by environmental pollution and/or other hazards that can lead to negative health impacts, exposure, or environmental degradation. Low-income areas are defined as those areas with household incomes at or below 80% of the statewide median income or household incomes at or below the low-income threshold identified by the Department of Housing and Community Development’s list of state income levels adopted pursuant to Section 50093.

Figure 1: Process for Determining and Addressing EJ Requirements (Source: General Plan Guidelines Chapter 4: Environmental Justice)

CITY OF MAYWOOD – ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ELEMENT

1.3 Government Code 65302(h) identifies two criterion jurisdictions should use to determine whether an EJ element is required. The first is whether the jurisdiction is concurrently revising two or more elements on or after January 1, 2018. Concurrent with its Sixth Cycle Housing Element, the City of Maywood is updating its Land Use, Circulation, and Safety elements. The second criterion is for the jurisdiction to determine whether “disadvantaged communities” exist within the jurisdiction. “’Disadvantaged communities’ means an area identified by the California Environmental Protection Agency Pursuant to Section 39711 of the Health and Safety Code or an area that is a low-income area that is disproportionately affected by environmental pollution and other hazards that can lead to negative health effects, exposure, or environmental degradation.” (Gov. Code, Section 65302, subd. (h)(4)(A)). Low-income area is further defined as “an area with household incomes at or below 80% of the statewide median income or with household incomes at or below the threshold designated as low income by the Department of Housing and Community Development’s list of state income limits adopted pursuant to Section 50093.” (Gov. Code, Section 65302, subd. (h)(4)(C)).

CITY OF MAYWOOD – ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ELEMENT

1.4 1.1 ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE POLICY FRAMEWORK
Environmental justice (EJ) is regulated under several federal and state law and policies. Several of the most relevant laws and policies are mentioned below, however this is not an exhaustive list of EJ and EJ-related laws and policies. In addition to legislative protections, the environmental justice movement is often driven by, and in fact was born from, the advocacy of non-governmental organizations.

1.1.1 Federal Laws and Policies
The foundation for EJ in federal law can be traced back to the Fourteenth Amendment to the US Constitution. Under the Fourteenth Amendment, states may not “deny to any person within [their] jurisdiction, the equal protection of the laws.” EJ was brought to the forefront when President Clinton signed Executive Order (EO) 12898 in 1994. This EO is titled “Federal Actions to Address Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low-Income Populations” and was based on a 1992 report written by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that found that “(r)axial minority and low-income populations experience higher than average exposures to selected air pollutants, hazardous waste facilities, and other forms of environmental pollution.”
EO 12898 requires federal agencies to incorporate EJ into their missions and programs and evaluate the impact of federal actions on EJ populations. EO 12898 relies on several other federal laws that can be used to support EJ policies and evaluations as well as further EJ policies and principles. These federal laws include the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which prohibits any entity receiving federal funds from discriminating on the basis of race, color, or national origins in its programs or activities. NEPA requires an environmental review of proposed federal and/or federally-funded actions.

1.1.2 State Laws and Policies
The first California EJ law was passed in 1999, but anti-discrimination laws existed in the state prior to that. The California Constitution prohibits discrimination in public employment, public education, and public contracting (Article 1, Section 31) and state law further prohibits discrimination in any state-funded or administered program or activity (Gov. Code Section 11135). State Planning and Zoning Law prohibits local entities from denying any individual or group the enjoyment of residence, land ownership, tenancy, or any other land use due to race, sex, gender, color, religion, ethnicity, national origin, ancestry, lawful occupation, or age (among other bases) of the individual or group of individuals (Gov. Code Section 65008, subd. (a)).

Additionally, the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) specifically prohibits housing discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, ancestry familiar status disability or source of income (Gov. Code, Section

CITY OF MAYWOOD – ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ELEMENT

1.5 12900, et seq.). SB 115 (Chapter 690, Statues of 1999) was signed into law in 1999 and defined EJ in statute and identified the Office of Planning and Research (OPR) as the State’s coordinating agency for State EJ programs. Guidance was updated with AB 1553 (Chapter 762, Statutes of 2001) which required OPR to develop general plan guidelines by 2003; since 2003, the general plan guidelines have outlined ways for EJ to be integrated into the general plans written by local jurisdictions. SB 1000 made the EJ element a mandatory element or topic for inclusion in general plans for jurisdictions with disadvantaged populations. OPR updated its EJ guidance and provides a process by which jurisdictions can determine whether they are required to develop an EJ element or not.

In addition to the laws outlined above, several state agencies administer programs and initiatives that address EJ issues. Among them are the California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA) maintains both an EJ Program and an EJ Task Force that coordinates compliance and enforcement work of CalEPA’s boards, departments, and officers.

1.2 ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ADVOCACY
In addition to legislative protections, the environmental justice movement is often driven by, and in fact was born from, the advocacy of non-governmental organizations. The First National People of Color Environmental Justice Leadership Summit was held in 1991 and resulted in the 17 Principles of Environmental Justice (https://www.ejnet.org/ej/principles.html). Many advocacy groups at all levels – grassroots, local, regional, state, and national – continue to work to advance environmental justice and ensure that our most vulnerable neighbors are protected and included in the decisions that impact their health, neighborhoods, and communities.

The City of Maywood maintains relationships with several non-governmental advocacy organizations and coordinates regularly with a variety of groups to plan community events and support municipal outreach efforts.

1.3 RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER GENERAL PLAN ELEMENTS
Maywood’s General Plan is the City’s long-range comprehensive planning document that will guide development and other municipal activities over the coming years. State statute (California Government Code Section 65302 et seq.) requires general plans to contain seven elements to address important municipal issues: land use, circulation, housing, conservation, open space, noise, and safety. Following the adoption of SB 1000 in 2016, plans developed in 2018 and onward must also address Environmental Justice.

While the City of Maywood has elected to develop a standalone Environmental Justice Element, there is still significant overlap between this EJ element and the City’s other general plan elements. Planning decisions related to the types of land uses, location, density and intensity of use, transportation systems, and street design have a profound impact on both public health

CITY OF MAYWOOD – ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ELEMENT

1.6 and environmental justice. This EJ element should be read and considered in the context of the other General Plan elements.

In addition to providing background information and data, the goals and policies in this element are organized into the following topics: Reduce Exposure to Pollution (Including Improved Air Quality); Promote Public Facilities; Promote Food Access; Promote Safe and Sanitary Homes; Promote Physical Activity; Reduce Unique or Compound Health Risks Not Otherwise Addressed; Promote Civic Engagement in the Public Decision-Making Process; and Prioritize Improvements and Programs to Address Community Needs.

Environmental justice and policies to address inequity as well as to serve Maywood’s disadvantaged and/or vulnerable populations are included in the plan’s other elements. Some of those goals and policies from other elements are brought into this element. Even where not explicitly noted, this element is consistent with the remaining sections of the Maywood General Plan.

1.4 MAYWOOD’S ENVIRONMENTAL CONTEXT
Centrally located in the urbanized area of Los Angeles County, approximately eight miles southeast of Downtown Los Angeles, Maywood is south of an industrial district that includes Los Angeles’s Boyle Heights neighborhood as well as industrial areas located in the cities of Vernon and Commerce. Maywood and other communities to the south, east, and west of Los Angeles have traditionally served as residential communities for those working in the nearby industrial areas. Maywood is surrounded by Vernon to the north, Commerce to the east, Bell to the South, and Huntington Park to the west. Along with its neighbors in Southeast Los Angeles County, Maywood is considered one of the “Gateway Communities.” This moniker is due to their location between Los Angeles and Orange Counties.

Maywood is a densely developed, predominately residential community that faces the challenge of preserving the character of its neighborhoods and business districts while accommodating growth in response to regional needs for new housing and jobs. Industrial uses in Maywood are primarily concentrated along the City’s northern and western boundaries with pockets of industrial uses along the eastern border. Commercial uses are concentrated along the City’s two main thoroughfares – Atlantic Avenue and Slauson Boulevard. The City of Maywood is one of California’s smallest – and most densely populated. The Census Bureau estimates that more than 25,000 people live in Maywood’s 1.18 square miles (as of the 2020 US Census).

Anecdotally, Maywood’s population is likely much higher – closer to 35,000.

CITY OF MAYWOOD – ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ELEMENT

2.7 2.0 IDENTIFYING DISADVANTAGED COMMUNITIES
The statutory language in Government Code section 65302(h) identifies three potential methods for identifying whether a disadvantaged community exists within a jurisdiction.

Jurisdictions can choose which method to use but are encouraged to do a thorough screening analysis using each of the three definitions and then verifying the findings with local/regional agencies as well as community input to ensure that disadvantage communities have been properly identified. The three methods OPR recommends jurisdictions use are:

1. Use CalEnviroScreen1to determine whether the planning area for the general plan contains census tracts that have a combined score of 75% or higher. (Method 1)

2. Map household median income by census tract in the planning area at or below the statewide median income and examine for disproportionate pollution burden. (Method 2)

3. Map household median income by census tract in the planning area at or below the Department of Housing and Community Development’s state income levels and examine for disproportionate pollution burden. (Method 3)
After these three analyses are completed, OPR recommends that jurisdictions incorporate and analyze community-specific data and examine for additional pollution burden and health risk factors.

In addition to the methods outlined above, there are several other indicators that can be used to identify or corroborate the presences of disadvantaged communities. These indicators include educational attainment, employment levels, housing cost burdened lowincome households, linguistic isolation, poverty, race and ethnicity, single-parent households, citizenship, violent crime rates, and voter participation – both among residents eligible to vote and the share of residents ineligible to vote. Given the City of Maywood’s demographics and proximity to sources of pollution (industrial areas and freeway), the entire City of Maywood qualifies for prioritization of disadvantaged communities. 1 CalEnviroScreen is a statewide mapping tool that identifies California communities that are most affected by many sources of pollution and identifies locations where residents are especially vulnerable to the effects of pollution. CalEnviroScreen uses 20 indicators to calculate health scores by census tract. The 20 indicators include: pollution exposure, location of toxic chemicals in or near communities, the location of sensitive populations, and a variety of socioeconomic factors. Scores are calculated, by census tract, out of 100 based on the 20 indictors.

CITY OF MAYWOOD – ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ELEMENT

2.8 2.1 METHOD 1
Use CalEnviroScreen to determine whether the planning area for the general plan contains census tracts that have a combined score of 75% or higher.

Figure 2: Maywood CalEnviroScreen
Every census tract in the City of Maywood has at least an 80% combined score in CalEnviroScreen. The lowest pollution burden score is 79. Under Method 1, the entire City of Maywood is considered a disadvantaged population.

2.2 METHOD 2
Map household median income by census tract in the planning area at or below the statewide median income and examine for disproportionate pollution burden.

Table 1: Median Household Income by Census Tract (2019 5-Year ACS) and Pollution Burden (CalEnviroScreen)
Geography Household
Median Income
Pollution Burden
Census Tract 5333 $37,841 88
Census Tract 5334.01 $58,214 86
Census Tract 5334.02 $32,845 86
Census Tract 5334.03 $45,217 89
Census Tract 5337.01 $36,845 90

CITY OF MAYWOOD – ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ELEMENT

2.9 Geography Household
Median Income
Pollution Burden
Census Tract 5337.02 $43,214 79
Census Tract 5337.03 $58,344 93
City of Maywood $44,241 n/a
County of Los Angeles $72,797 n/a
State of California $80,440 n/a
Every census tract within in the City of Maywood has a household median income lower than the statewide household median income and has a disproportionate pollution burden. Under Method 2, the entire City of Maywood is considered a disadvantaged population.

2.3 METHOD 3
Map household median income by census tract in the planning area at or below the Department of Housing and Community Development’s state income levels and examine for disproportionate pollution burden. In 2019, the Area Median Income for Los Angeles County was $73,100 (https://www.hcd.ca.gov/grants-funding/income-limits/state-and-federal-incomelimits/docs/Income-Limits-2019.pdf).

As shown in Table 1, all census tracts in Maywood have a household median income significantly less than the area median income as defined by the Department of Housing and Community Development and bear a disproportionate pollution burden. Under Method 3, the entire City of Maywood is considered a disadvantaged population.

2.4 OTHER INDICATORS

2.4.1 Demographics
As of January 1, 2020, the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) Pre-Certified Local Housing Data estimates that the City of Maywood had 27,904 residents. As mentioned previously, anecdotal evidence indicates that the City’s population is likely much higher. The City’s population density is approximately 21,000 people per square mile making it among the most densely populated cities in California and across the United States.

Maywood’s population is more than 98% Hispanic/Latino in origin and almost half (47.0%) of Maywood’s residents were born outside of the United States. This is significantly higher than in Los Angels County where only about 34% of residents are foreign-born. Of Maywood’s foreignborn population, only approximately a third (32.9%) are naturalized citizens. The City’s household median income is approximately $44,000. Approximately a fifth (19.7%) of Maywood households are living in poverty.

CITY OF MAYWOOD – ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ELEMENT

2.10 Only 8.1% of Maywood residents have a bachelor’s degree or higher. Twenty-seven percent of residents 25 and older have a high school diploma or the equivalent.

Maywood’s 12,362 workers work in 13 major industrial sectors (SCAG Pre-Certified Local Housing Data). More Maywood residents work in Manufacturing (2,285 employees or 18.5% of Maywood workers) than in any other sector. The second-largest sector is Education & Social Services (1,884 employees or 15.2% of Maywood workers). More than a thousand Maywood workers work in each of the following sectors: Retail Trade (1,497 employees), Transportation (1,487 employees), Construction (1,132 employees), and Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (1,083 employees).

CalEnviroScreen includes the following socioeconomic characteristics in its analysis: education, linguistic isolation, poverty, unemployment, and housing burden. Maywood’s census tracts all rank at high risk (75+ on a 0-100 scale) in each of these categories except unemployment. (See Table 2). One census tract (5334.02) also rants at high risk for unemployment.

Table 2: CalEnviroScreen Socioeconomic Indicators
Geography Education Linguistic
Isolation
Poverty Unemployment Housing
Burden
Census Tract 5333 99 98 85 27 95
Census Tract 5334.01 97 95 83 12 93
Census Tract 5334.02 94 93 81 79 96
Census Tract 5334.03 98 98 87 51 97
Census Tract 5337.01 99 94 88 43 85
Census Tract 5337.02 99 97 88 45 96
Census Tract 5337.03 99 87 90 71 93

2.4.2 Exposure to Pollution and Environmental Hazards
The City of Maywood and its residents are exposed to air pollution from a variety of sources.

Much of this exposure is due to the City’s proximity to industrial land uses and associated local truck traffic. As shown in Table 1, Maywood’s census tracts earned a score of between 79 and 93 indicating a high pollution burden citywide. Exposure varies by pollutant type, as shown in Table 3.

Ozone
Ozone is the main component of smog. The main sources of ozone include trucks, cars, planes, trains, factories, farms, construction, and dry cleaners. Ozone is one of the most common and

CITY OF MAYWOOD – ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ELEMENT

2.11 significant air pollution health threats in California. It is one of the United States EPA’s top six commonly found criteria air pollutants and can cause lung irritation, inflammation, and worsening of existing chronic health conditions – even at low levels of exposure. While ozone is a common pollutant in California, Maywood’s census tracts are at relatively low risk.

PM 2.5
PM 2.5 stands for particulate matter 2.5 micrometers or less in diameter. This is approximately 1 10,000th of an inch or less than the thickness of a human hair. PM 2.5 can include organic chemicals, dust, soot, and metals and come from cars and tricks, factories, wood burning, and other activities. Like ozone, PM 2.5 is one of the United States EPA’s top six criteria air pollutants. Exposure to PM 2.5 has been shown to cause many serious health problems including heart and lung disease. Particles can settle deep in the lungs as we breathe.

Maywood’s census tracts are at moderately high risk of PM 2.5 exposure.

Diesel Particulate Matter
Diesel particulate matter is caused by exhaust from trucks, buses, trains, ships, and other diesel-powered engines and is comprised of both gases and solid particles. The solid particles contain hundreds of chemicals, many of which are harmful to health. People living and/or working in cities, industrial areas, and hear heavy truck or train traffic are most likely to be exposed to diesel particulate matter. Diesel particulate matter can settle deep in the lungs and cause health issues including eye, throat, and nose irritation, heart and lung disease, and lung cancer. Maywood’s census tracts are at moderate risk of exposure to Diesel Particulate Matter.

Pesticides
Pesticides are chemicals used to control insects, weeds, and/or plant/animal diseases and are applied to fields by air, farm machinery, or workers on the ground. Farmworkers, their families, and others who live near agricultural fields are most at risk of exposure to pesticides. Pesticides can cause immediate illness as well as conditions that present themselves later in life such as birth defects and cancer. Maywood is a densely developed urban area far from California’s agricultural centers and its census tracts are at no risk of pesticide exposure. Maywood is home to a very small number of farmworkers (84 farmworkers) who may experience health impacts due to exposure to pesticides; however, this number is approximately 0.3% of Maywood’s population so it does not rise to the level of a public health hazard.

Toxic Releases
Industrial facilities that make or use toxic chemicals can release these chemicals into the air, impacting local air quality. Release information is available for more than 500 chemicals used at large facilities in the United States. Health impacts vary by chemical release type and size.

These releases can occur regularly or during an accident. Given Maywood’s industrial land uses

CITY OF MAYWOOD – ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ELEMENT

2.12 and its proximity to industrial land uses in nearby communities, Maywood’s census tracts are all at high risk of exposure to toxic releases.

Traffic
Local traffic is synonymous with city life; California, and the Los Angeles area in particular, is infamous for its heavy traffic. This traffic releases significant amounts of exhaust into the local air. Even though the state of California has very strict vehicle-emissions standards, vehicle exhaust is one of the state’s main sources of air pollution. Vehicle exhaust is comprised of a wide variety of chemicals, many of them toxic, that can cause health impacts including making breathing difficult, causing cancer, damage DNA, and cause low birth weight and premature births. CalEnviroScreen includes traffic risk for six of Maywood’s seven census tracts, most of which are at high risk.

Drinking Water Contaminants
Most of California’s drinking water sources meet a variety of health and safety requirements, but water can still become contaminated. Contaminated drinking water can cause a variety of health hazards from different contaminants from natural and human sources. Human sources of water contamination include factories, sewerage, and farm runoff. Poor communities and people in rural areas are most at risk of exposure to contaminated drinking water. Maywood’s location within a dense, urban area where all buildings are connected to public water supply reduces its residents’ risk of exposure to contaminated drinking water. In fact, all of Maywood’s census tracts are at low risk of exposure to contaminated drinking water.

Cleanup Sites
Cleanup sites are locations that have been contaminated with harmful chemicals and must be cleaned up. Impacts can be hyper-local or more widespread depending on the type and scale of contamination. The closer to a contaminated site one lives or works, the more likely they are to be exposed and experience health impacts. Health impacts vary depending on the type of exposure and chemical type. Cleanup activities may take years or decades to clean up. Studies regularly show that low-income and/or minority neighborhoods are more likely to have cleanup sites. Due to the presence of industrial sites and historic land use patterns, Maywood’s census tracts are at high to very high risk of exposure to cleanup sites.

Groundwater Threats
Groundwater can be impacted by leaking storage containers. Common pollutants from leaks include gasoline and diesel fuel, solvents, heavy metals, and pesticides. Dairy farms and other concentrated animal-feeding operations can also pose a threat to groundwater due to the large quantities of animal manure produced at these operations. Since groundwater can be impacted by a variety of pollutants, health risks and impacts vary. Only one of Maywood’s census tracts is

CITY OF MAYWOOD – ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ELEMENT

2.13 at high risk of groundwater pollution threat. This is likely due to the type of industrial uses in this area of the City; business operations include oil filter cleaning, warehousing, food distribution, and other warehouses.

Hazardous Waste Generators and Facilities
Commercial and industrial activities create waste that can contain a variety of dangerous chemicals. Facilities that treat, store, or dispose of this kind of waste must be specially regulated. Hazardous waste is transported from the businesses that generate the waste to specially permitted facilities for recycling, treatment, storage, and/or disposal. Community exposure can occur during accidents and/or as a regular course of operation. Health impacts vary depending on the scale and type of exposure. Similar to other noxious land uses, poorer communities and minority communities are more likely to be located near hazardous waste facilities. Given the distribution of industrial uses in Maywood, some if its census tracts are at very high risk of exposure of hazardous waste while others are at little to no risk.

Impaired Water Bodies
Similar to groundwater, surface water can be contaminated by a variety of pollutants, causing the water body to become impaired. Maywood is adjacent to the Los Angeles River, an urban waterway that has been identified as impaired. Exposure and health impacts can vary greatly.

Given Maywood’s location adjacent to the Los Angeles River, the City’s census tracts are considered at moderate risk of exposure.

Solid Waste Sites and Facilities
Solid waste facilities (landfills, transfer stations, and composting facilities) collect, process, and/or store household garbage and other types of waste. Maywood does not have any of these types of facilities, so its census tracts are at no risk.

CITY OF MAYWOOD – ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ELEMENT

2.14 Table 3: CalEnviroScreen Pollutants and Environmental Hazards Geography Ozone PM 2.5 Diesel
Particulate
Matter
Pesticides Toxic
Release
Traffic Drinking Water
Contaminants
Cleanup
Sites
Groundwater
Threats
Hazardous
Waste
Impaired
Water
Solid Waste
Census Tract 5333 53 84 71 0 95 80 41 80 14 90 72 0
Census Tract 5334.01 53 82 71 0 98 n/a 47 86 32 74 72 0 Census Tract 5334.02 53 82 71 0 96 79 41 79 28 0 72 0
Census Tract 5334.03 53 82 71 0 97 77 38 87 57 63 72 0
Census Tract 5337.01 53 82 71 0 97 77 41 92 59 62 72 0
Census Tract 5337.02 53 82 71 0 96 71 39 81 41 10 72 0
Census Tract 5337.03 53 82 71 0 96 95 41 93 79 51 72 0

CITY OF MAYWOOD – ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ELEMENT

2.15 2.4.3 Health Indicators
CalEnviroScreen provides information on three health indicators: asthma, low birth weight, and the rate of cardiovascular disease. Cancer is another common health indicator of pollution exposure. The Multiple Air Toxics Exposure Study IV (MATES – IV) evaluated the background cancer risk for the greater Los Angeles Region.

Asthma
Asthma affects the lungs and makes it hard to breathe. Symptoms of asthma include breathlessness, coughing, and chest tightness along with its hallmark wheezing. Environmental factors are closely related to the incidence of asthma in the general population. While asthma can be an underlying condition, outdoor air quality often triggers asthma attacks and/or worsens symptoms. Maywood’s census tracts are a relatively low risk of asthma risk, indicating an about-average incidence of the disease in the City. See Table 4.

Low Birth Weight
Low birth weight is diagnosed in babies born weighing less than 5.5 pounds. There are a wide variety of factors, including poor nutrition, a lack of prenatal care, stress and smoking by the pregnant mother, neighborhood violence, living in an impoverished neighborhood, exposure to air pollution, industry, and/or agriculture have all been shown to influence low birth weight.

Maywood’s census tracts vary widely for risk of low birth weight. See Table 4.

Cardiovascular Disease
Cardiovascular disease includes several conditions involving blocked or narrowed blood vessels that can lead to heart attack or other heart problems. As with low birth weight, there are a wide variety of risk factors that lead to cardiovascular disease, including: diet, lack of exercise, smoking, and exposure to air pollution. Maywood’s census tracts are generally at a moderate risk of cardiovascular disease. See Table 4.

Table 4: CalEnviroScreen Health Indicators
Geography Asthma Low Birth
Weight
Cardiovascular
Disease
Census Tract 5333 44 97 57
Census Tract 5334.01 52 22 81
Census Tract 5334.02 43 67 65
Census Tract 5334.03 41 61 61
Census Tract 5337.01 46 72 61
Census Tract 5337.02 53 81 82
Census Tract 5337.03 50 23 75

CITY OF MAYWOOD – ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ELEMENT

2.16 Background Cancer Risk (MATES-IV Study)
Maywood is part of the South Coast Air Basin (SCAB), a highly urbanized area that is home to approximately 17 million people, 11 million vehicles, and a very high concentration of industrial and commercial activities. This area has one of the highest densities of commercial and industrial activities in the entire United States. These factors combine to cause some of the worst air quality across the United States. To evaluate the background cancer risk exposure for residents in the SCAB area, the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) prepared the MATES-IV study. MATES-IV examines 40 air pollutants, including particulate matter, lead, and benzene, at 10 monitoring sites for one year (2012-13). The study found that the background cancer risk in the SCAB is approximately 897 in one million. This risk is primarily due to diesel exhaust (which accounted for 68% of estimate air toxic risk).

Exide Contamination and Cleanup
Nearly all of Maywood is affected by the release of lead and other toxic chemicals from the Exide Technologies facility in Vernon. These releases occurred over the course of decades that the plant was active. Residents and officials forced the plant’s closure in 2015, but the massive cleanup effort is ongoing. According to the state’s Department of Toxic Substances Control, more than 10,000 residential lots and 20,000 homes were impacted by exposure to lead dust from the plant.2 Almost the entire city of Maywood is included in the County’s map of affected areas and related clean-up zone. Per the Department of Toxic Substances Control, the site was still understood to pose an “imminent and substantial endangerment to the public health or welfare or to the environment” as of 2020. Lead exposure has many long-lasting effects, especially in kids, and lead is notoriously very hard to clean up; the LA County of Department of Public Health recommends nearby residents take advantage of blood testing and paint hazard testing resources to understand their risks and pursue clean-up resources provided by the County and State.

Figure 3: Exide Technologies Cleanup Area
2 LA County Department of Public Health and https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-10-16/exide-bankrtuptcy-decisionvernon-cleanup

CITY OF MAYWOOD – ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ELEMENT

3.17 2.5 SUMMARY
The entire City of Maywood is a disadvantaged population. Using each of the three methods outlined in Government Code section 65302(h) to identify disadvantaged populations, each census tract in the City is identified as a disadvantaged population. Examining many of the other indicators of disadvantaged populations also shows that the City of Maywood is a disadvantaged population. This finding is consistent with municipal data and community input.

3.0 COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Truly effective and inclusive community engagement is a listening art. It is not about implementing a formula or checking a box, but instead customizing a process reflective of the community’s goals and needs. Meaningful civic and community engagement is guided by engaging in meaningful and relevant dialogue, prioritizing inclusive representation, providing equitable access to information and opportunities; making sure contributions have impact, and creating empowering experiences.

CITY OF MAYWOOD – ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ELEMENT

3.18 State law requires that the local planning agency provides opportunities for community involvement in the planning process. Such involvement should include a variety of public entities as well as community groups and individuals during public hearings and other appropriate methods (Gov. Code Section 65351). This general planning effort relied primarily on “other appropriate methods” only holding public hearings as required for review and approval by the municipal regulatory boards.

Throughout the General Plan update, which ran from 2021 to 2023, the Maywood community was consulted using a variety of methods and approaches. All materials were prepared in English and Spanish, and the three general plan workshops were bilingual with the presentation and materials presented in both languages.

A project website hosted plan documents, announced meeting and event dates, and provided a platform on which residents and other stakeholders could interact and provide feedback. Three public meetings were held, both in person and virtually, to solicit public comment and feedback and the project team presented at both City Council and Planning Commission meetings. Two of the three public meetings were held virtually due to the ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic. These workshops were held in July 2021 and February 2022 and attracted a handful of participants.

An in-person public workshop focused on the environmental justice element held in June 2023 had approximately 30 participants.

Figure 4: Photos from the June 2023 Public Workshop

CITY OF MAYWOOD – ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ELEMENT

3.19 By far, the most successful outreach activities were asking open-ended questions of residents already participating in other community events. Over the course of the project, hundreds of comment cards were handed out at events like Trunk or Treat, tree planting events, the National Night Out/Take Back The Night, holiday celebrations, the health resource fair, and the mobile food pantry. Project posters and fliers were also available and posted at these events, but residents strongly preferred the open-ended comment cards, and nobody wrote on any of the posters. Comment cards were also available at City Hall and Library. In all, city staff passed out comment cards at more than a dozen local events.

Figure 5: Sample of Comment Cards Received at Public Engagement Events

CITY OF MAYWOOD – ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ELEMENT

3.20 While ultimately successful, engaging the Maywood community was challenging. This engagement effort has taught the City a lot about the best ways to reach the public. From the beginning, this project’s goal was two-fold: receiving input on the general plan update was important, but the project team saw this effort as primarily an initial engagement effort designed to begin building a foundation of meaningful engagement of city residents with the goal of improved and ongoing engagement. Engaging the community was a challenge. Except for the Housing Element, the City has not undertaken a general plan update since the late 1980s, so residents are entirely unfamiliar with the concept of a general plan as well as with the overall planning process. The City is actively rebuilding community trust after a period of corruption in

CITY OF MAYWOOD – ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ELEMENT

4.21 the City’s municipal operations. The City’s demographics also contribute to the engagement challenges. The United States does planning differently than many other countries; with such a large segment of the city’s population born abroad, many are unfamiliar with municipal planning efforts making them less inclined to participate. Many Maywood residents work multiple jobs, working long hours to make ends meet. Additionally, many Maywood residents are undocumented, which can make residents uninterested in engaging with public officials.

Language and educational barriers can also make participation difficult.

In addition to public engagement, members of the project team met regularly with other municipal officials and shared regular progress reports. Coordination meetings were held with other consultants working with the City as well as with several community groups and advocacy organizations including the YMCA, East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice, and Amigos de los Rios. During this project, the City of Maywood hired several staff people to serve as community liaisons and foster ongoing community relations. City Hall is actively cultivating relationships with these organizations and others to increase community engagement and participation.

The project team received a variety of input that influenced each of the general plan elements.

Residents were most concerned with rent increases and housing insecurity and traffic and parking. Additional comments related to increasing the tree canopy, public safety, and bicycle/pedestrian infrastructure. Generally, residents enjoy living in Maywood, placing high value on the community and the relationships they have. Overall, respondents felt more positively about Maywood than negatively. However, the items residents most dislike are parking, traffic, and unsafe/unsanitary homes. Additionally, several residents pointed out that Maywood and the surrounding communities are underserved compared to other communities in the Greater Los Angeles Region.

4.0 ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE PLANNING VISION
Maywood is completing and environmental Justice (EJ) Element as part of its General Plan for the first time. This Element seeks to address environmental justice through a set of comprehensive goals, policies, and programs aimed at increasing the influence of target populations in the public decision-making process and reducing their exposure to environmental hazards. The Element will be used by the Maywood City Council and the Planning Commission, other boards, commissions and agencies, developers, and the public in planning for the physical development of the City. As a General Plan element, the Environmental Justice Element is closely linked to the remainder of the General Plan and carries equal weight with the other General Plan elements. The City of Maywood’s Environmental Justice Plan is organized into sections:
• Reduce Exposure to Pollution (Including Improved Air Quality). • Promote Public Facilities.

CITY OF MAYWOOD – ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ELEMENT

4.22 • Promote Food Access.
• Promote Safe and Sanitary Homes.
• Promote Physical Activity.
• Reduce Unique or Compound Health Risks Not Otherwise Addressed. • Promote Civic Engagement in the Public Decision-Making Process; and • Prioritize Improvements and Programs to Address Community Needs.

Each of these sections identifies one or more goals and several planning policies to support the goal. These goals and policies were developed with community input and reflect the needs identified through the planning process. While cities can opt to create a separate Environmental Justice Element, as Maywood has done, environmental justice is inextricably woven into each of the other General Plan elements. Throughout this section, environmental justice goals and policies are identified alongside goals and policies from the other plan elements. Goals and policies that appear in other elements are identified and generally appear at the bottom of the section. EJ is one of the threads that weaves through the entire general plan and should be treated as an extension of each of the other plans.

4.1 ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ISSUES IN THE CITY OF MAYWOOD As discussed previously in this element, there are several issues and factors in the City of Maywood that are directly related to environmental justice. The City is surrounded by freeways with heavy truck traffic, major rail yards, and a variety of industrial facilities including those that conduct metal heat treating activities, welding steel forging, oil refining and recycling, and battery manufacturing. Traffic in and around Maywood is significant.

The City is in the Southern California Air Basin and is approximately 5 miles southeast of Downtown Los Angeles. The area historically has some of the worst air quality in the United States. Implementation of strict regulations over the recent decades has led to significantly improved air quality. Despite these improvements, however, socioeconomically disadvantaged communities in the region still experience a disproportionately high pollution burden. In addition to air pollution, Maywood residents have a relatively high likelihood of experiencing other forms of pollution leading to a variety of public health impacts.

Maywood is densely developed and many housing units are overcrowded due to issues of housing affordability and availability. Many residents are immigrants and educational attainment in Maywood is relatively low.

As an under-resourced community, the City of Maywood has already implemented a variety of environmental justice policies and programs. Given that the entire community is identified as environmental justice, all aspects of municipal services are designed to service EJ populations.

CITY OF MAYWOOD – ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ELEMENT

4.23 Working with its partners, the City has implemented several policies and programs including having dedicated community service professionals on staff at City Hall, supporting a mobile food bank and daily meal service, zoning for supportive housing and encouraging the development of safe, sanitary, and affordable housing. The City is constantly pursuing grant opportunities to implement additional programs and services as well as contribute to residents’ quality of life without increasing the tax burden.

4.2 ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE GOALS AND POLICIES
This Environmental Justice Element is the City of Maywood’s first Environmental Justice element. As the City implements and gains experience with these efforts, it is anticipated that strategies and approaches will change to better meet Maywood’s unique community. The Environmental Justice element is meant to be a living document that is revisited and updated regularly as conditions change to ensure that residents’ most pressing needs are addressed.

California General Plan Guidelines identify eight categories each Environmental Justice element must address: reducing exposure to pollution (including improved air quality), promoting public facilities, promoting food access, promoting safe and sanitary homes, promoting physical activity, reducing any unique or compound health risks, promoting civic engagement, and prioritizing improvements and programs that address the needs of EJ populations. Over the course of several months, Maywood residents had the opportunity to rank the importance of each of these categories either during a public workshop held in June 2023 or in the following weeks at City Hall. By far, participants ranked promoting safe and sanitary homes as their highest priority. More than a quarter of the votes cast (26%) identified this as a priority. The next-highest ranked priorities were reducing unique or compound health risks, promoting physical activity, and promoting public facilities. Each of these received 14% of votes cast.

Reducing exposure to pollution and improving air quality was close behind with 13% of the vote.

Each of the categories received at least 9% of votes cast.

4.2.1 Reduce Exposure to pollution (Including Improved Air Quality) While generally desirable places to live, urban environments often present adverse environmental conditions that negatively impact individual and community health.

Unfortunately, our most at-risk populations typically bear the brunt of the impacts from pollution, including poor air quality. While air quality is a regional issue, there are actions the City can take to reduce exposure to pollution and improve air quality. Even when these exposures cannot be eliminated, education and outreach can give residents the tools and knowledge they need to lessen the impacts of exposure to adverse environmental conditions for themselves and their families. Environmental justice populations have traditionally borne the brunt of environmental pollution and worsened air quality, resulting in poorer public health outcomes. A good quality of life must include a clean and healthy living environment. This is achieved through a variety of means, including good land use policy that plans development to improve and enhance quality of life.

CITY OF MAYWOOD – ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ELEMENT

4.24 Land Use Compatibility
Land use compatibility is the way a City’s land use plan and zoning ordinances arrange uses within the community to reduce the instances of incompatible uses while still allowing each use to thrive. Industrial and manufacturing land uses contribute to air pollution, but also provide valuable jobs and contribute to the local economy. This EJ element, in conjunction with the land use element, aims to reinforce improvements to past land use planning that resulted in heavy industrial/high polluting uses operating in very close proximity to residential neighborhoods.

The City is actively working to buffer residential neighborhoods from the industrial uses with the goal of allowing industrial uses to continue operating, but to adjust operations to minimize community impacts and protect residents from noxious uses and sources of pollution while encouraging more efficient/cleaner industrial uses, supporting community revitalization, and introducing additional commercial uses. See the Land Use Element for more information.

Goals and Policies
Minimize exposure to pollution with a particular focus on improving outdoor and indoor air quality using planning and educational approaches.

Policies
• Educate the public on air quality impacts and strategies to improve air quality as well as mitigation strategies to lessen the impact of exposure. • Encourage the use of indoor air filtration systems through educational programming and materials and explore funding incentives (including grant programs) to support the installation of indoor air filtration systems.
• Encourage, and whenever possible, contribute to the development of transportation demand management (TDM) measures such as: alternative work schedules, bicycle facilities, ridesharing, and preferential parking for car/vanpools. • Develop a greenhouse gas emissions reduction program that measures baseline and future anticipated greenhouse gas emissions, sets reduction targets for all sector (including municipal operations), outlines public-private and nonprofit partnerships to support the planning effort, and outlines a process by which greenhouse gas emissions are regularly assessed.
• Encourage the use of green/cool roofs to help mitigate the urban heat island effect and contribute to improved environmental conditions.
• Whenever possible, replace municipal fleet vehicles with low-emissions and/or alternative fuel vehicles.
• Make land use and urban design decisions that promote physical activity, access to nutritious food, and reduce air pollution.

CITY OF MAYWOOD – ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ELEMENT

4.25 • Safely and systematically address toxins, legacy pollutants, and hazardous materials by continuing to work with state, federal, regional, and local agencies to eliminate and reduce concentrations of regulated legacy pollutants.
• Minimize the development of sensitive land uses near freeways as much as possible, taking particular care to minimize exposure of housing for vulnerable populations such as families with children, seniors, and people with disabilities. • Continue and expand the City’s tree planting program to maximize air quality improvements and urban heat island mitigation.
• Work with the City’s industrial businesses to improve outdoor air quality by enhancing operations and implementing other pollution reduction measures as feasible. These strategies may include limiting idling of diesel trucks, providing education and outreach to industrial businesses, and ensuring compliance through code enforcement activities. • Enforce Air Pollution Requirements. AB 61 requires the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to designated high priority communities to deploy air monitoring and/or emissions reduction programs. These monitoring programs measure community exposure to air pollutants and toxic air contaminants. The Southeast Los Angeles County Community Emissions Reduction Plan was published in December 2020. • Facilitate the continued redevelopment of aging industrial uses to businesses more compatible with adjoining residential neighborhoods (Land Use Element). • Review and strengthen regulations for the establishment and operation of industrial uses that address parking, landscaping, screening of storage areas, and minimize nuisances such as smoke, noise, odors, and vibrations (Land Use Element). • Mitigate the urban heat island effect using green infrastructure and low impact development techniques including completing the Urban Forestry Plan; continue increasing the tree canopy along Maywood’s streets and in parks and other public spaces; and prioritize planting native trees along streets and in parks/public spaces (Safety Element).
• Prioritize integrated climate actions – those actions that both reduce greenhouse gas emissions and build resilience to climate impacts – as well as other actions that provide multiple benefits (Safety Element).
• Explore and implement partnership opportunities with the Cities of Bell, Cudahy, and Huntington Park to develop a multi-jurisdictional shuttle service (Circulation Element). • Require the lowest pollutant emissions from the City’s own vehicle pool and equipment used for government purposes (Conservation Element).

CITY OF MAYWOOD – ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ELEMENT

4.26 • Develop and enforce local criteria for air and water quality so that the city may reduce its share of these regional problems (Conservation Element).

4.2.2 Promote Public Facilities
Public facilities include City Hall and community facilities including schools, libraries, parks, community centers, and other recreational facilities that serve the community. Equitable access to, and distribution of, these facilities and services ensures all residents can benefit from the services and programming provided at these facilities. Building connections to and within these facilities is key to a vibrant and active community and can often serve as one of the key features of a community, bringing residents from all walks of life together to create a shared identity.

The City of Maywood operates a variety of public facilities throughout the community. These facilities include City Hall, the Maywood Cesar Chavez Library, seven public school buildings (operated by the Los Angeles Unified School District), the YMCA, and public parks. The City has four public parks and several smaller, neighborhood pocket parks. Public recreational facilities are supplemented with a shared use agreement between the City and school district. Facilities are distributed throughout the community. See the Land Use Element for more information.

Goals and Policies
Ensure equitable distribution and access of high-quality public facilities throughout the City of Maywood.

Policies
• Locate new public facilities that provide youth, family, and/or senior services near transit stops and in mixed use neighborhoods when feasible.
• Continue increasing public parks including pocket parks and public plazas to increase public access to open space and providing more opportunities for recreation closer to residential neighborhoods ensuring that all residents have relatively easy access to parks, community centers, fields, and other community amenities. Consistent maintenance and improvement of these facilities will encourage more people to utilize these important community resources.
• Prioritize investment in the improvement and maintenance of parks and other public facilities, using the capital improvement program, grant funding, nonprofit partnerships, and other available means to invest in public facilities and services.

CITY OF MAYWOOD – ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ELEMENT

4.27 • The City will seek to create more recreational open space and tot lots in neighborhoods where there is a need to serve existing and new residents (Housing Element). • The City of Maywood will plan for and support infrastructure availability to ensure the ability to support its Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA). The City will implement its infrastructure capacity plan to… ensure adequate infrastructure is available for all Maywood residents, present and future… (Housing Element) • Properly locate and adequately size public facilities to meet existing and projected demand (Land Use Element).
• Coordinate with public and private agencies to improve public facilities as density increases (Land Use Element).
• Periodically inventory and monitor the condition of the City’s sewer, water, storm drainage, streets, and parks, libraries, schools, health care facilities, and other supporting appurtenances (Land Use Element).
• Work with public and quasi-public service providers to ensure that the City’s investment in its infrastructure is protected (Land Use Element).
• Support the rehabilitation and expansion of the Maywood Cesar Chavez Library to meet the community’s changing needs (Land Use Element).
• Encourage the development of a new civic center that will serve as a source of community pride and identity (Land Use Element).
• Prioritize capital improvements and expansion projects at facilities that support emergency response (Safety Element).
• Explore creating a cooling center or “resilience hub” within the City of Maywood (Safety Element)
• Coordinate with community groups, nonprofit organizations, and others to identify existing resources and networks that can support cooling effort (Safety Element).

4.2.3 Promote Food Access
Hunger makes everything more challenging. Students are not able to adequately focus on their studies and are less likely to break the cycle of poverty when they do not have access to enough or healthy food. Adults are similarly affected by hunger and more likely to forgo meals if food is scarce to give their children maximum access to food resources.

Goals & Policies

CITY OF MAYWOOD – ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ELEMENT

4.28 Expand access to healthy food options and reduce the number of food insecure residents.

Policies
• Work to expand public awareness of, and participation in, federal food assistance programs including the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) nutrition program and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) by sharing program information on the City’s website and in newsletters, providing pamphlets and other information at public facilities including schools, and encouraging merchants to accept WIC and SNAP payments.
• Work with partner organizations, including the YMCA, to expand meal programs and food bank events. While sustainable, permanent funding to support these programs is preferred, grants and other external funding sources can be accessed to jump-start expanded offerings and/or provide cash infusions when most critically needed. • Provide healthy food options at city buildings, public vending machines, and public events.
• Encourage residents to plant fruit trees and other edible landscaping and explore opportunities for grant funding to support edible landscaping education and make plants/trees available to residents.
• With the Los Angeles County School District and other stakeholders, explore the feasibility of “edible school yards” that provide gardens and gardening programs on school property.
• Consider ways to allow and encourage small-scale urban agriculture in parks, schools, and neighborhoods.
• Ensure that residents are permitted to grow fruits and vegetables in their yards, provided there are not significant negative impacts to adjacent property owners. • Allow public facilities to be used as pickup sites for Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs.
• Work to bring a farmer’s market to Maywood.

4.2.4 Promote Safe and Sanitary Homes
Housing is a primary focus for Maywood residents, the vast majority of whom are renters.

Renters typically are at a significantly higher risk of displacement and have limited ability to address deficiencies in their units. The Housing Element discusses the condition of Maywood’s housing stock in detail. The City is making progress to bring substandard and/or illegal units

CITY OF MAYWOOD – ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ELEMENT

4.29 into compliance, but much work remains to be done. The City has recently passed a rent stabilization ordinance that seeks to provide relief and predictability for tenants. The safety and adequacy of housing is a leading concern for the City and its residents alike.

Goals & Policies
Expand access to safe and sanitary homes, bringing substandard units into compliance with the building code and health and safety regulations.

Policies
• The City, working with nonprofit and other partners, will educate residents on the requirements of standard housing and their rights.
• Maywood will encourage the rehabilitation and preservation of substandard units owned/occupied by lower income households.
• The City will continue to utilize the code enforcement program to bring substandard units into compliance with applicable codes to improve overall housing conditions in Maywood (Housing Element).
• The City will promote increased awareness among property owners and residents of the importance of property maintenance to long-term housing quality (Housing Element). • The City will continue to promote rehabilitation programs that provide financial and technical assistance to lower-income property owners (Housing Element). • The City will continue to use the code enforcement program to bring substandard units into compliance with applicable codes to improve overall housing conditions in Maywood (Housing Element).
• Develop a program to bring unpermitted accessory dwelling units (ADUs) into compliance. This program will promote the legalization of unpermitted or undocumented ADUs to ensure safe, healthy, and habitable living conditions. This program will… ensure safe, healthy, and habitable living conditions… provide a means for tenants to improve potentially substandard and/or unsafe conditions in their homes… (Housing Element).
• Promote efforts to correct housing deficiencies including housing stock quality and availability. Policies include: providing adequate funding and staffing to support code enforcement programs; continued enforcement of building, zoning health, and safety codes to improve quality of life for residents; reducing overcrowding; encouraging conservation and rehabilitation programs aimed at improving and maintaining the quality of the existing housing stock in the City; establishing, maintaining, and enforcing multi-family development standards that regulate the use of properties in a manner that protects the health, safety, and general welfare of the community and maintains

CITY OF MAYWOOD – ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ELEMENT

4.30 neighborhood character; and promoting efforts to correct housing deficiencies including housing stock quality and availability (Land Use Element).

4.2.5 Promote Physical Activity
Physical activity is important for improving public health. People who are physically fit tend to recover more quickly and more completely from injuries and illness and regular exercise contributes to longer lifespans. However, a densely developed urban environment does not always lend itself to easy access to physical activity. The City of Maywood has been actively expanding and improving its parks, providing additional opportunities for exercise including a new fitness court, improved playing fields, and a renovated pool. This aspect of the environmental justice element directly related air quality and pollution because outdoor exercise must be limited when air quality is poor.

Goals & Policies
Provide opportunities for residents to easily incorporate physical activity into their daily lives.

Policies
• Seek grant and other funding sources to provide secure bicycle parking and other bicycle facilities at all public buildings.
• Improve the use of existing parks and programs through marketing and promotion. • Make land use and urban design decisions that promote physical activity, access to nutritious food, and reduce air pollution.
• Actively engage the public in promoting walking and biking through educational programming and materials.
• Seek grant funding to provide additional Fitness Courts. • Allow sufficient pedestrian cross times when setting traffic light timing. • Work with the Los Angeles County School District, YMCA, and other organizations to identify funding sources for expanded after school fitness and education programs for Maywood’s youth.
• Seek grant funding and/or partnerships to teach bicycle and pedestrian safety in schools and workplaces to educate participants about the benefits of walking and cycling. • Address both actual and perceived safety concerns that create barriers to physical activity by requiring adequate lighting, street visibility, and defensible space.

CITY OF MAYWOOD – ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ELEMENT

4.31 • Implement the complete streets policy including requiring that new commercial development projects provide adequate bicycle and pedestrian facilities and amenities such as street trees, landscaping, paving, benches, waste receptacles, and bicycle racks (Circulation Element).
• Implement the recommendations of the 2023 City of Maywood Active Transportation Plan (Circulation Element).
• Coordinate with the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority to improve bicycle routes within the Los Angeles County bicycle route system (Circulation Element).
• Support efforts to link the bicycle path system to the Los Angeles River Bicycle Trail.

Coordinate with organization such as the Northeast Trees to create a regional bicycle path system (Circulation Element).
• Pursue funding sources from regional, state, and federal agencies, specifically under Senate Bill 821, to provide sidewalk improvements and enhancements, and to create and maintain bicycle paths (Circulation Element).
• Ensure that all sidewalks and walkways in the City are safe for pedestrian users by requiring that they be wide, well lit, and be appropriately shaded in commercial areas (Circulation Element).
• Support the planning and future implementation of the Rail to River project (Circulation Element).
• Support Metro LA’s River Path Project (Circulation Element). • Develop a citywide bike map (Circulation Element).
• Identify Safe Routes to School maps highlighting preferred walking roues to each school (Circulation Element).
• Regularly host Walking School Bus and School Bicycle Train events (Circulation Element).
• Organize Senior Walking Clubs (Circulation Element).
• Host a Bike or Walk to Work Day event (Circulation Element). • The City will seek to create more recreational open space and tot lots in neighborhoods where there is a need to serve existing and new residents (Housing Element).

CITY OF MAYWOOD – ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ELEMENT

4.32 • Improve access to and quality of community services and facilities within the City.

Policies include continuing to share public school recreation land and facilities for City recreation and/or community uses (Land Use Element)

4.2.6 Reduce Unique or Compound Health Risks Not Otherwise Addressed Environmental justice populations are uniquely at risk of compounded health risks as a direct result of their life circumstances. Income is one of the strongest determinants of overall health; this is compounded by the likelihood someone lives in substandard housing, has access to healthy food, has opportunities for physical exercise, and can access routine or preventative healthcare.

Goals & Policies
Reduce the debilitating impact that poverty has on individual, familiar, and community health and well-being.

Policies
• Promote wrap-around, multi-pronged efforts and partnerships to increase access to income, support programs, safe, healthy, and stable affordable housing options, and opportunities for social mobility.
• Coordinate with Los Angeles County, nearby communities, non-profit organizations, and other governmental and non-governmental organization to increase regional access to adequate, affordable health care facilities.
• Work with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, nonprofit organizations, community groups, and other stakeholders to monitor health and wellness trends, conditions, and outcomes in Maywood.
• Reduce alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use by creating a social and physical environment that supports healthy choices, ensuring access to treatment services, and enforcing existing regulations.
• Encourage mobile healthcare clinics to bring healthcare into the community, reduce barriers to care, and promote preventative screenings and care. Work with local healthcare providers to implement and coordinate services with primary care clinics. • Provide healthy food options at city buildings, public vending machines, and public events.
• Work to limit the impacts of climate change on the City’s most vulnerable populations by focusing on planning programs and intervention activities in the communities with the highest needs.

CITY OF MAYWOOD – ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ELEMENT

4.33 • Plan for the public health impacts of climate change including disease and temperature impacts. Seek to work with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and/or similar health organizations to identify Maywood’s critical public health issues. • Safely and systematically address toxins, legacy pollutants, and hazardous materials by continuing to work with state, federal, regional, and local agencies to eliminate and reduce concentrations of regulated legacy pollutants.

Goals & Policies
Promote public awareness and recognition of the roles of social determinants in health and persistent health inequities.

Policies
• Evaluate and ensure City policies, programs, and services promote fairness, equity, and justice.
• Coordinate with public, private, nonprofit partners, and other community organizations to educate the public about health and wellness, ensuring that information and interventions presented are readily available, culturally relevant, linguistically accessible, and address the root causes of health disparities and inequities. This outreach should also discuss health risks associated with poor air quality, water and soil contamination, and exposure to other contaminants such as lead paint, asbestos, mercury, etc. • Encourage increased enrollment in affordable healthcare programs by making information readily available to residents, broadly advertising enrollment periods, and partnering with health clinics.
• Support community education programs on healthy eating habits and lifestyles, including topics such as nutrition, physical activity, and vegetable gardening.

4.2.7 Promote Civic Engagement in the Public Decision-Making Process Robust and extensive civic engagement are at the center of community. Maywood has successfully emerged from a very challenging period but must still earn back the trust of many residents. Previous administration suffered from corruption, which has resulted in an engaged citizenry taking power back and demanding changes and accountability. While these challenges have ignited civic engagement for many residents, it is has also served as a discouragement for many others. Maywood sits at this intersection and must continue to operate in a fair and transparent manner to win back the trust it has lost. Meaningful public engagement and involvement is one of the hallmarks of the environmental justice movement, which calls on everyone to participate in the decision-making process. Historically under-resourced populations are most at risk and face particular challenges engaging in public discourse but must be welcomed and brought into the process as public decisions have an outsized impact

CITY OF MAYWOOD – ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ELEMENT

4.34 on these disadvantaged populations. It is critical that the City continue to actively seek out these residents, bringing them into the process. Offering incentives and going out into the community builds public trust and provides the best opportunity to engage with the city’s residents; every neighborhood in Maywood is identified as environmental justice areas.

Goals & Policies
Increase civic engagement in Maywood, building public trust and ownership of public actions and bringing residents from across the community into the city’s social fabric. Increase participation rates in community events including voting, youth activities, adult education, senior activities, and family-oriented programs.

Policies
• Ensure City government functions are operated in an open and transparent manner and that decisions are reached in a consistent and predictable manner. • Encourage residents to register to vote and to vote in elections. • Continue utilizing ongoing, regular outreach and communication strategies in both English and Spanish to increase public knowledge and understanding of municipal operations and services.
• Expand distribution of the Maywood Today Newsletter, providing hard copies at local businesses, civic institutions, and other places residents congregate and explore the creation of an email distribution list.
• Ensure that public activities are accessible and welcoming to all. Continue to ensure that residents will find people who speak their language at City Hall and other public facilities. City staff and/or interpreters will be readily available to assist residents in English, Spanish, and other languages as necessary.
• Educate public decision-makers including employees, elected, and appointed officials on the principles of environmental justice and meaningful public engagement. • The City will continue and expand its partnerships with the YMCA and other communitybased organizations to build trust and relationships with community residents. • Establish guidelines for universal public communication, working to reach residents in as many different methods possible, utilizing a variety of techniques and social media tools.
• Establish a high school outreach program to teach civic engagement and bring students to City Hall for programming and internship opportunities.

CITY OF MAYWOOD – ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ELEMENT

4.35 • Provide more opportunities for residents, particularly youth and senior residents, to engage in community service.
• Maintain transparency and integrity in the decision-making process by proactively and meaningfully engaging residents in planning decisions that impact their housing and neighborhoods.
• Continue to regularly engage residents in neighborhood efforts including issues concerning safety, neighborhood character, planning, and redevelopment. • Environmental justice principles will be embedded into the City’s planning processes and practices.
• Routinely survey residents to assess the performance of local circulation infrastructure (Circulation Element).
• Assure the effective participation of Maywood residents in land use decisions (Land Use Element).

4.2.8 Prioritize Improvements and Programs to Address Community Needs The entire City of Maywood is a disadvantaged population, so all programs designed to serve the community are environmental justice activities. The City is actively working with community partners and grant agencies to expand service programs and increase its ability to respond to community needs as they arise.

Goals & Policies
Improve support networks and program offerings, increasing economic and social opportunity for Maywood residents.

Policies
• In economic development activities, work to attract and retain industries and businesses that can provide a living wage and health insurance benefits while meeting existing levels of workforce education.
• Decrease the number of Maywood residents commuting to other communities by preserving and expanding the match between residents’ skills and available jobs by encouraging collaboration between local industries and local high schools with the goal of developing job training programs and encouraging local businesses to hire Maywood residents by developing a local job board that advertises vacancies and supporting local job fairs.
• Work with interested organizations, service providers, local businesses, and other stakeholders to develop a youth job partnership that connects Maywood teenagers with after school and summer jobs, volunteer opportunities, and other workforce development opportunities.
• Support community organizations and other groups that address social equity issues.

CITY OF MAYWOOD – ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ELEMENT

4.36 • The City of Maywood will continue to support efforts to mobilize assets and improve social support networks to provide much-needed services and programming.

AGENDA REPORT

CITY OF MAYWOOD
AGENDA ITEM NO. 2.

DATE: November 28, 2023
TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM: JENNIFER VASQUEZ, CITY MANAGER
BY: STEVE FOWLER, DIRECTOR OF BUILDING AND PLANNING
SUBJECT: ADOPTION OF RESOLUTION NO. 6327 AMENDING THE GENERAL PLAN

CIRCULATION ELEMENT, SAFETY ELEMENT, AND LAND USE ELEMENT AND MAKING

A FINDING OF EXEMPTION UNDER THE CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT (CEQA) GUIDELINE 15061(B)(3)
RECOMMENDATION:

Staff recommends that the City Council adopt Resolution No. 6327 amending the General Plan Safety Element, Land Use Element and Circulation Element and find that adoption of the resolution is exempt under CEQA pursuant to CEQA Guideline 15061(b)(3).

BACKGROUND:

On April 14, 2021, the City of Maywood City Council authorized a Professional Service Agreement with a consultant, Stantec, to update the City's Housing Element which led to the need to update the City's Circulation, Safety, Land Use Elements and requirement to add an Environmental Justice Element to the City's General Plan. A draft of the Environmental Justice Element will be presented to the City Council separately at this City Council meeting.

Stantec has amended the City's 6th Cycle Housing Element and the City is awaiting final certification of this element from the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). As of October 2023, HCD has notified the City that the submitted 6th Cycle Housing Element met all State requirements.

The funding for this part of the project, which does not include the Housing Element update, is from a Senate Bill (SB2) Grant, which the City submitted an application for in 2019 and was awarded $160,000 which can be utilized for this part of the project.

General Plans are typically updated approximately every 10 to 20 years to set a vision for the future direction and growth for a City. The City last updated the proposed elements of the General Plan in 1989 and 2007.

DISCUSSION:

The update to the elements support the 6th Cycle Housing Element and the changes that were adopted in the 5th Cycle Housing Element that was adopted in January of 2020. The amendments to the elements support affordable housing needs within the city by developing two amendments to the zoning ordinance which include an accessory dwelling unit ordinance and new development and design standards ordinance. These are now part of the new Land Use Element, which will serve as a road map to aid in clarifying development and design standards for future development. In the 5th cycle housing element, the discussion of creating a Residential

Senior-Affordable Housing (R-SA) zoning designation and implementation. This designation was discussed to allow for a maximum density of units per acre in the zoning ordinance, and that designation needed to be added to the land use element to make the two documents consistent. This was accomplished with the proposed land use element amendment. The mapping of the overlay parcels and mapping of parcels in the Emergency Services overlay zone established by the Housing Element were also completed.

The Circulation Element needed to be updated by completing a review and update of the Complete Streets policies. These policies create livable communities especially for the most vulnerable people who use our streets, including children, people living with disabilities, older adults, and people who cannot afford or do not have access to a car. Complete Streets improve equity, safety, and public health, while reducing transportation costs and traffic. The proposed update also includes the Local Roadway Safety Plan (LSRP) along with the Active Transportation Plan (ATP) goals. These goals and policies address issues such as providing a safe, local multi-modal transportation system that accommodates current and future volumes and needs for all categories of users; facilitates access to public transportation that is safe and responsive to changing transit demands; and provides for an extensive, integrated, and safe bicycle and pedestrian network throughout the community, and makes Maywood a pedestrian-friendly community.

The update revised and created new polices and goals to integrate the new plans that were created in these plans, so they would be utilized and implemented.These goals and policies included in the element along with the Complete Streets, Local Roadway Safety Plan, and the Active Transportation Plan provide a path to enable implementation of the mitigation measures that address the risks and concerns of community. They also emphasize education as a way to identify and reduce problem areas. Plans like the LSRP help to guide the process of future transportation safety improvements for years to come. The data-driven analysis process of the LSRP identifies collision types, related primary collision factors, and locations of many collisions. Based on this process, Emphasis Areas were developed. These Emphasis Areas will guide corridor improvements, education programs, and capital improvements for the City.

Using the analyzed data and outputs from the LRSP, the City has the opportunity to complete the following tasks:
• Actively seek other funding opportunities to improve safety for all modal users. • Collaborate with established safety partners & neighboring municipalities as improvements are made to create a cohesive transportation network. • Iteratively evaluate existing and proposed transportation safety programs and capital improvements to design a safer transportation network in Maywood. • Continually review collision data and update the analysis performed in this report. • Monitor collision activity at locations where improvements were made to determine their impacts.

Last, the Safety Element needed to be updated to be in compliance with climate change and environmental justice requirements as dictated by State law. This element has not been updated since 1989. The Safety Element identifies hazards and hazard abatement provisions to guide local decisions related to zoning, subdivisions, and entitlement permits. The update is an extension of the numerous other documents that were prepared over the last 5 years. The biggest changes to this element were due to climate change and the challenges that Maywood and California have at mitigating its effects. The health issues that arise due to climate change climate-related health impacts include injury, illness, and death from wildfires and wildfire smoke, extreme heat, drought, landslides, extreme weather events, vector-borne disease, and associated mental health impacts. Climate-driven disasters directly result not only in injuries, deaths, and displacement, but also loss of livelihood, businesses, crops, and homes – contributing to unemployment, poverty, and the housing crisis. Direct impacts and subsequent cascading effects increase chronic and infectious diseases, mental health challenges, and heat- and smoke-related illnesses. Climate change affects every Californian.

The Safety Element must also include mapping of known seismic and other geologic hazards. While it must also address evacuation routes, military installations, peak-load water supply requirements, and minimum road widths and clearances around structures, as those items relate to identified fire and geologic hazards. The Safety Element must identify information regarding flood hazards, establish a set of comprehensive goals,

policies, and objectives for the protection of the community from the unreasonable risks of flooding, and establish a set of feasible implementation measures designed to carry out the goals, policies, and objectives for flood protection. It is recommended that the Safety Element does the same for drought impacts.

The recent introduction of climate risk to the discussion of the Safety Element, adds a focus on longer term preparation of a community for a changing climate. Policies in the Safety Element should identify hazards and emergency response priorities, as well as mitigation through avoidance of hazards by new projects and reduction of risk in developed areas. As California confronts mounting climate change impacts, local governments are now required, in accordance with Senate Bill 379, Land Use: General Plan: Safety Element (Jackson, 2015) to include a climate change vulnerability assessment, measures to address vulnerabilities, and a comprehensive hazard mitigation and emergency response strategy.

All these efforts are addressed in the various conditions along with the Goals, Objectives, and Actions. The implementation of the programs and policies of this element are addressed with partners and collaboration, emergency response resource sharing, funding, and implementation programs. These are accomplished through relationships with neighboring cities, and community-based organizations. The city continues to go after grant funding to continue pursuing opportunities to better Maywood.

LEGAL REVIEW:

The City Attorney has reviewed this report.

FISCAL IMPACT:

There are no fiscal impacts related to this action.

ATTACHMENT(S)

1. Safety Element 23

2. Land Use 23

3. Circulation Element 23

AGENDA ITEM No. 2.

RESOLUTION NO. 6327

A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
MAYWOOD, CALIFORNIA, ADOPTING THE CITY’S

AMENDED GENERAL PLAN CIRCULATION ELEMENT,

SAFETY ELEMENT, AND LAND USE ELEMENT AND MAKING
A FINDING Of EXEMPTION UNDER THE CALIFORNIA

ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT (CEQA) GUIDELINE
15061(B)(3)

WHEREAS, the State of California requires that cities and counties adopt a comprehensive long-term General Plan for the physical development of the City; and
WHEREAS, the State of California requires the City of Maywood to have a General Plan that contains these mandatory elements for all jurisdictions are land use, circulation, housing, conservation, open space, noise, and safety.

These elements are mandated elements listed in Government Code section 65302; and WHEREAS, the City initiated an update to the Safety, Circulation, and Land Use Elements of the City of Maywood General Plan when the mandated 6th Cycle Housing Element update was being updated. The elements are required to be consistent with the other elements; and
WHEREAS, public outreach regarding the updated elements was conducted throughout the drafting process of the documents at events such as health fairs, National Night out, and a workshop was held during a Planning Commission meeting; and
WHERAS, on November 28, 2023, the Maywood City Council conducted a duly noticed public hearing at a meeting of the City Council to present the revised Safety, Circulation, and Land Use Elements and receive public comment.

NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF MAYWOOD HEREBY FINDS, DETERMIES, AND RESOLVES AS FOLLOWS:

Section 1. The recitals set forth in this Resolution are true and correct and incorporated herein as if set forth in full.

Section 2. Pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the City’s local CEQA Guidelines, the City has determined that there is no possible significant effect directly related to the adoption of the Safety, Circulation, and Land Use Elements pursuant to CEQA Guideline Section 16061(b)(3) and therefore no further action is required under CEQA. Section 15061(b)(3) consists of activities covered by the common sense exemption that CEQA applies only to projects which have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. The Safety, Circulation, and Land Use Elements would not result in any direct or indirect physical changes to the environment. Because the Safety, Circulation, and Land Use Elements would not approve any development project or change any land use or development regulations, it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that its adoption would have a significant effect on the environment.

Section 3. Adoption of the proposed updated Safety, Circulation and Land Use Elements will make the General Plan infernally consistent, including consistency with the 6th Cycle 2021-2029 Housing Element.

Section 4. he City Council of the City of Maywood hereby adopts the updated Safety, Circulation, and Land Use Elements of the General Plan as set forth in Exhibits A, B, C of this Resolution.

Section 4. This Resolution shall be effective immediately upon its passage and approval.

PASSED, APPROVED AND ADOPTED THIS 28th DAY OF NOVEMBER 2023.

_______________________
Frank Garcia, Mayor
ATTEST: APPROVED AS TO FORM:
__________________________ ___________________________
Brian E. Juarez, City Clerk Roxanne Diaz, City Attorney

STATE OF CALIFORNIA )

COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES )

CITY OF MAYWOOD )
I, Brian E. Juarez, City Clerk of the City Council of the City of Maywood, do hereby certify that foregoing Resolution No. 6327 was duly passed and adopted by the City Council of the City of Maywood, at a regular meeting of the City Council held on the 28th day of November, 2023 by the following roll call vote, to wit:

AYES:

NAYES:

ABSENT:

ABSTAINED:
_________________________
Brian E. Juarez, City Clerk

una visión compartida para Maywood
CommUNITY
General Plan Update
2023
SAFETY

ELEMENT

CITY OF MAYWOOD - SAFETY ELEMENT
Table of Contents

1.0 INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................... 2.3

1.1 CALIFORNIA STATE SAFETY ELEMENT REQUIREMENTS ....................... 2.3

1.2 ELEMENT SCOPE .............................................................................................. 2.4

1.2.1 Relationship to Other Planning Efforts ..................................... 2.4

2.0 EXISTING CONDITIONS AND VULNERABILITIES ................................................................ 2.5

2.1 VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT..................................................................... 2.5

2.1.1 Introduction ................................................................................... 2.6

2.2 TEMPERATURE ................................................................................................. 2.8

2.2.1 Effects and History ....................................................................... 2.8

2.2.2 Action to Date .............................................................................. 2.11

2.2.3 Further Action.............................................................................. 2.12

2.3 PRECIPTIATION .............................................................................................. 2.12

2.3.1 Effects and History ..................................................................... 2.12

2.3.2 Action to Date .............................................................................. 2.14

2.3.3 Further Action.............................................................................. 2.14

2.4 FLOODING ........................................................................................................ 2.14

2.5 FIRE ................................................................................................................... 2.14

2.5.1 Effects and History ..................................................................... 2.14

2.5.2 Further Action.............................................................................. 2.14

2.6 KEY TAKEAWAYS ........................................................................................... 2.15

2.7 SEISMIC AND OTHER GEOLOGIC HAZARDS ............................................ 2.15

2.7.1 Ground Shaking .......................................................................... 2.15

2.7.2 Liquefaction ................................................................................. 2.16

2.7.3 Tsunamis and Seiches .............................................................. 2.16

2.7.4 Slope Failure and Subsidence .................................................. 2.16

2.8 FLOOD HAZARDS ........................................................................................... 2.17

2.8.1 FEMA-Effective Flood Hazard Zones ...................................... 2.17

2.8.2 Additional Measures of Flood Risk ......................................... 2.17

2.8.3 Dam Inundation/Failure ............................................................ 2.18

2.9 HAZARDOUS MATERIALS AND WASTE ..................................................... 2.18

2.9.1 Hazardous Facilities and Sites Summary .............................. 2.18

2.10 FIRE HAZARDS ................................................................................................ 2.20

2.11 GENERAL EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS ................................................. 2.20

2.11.1 Sheltering ..................................................................................... 2.20

2.11.2 Evacuation ................................................................................... 2.21

2.11.3 Municipal Capacity and Partnerships ..................................... 2.21

CITY OF MAYWOOD - SAFETY ELEMENT

3.0 GOALS, OBJECTIVES, AND ACTIONS ................................................................................. 3.22

3.1 BUILD A CULTURE AND PRACTICE OF DISASTER RESILIENCE ........... 3.22

3.2 IMPROVE PLANNING FOR, RESPONDING TO, AND RECOVERING FROM HAZARDS AND DISASTERS THAT AFFECT MAYWOOD ............ 3.22

3.3 MEET THE CHALLENGE OF CLIMATE CHANGE BY TAKING BOLD ACTION TO PROTECT MAYWOOD’S RESIDENTS, OUR QUALITY
OF LIFE, AND OUR ECONOMY...................................................................... 3.24

4.0 IMPLEMENTATION .............................................................................................................. 4.25

4.1 PARTNERS AND COLLABORATION ............................................................ 4.25

4.2 EMERGENCY RESPONSE RESOURCE SHARING ..................................... 4.25

4.3 FUNDING .......................................................................................................... 4.26

4.4 IMPLEMENTATION PROGRAMS ................................................................. 4.26

4.4.1 Heat Mitigation Programs ........................................................ 4.26

4.4.2 Buildings and Land Uses ........................................................... 4.26

CITY OF MAYWOOD - SAFETY ELEMENT

2.3 1.0 INTRODUCTION
The goal of the Safety Element is to reduce the potential short- and long-term risk of death, injuries, property damage, and economic and social dislocation resulting from fires, floods, droughts, earthquake, landslides, climate change, and other hazards.

1.1 CALIFORNIA STATE SAFETY ELEMENT REQUIREMENTS
Consistent with Government Coe Section 65302(g), the Safety Element mut provide for the protection of the community from any unreasonable risks associated with the effects of:
• Seismically induced surface rupture, ground shaking, ground failure • Tsunami, seiche, and dam failure
• Slope instability leading to mudslides and landslides • Subsidence
• Liquefaction
• Other seismic hazards identified pursuant to Chapter 7.8 (commencing with Section 2690) of Division 2 of the Public Resources Code, and other geologic hazards known to the legislative body
• Flooding
• Wildland and urban fires
• Climate change
The Safety Element must include mapping if known seismic and other geologic hazards. It must also address evacuation routes, military installations, peak-load water supply requirements, and minimum road widths and clearances around structures, as those items relate to identified fire and geologic hazards. The Safety Element must also identify information regarding flood hazards, establish a set of comprehensive goals, policies, and objectives for the protection of the community from the unreasonable risks of flooding, and establish a set of feasible implementation measures designed to carry out the goals, policies, and objectives for flood protection. It is recommended that the Safety Element do the same for drought impacts.

CITY OF MAYWOOD - SAFETY ELEMENT

2.4 The recent introduction of climate risk to the discussion of the Safety Element, adds a focus on longer term preparation of a community for a changing climate. Policies in a Safety Element should identify hazards and emergency response priorities, as well as mitigation through avoidance of hazards by new projects and reduction of risk in developed areas. As California confronts mounting climate change impacts, local governments are now required, in accordance with Senate Bill 379, Land Use: General Plan: Safety Element (Jackson, 2015) to include a climate change vulnerability assessment, measures to address vulnerabilities, and comprehensive hazard mitigation and emergency response strategy as explained further in this section.

1.2 ELEMENT SCOPE
Per the Required Elements section of the State General Plan Guidelines, the Safety Element directly relates to topics also mandated in the (1) Land Use, (2) Conservation, (3) Environmental Justice, and (4) Open Space Elements, as development plans must adequately account for public safety considerations and open space identified for public health and ecological benefits often incorporates areas of increased hazard risk. The Safety Element must identify hazards and hazard abatement provisions to guide local decisions related to zoning, subdivisions, and entitlement permits.

1.2.1 Relationship to Other Planning Efforts
The update to Maywood’s Safety Element coincides with a handful of related planning efforts now underway or imminent, including:
• Maywood’s Climate Adaptation Plan
• Maywood’s Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan
• Maywood’s Urban Forestry Plan
Relevant existing plans and assessments developed by the City:
• Maywood’s Local Road Safety Plan (2023)
• Maywood’s Active Transportation Plan (2023)
Relevant existing plans and assessments developed by Los Angeles County include:
• Los Angeles County Climate Vulnerability Assessment (2021) • Los Angeles County Safety Element (updated 2022)

CITY OF MAYWOOD - SAFETY ELEMENT

2.5 • 2045 Los Angeles County Climate Action Plan (2022) Relevant regional and state plans, guides, and assessments include:
• California Adaptation Planning Guide (2020)
• California Climate Adaptation Strategy (2022)
• Los Angeles Region Report of California’s Fourth Climate Change Assessment (2018) The Safety Element intends to be responsive to and reflective of the findings and commitments already made by these previous efforts.

2.0 EXISTING CONDITIONS AND VULNERABILITIES

2.1 VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT
Climate vulnerability assessments examine the potential impacts of climate change on a community’s members and assets. Both the severity of exposure to climate hazards and the community’s ability to adapt and respond will determine how climate changes will impact a community’s health, economy, ecosystems, and socio-cultural stability. Communities that understand thee impacts can prepare climate adaptation policies and programs to increase resilience to climate change.

Per state General Plan Guidelines, this vulnerability assessment follows the first five steps of adaptation planning development as outlined by the California Adaptation Planning Guide, shown below in grey.

CITY OF MAYWOOD - SAFETY ELEMENT

2.6 This section explores consequences of climate change as it relates to specific hazards discussed in other sections of the Safety Element, as well as two hazard types not otherwise explicitly discussed in this document: temperature and precipitation. The following sections explore how climate change affects the nature, severity, and/or frequency of related events.

Descriptions of exposure, sensitivity, potential impacts, adaptive capacity, and risk/onset associated with each hazard type are provided below.

2.1.1 Introduction
Since the Maywood Safety Element was last updated in 1989, climate change has emerged as a challenge for Maywood and California more broadly. Communities across California and beyond are experiencing climate-related health impacts, which include injury, illness, and death from wildfires and wildfire smoke, extreme heat, drought, landslides, extreme weather events, vectorborne disease, and associated mental health impacts. Climate-driven disasters directly result not only in injuries, deaths, and displacement, but also loss of livelihood, businesses, crops, and homes – contributing to unemployment, poverty, and the housing crisis. Direct impacts and subsequent cascading effects increase chronic and infectious diseases, mental health challenges, and heat- and smoke-related illnesses. Climate change affects every Californian, but the most climate vulnerable communities and populations experience worth health impacts from the crisis than others.

CITY OF MAYWOOD - SAFETY ELEMENT

2.7 Adaptation and resilience strategies are adjustments in natural or human systems in response to existing or expected climate impacts to reduce harm. This section includes adaptation and resilience strategies applicable to all hazards in compliance with Senate Bill 379.

Risk and Onset: How likely are the impacts and how quickly will they occur? While the effects of climate change are already felt across California, the extent of future impacts is dependent upon future emissions. Where data is available, the climate change effects explored below present potential consequences under two emissions scenarios:
medium and high. The medium emissions scenario assumes a RCP of 4.5 and the high emissions scenario assumes a RCP of 8.5.

Sensitivity
Maywood’s sensitivity is informed by social vulnerabilities, physical vulnerabilities, and secondary impacts of climate change effects.

Per the Los Angeles County Safety Element, social vulnerability encompasses the conditions that affect people’s sensitivity and exposure to the impacts of climate change and elevate risk of harm. Although climate hazards pose a risk to all LA County residents, various factors can make certain populations more susceptible to harm than others. These factors include inequities in infrastructure provisioning and access to the benefits of education, living wages and income, economic opportunity, social capital, healthcare, and/or other services; institutionalized bias or exclusion from political and decision-making power; inequities in environmental and living conditions and health status; and differences in individual health, age, and ability. As highlighted in the General Plan’s Housing Element, the relatively high linguistic isolation, poor health condition, overcrowding, and limited economic opportunity of Maywood’s residents reflect a heightened social vulnerability, which leads to greater susceptibility to hazard-related disruptions.

Per LA County’s Safety Element, physical vulnerability is the susceptibility and limitations of physical infrastructure in the context of climate hazards and extreme events. Climate change has the potential to damage physical infrastructure and disrupt services or limit accessibility.

Disruption to infrastructure can create cascading impacts that can heighten the severity of a climate event and impact other interconnected sectors that serve critical needs.

Aspects of Maywood’s development pattern and built infrastructures serve to reduce its vulnerability to hazards in some ways and increase it in others. For example, Maywood’s overall density can have both positive and negative implications for access to services in times of disaster. While its largely low-rise building fabric reduces its physical vulnerability to seismic hazards, the associated pavement increases physical vulnerability to extreme heat.

CITY OF MAYWOOD - SAFETY ELEMENT

2.8 Per LA County’s Safety Element, secondary impacts are caused by the primary impacts of climate-induced hazards. Secondary impacts may be felt during and after the hazard event and outside of the immediate area of impact. Examples of secondary impacts are smoke and hazardous air quality from a wildland fire, increased mosquito activity after a flood event, mudslides after extreme precipitation falling on a recent burn area, or poor air quality due to increased smog production resulting from extreme heat events. Effective emergency response planning will need to consider how secondary impacts may affect the impacted and adjacent communities.

While Maywood is not at immediate risk of some of the hazards that threaten neighboring communities, successful hazard planning will account for the ways in which nearby wildfires and flood events pose risks to Maywood’s physical infrastructures and personal safety.

2.2 TEMPERATURE

2.2.1 Effects and History
Temperatures are predicted to continue to rise in California during the 21st Century, resulting in higher average temperatures and more frequent and severe heat waves. These changes will pose a risk to every region and sector across natural, built, and social systems. While the entire state will experience temperature increases, local impacts will vary greatly with many communities and ecosystems already experiencing the effects of rising temperatures.

In Maywood, the annual average maximum temperature is expected to increase by 3.7 – 4.6 degrees Fahrenheit by mid-century (2035-2064). The average annual number of extreme heat days will increase from a historic baseline of 2 days/year to 8 – 10 days/year by mid-century (2035 – 2064).1
1 Cal-Adapt

CITY OF MAYWOOD - SAFETY ELEMENT

2.9

CITY OF MAYWOOD - SAFETY ELEMENT

2.10 When compared with rural areas, large urban areas often experience higher temperatures, greater pollution, and more negative health impacts during hot summer months. This phenomenon is known as the urban heat island effect. Heat islands are created by a combination of heat-absorptive surfaces (such as dark pavement and roofing), heat-generating activities (such as engines and generators), and the absence of vegetation (which provides evaporative cooling). Maywood is a built-out urban environment where limited tree canopy, buildings with poor temperature control, and lot of pavement magnify the impacts of modest increases in temperature2
. All of Maywood’s census tracts are at least 70% impervious surface and roughly 95% of Maywood is lacking tree cover3
.

As discussed in the Housing and Land Use Elements, Maywood is a densely developed residential community with many households experiencing overcrowding. This can result in warmer in-home temperatures and increased strains on in-home cooling infrastructure such as air-conditioning units.
2 LA County CVA
3 CHAT

CITY OF MAYWOOD - SAFETY ELEMENT

2.11 Increasing temperatures and extreme heat events amplify the public health impact on populations most susceptive to extreme heat, add stress to the electrical grid, and contribute to drought conditions and water scarcity. Higher temperature can contribute to the build-up of harmful air pollutants and cause respiratory issues. Extreme heat can be dangerous, even deadly, particularly for the most vulnerable residents including older populations, children, those with certain health conditions, and people with limited or no access to cooling or shade.

2.2.2 Action to Date
In Maywood, the Urban Forest Management and Tree Planting Program has begun to map local trees and implement an Urban Forest Management Plan to increase tree cover in Maywood. The program provides informational materials related to tree planting, care, and the importance of tree canopy in reducing the urban heat island effect and cooling costs. The City, in partnership with several nonprofit organizations, has implemented a tree-planting program focused on the areas of the City with the least landscaping and tree coverage.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is working with stakeholders and communities to protect people in Los Angeles County (especially low-income populations and communities of color) from extreme heat and other negative impacts of climate change. This involves both promoting long-term urban heat island reduction strategies and taking acute action during heat waves. There are currently no County-run cooling centers – free, indoor airconditioned locations where people can keep cool when there are extreme heat conditions – in Maywood. The closest County-run cooling centers are:
• Huntington Park Library (6518 Miles Avenue, Huntington Park) • FDR Park (7600 Graham Ave, Los Angeles)
• Margaret Travis Senior Center (4855 Tweedy Boulevard, South Gate) • Robert Louis Stevenson Branch Library (803 Spence Street, Los Angeles) • Salazar Park (3864 Whittier Boulevard, Los Angeles)
The State published an Extreme Heat Action Plan, Protecting Californians from Extreme Heat (2022), which presents state actions related to:
• Building public awareness and notification
• Strengthening community services and response
• Increasing resilience of the built environment

CITY OF MAYWOOD - SAFETY ELEMENT

2.12 2.2.3 Further Action
Maywood can address some of the effects and vulnerabilities related to extreme heat by increasing tree cover and perviousness and increasing access to cooling centers or “resilience hubs” -- designated areas in which residents can access air conditioning, cool water, and/or fans/shade on hot days.

Maywood can also reduce its dependency on the electric grid on hot days – to discourage usage spikes and resultant brownouts – by promoting energy efficient building practices and local electric generation. Meanwhile, Maywood can support regional and state efforts to increase redundancy of the electric grid on which it relies.

2.3 PRECIPTIATION

2.3.1 Effects and History
California’s climate varies between wet and dry years. Research suggests that wet years will become wetter, and the dry years will become drier. While California does not see the average annual precipitation changing significantly in the next 50-75 years, precipitation will likely occur in more intense storms and within a shorter wet season. The shift towards larger year-to-year fluctuations is already underway.

In the years preceding the publication of this Safety Element, all of California’s 58 counties were under drought emergency proclamation. Recent research suggests that extended drought occurrence (“mega-drought”) could become more pervasive in future decades.

In Maywood, the annual average maximum length of a dry spell is expected to increase by 9 days by mid-century (2035 – 2064) under both medium and high emissions scenarios and to increase by 16 days by end-of-century (2070 – 2099) under high emissions scenarios. These increases are from a historic baseline with an average 160-day dry spells. Maywood’s Standardized Precipitation- Evapotranspiration Index, a multi-scalar drought indicator, is also predicted to increase by the end of the century from a historical baseline of 0.3 months to 1.7 months (medium emissions) to 3.2 months (high emissions).

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2.13

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2.14 2.3.2 Action to Date
The City of Maywood is working with residents and businesses to comply with water conservation restrictions. The City has a webpage where residents can find information about the mandated watering schedule, utility contact information, and water saving tips.

2.3.3 Further Action
Maywood can continue addressing impacts of drought by requiring the use of drought-tolerant plants in city-owned public spaces, encouraging the use of drought-tolerant plants in commercial and residential open spaces, and encouraging the use of sustainable irrigation systems.

2.4 FLOODING
While across California, the frequency and severity of coastal and inland flood events is projected to increase with climate change, Maywood is at very low risk of flooding and is projected to remain at low risk. The City is not at risk of coastal flooding or related hazards and the nearby channelized Los Angeles River and its levees do not pose a risk of flooding.

Maywood is not predicted to be impacted by sea level rise.

2.5 FIRE

2.5.1 Effects and History
Maywood is not in a wildfire hazard zone, though much of the surrounding area is. This has implications for Maywood’s air quality and its residents’’ access to jobs and services. Heat waves, precipitation changes, and other climate effects are expected to increase risk of wildfire in neighboring communities causing negative impacts on Maywood’s air quality.

Fire hazards related to the production, transportation, distribution, and storage of petrochemical or other hazardous materials are a concern for Maywood. Global efforts to decrease reliance on oil and gas fuel sources, in an effort to reduce carbon emissions, ay have a local co-benefit of reducing the likelihood of fires and explosions fueled by oil and gas produced and transported in Maywood.

2.5.2 Further Action
Akin to cooling centers, creating city-owned spaces with air conditioning and filtering available to community members during wildfire-related air-quality alerts can help protect residents.

Public-private partnerships may provide another way to establish such refuges.

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2.15 Encouraging Maywood’s schools, shopping centers, and other commercial spaces to improve building air quality can help provide a healthy breathing environment for Maywood’s students, workers, and residents.

2.6 KEY TAKEAWAYS
Since the last Safety Element was adopted in 1989, Maywood has begun to feel the effects of climate change. These effects include more frequent heat waves, more severe drought conditions, and more nearby wildfires which will impact air quality in the City. The effects will continue to increase over the coming decades, regardless of which emissions scenario is used.

The City and its partners have opportunities to minimize the risks to Maywood residents and systems from climate change through the actions outline later in this Safety Element.

2.7 SEISMIC AND OTHER GEOLOGIC HAZARDS
The City of Maywood is in the Los Angeles basin, an alluvial lowland underlain by a structural depression that has experienced periodic disposition since the Late Cretaceous Period (135 million years ago) and continuous subsidence since the Late Miocene Period (25 million years ago). The basin is bounded on the north by the northwest Santa Monica Mountains and Puente Hills east, Elysian north, and Repetto; on the east and southeast by the Santa Ana Mountains and the San Joaquin Hills. The basin surface sloes gently south toward the ocean.

The natural topography of the City is generally level with local relief ranging from 140 feet above sea level in the southeast to 175 feet above sea level in the northwestern portion of Maywood.

The surrounding region is seismically active, with several active faults present. Several of these faults – the San Andreas, Newport-Inglewood, San Fernando, Sierra Madre, and Whittier – are all capable of affecting the City. Potentially active faults in the immediate vicinity of Maywood include the Norwalk, Raymond Hill, Malibu Coast-Santa Monica-Hollywood, and Verdugo.

Residents, employees, and visitors in the city are exposed to seismic hazards that are commonly found throughout the region. The degree of exposure or risk is no greater within the city area than expected from new development located elsewhere in the region. In fact, given the prevalence of low-rise constriction – most of Maywood’s buildings are two or fewer stories tall – Maywood’s building stock is at lower risk of major damage due to seismic hazards than are neighboring communities.

2.7.1 Ground Shaking
Movement of any of the faults may result in ground shaking at the building sites. The effects of ground shaking can be mitigated if buildings are designed and constructed in conformance with current building codes and engineering practice. Retrofits and demolitions have been completed to address high-risk structures.

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2.16 2.7.2 Liquefaction
Liquefaction occurs when saturated sand and silt take on the characteristics of a liquid during an earthquake. Liquefaction susceptibility reflects the relative resistance of a soil to loss of strength when subjected to ground shaking. Physical properties of soil such a sediment grainsize distribution, compaction, cementation, saturation, and depth govern the degree of resistance to liquefaction. Grain-size characteristics of a soil also influence susceptibility to liquefaction. Very shallow ground water increases soil susceptibility to liquefaction. Soils susceptible to liquefaction are typically saturated, loose, and sandy, while soils resistant to liquefaction are dry, cohesive, or sufficiently dense. Liquefaction can lead to severe building and structure damage.

The underlying geologic materials in Maywood are firm and dense, with a substantial proportion of clay. The potential for liquefaction is judged to be very low for most of the city north of Slauson. Ground water levels and soil characteristics increase the liquefaction potential for the portion of the city south of Slauson. A small area in the extreme southeast corner of the city is judged to have a high liquefaction potential. That said, as reported by the California OES MyHazards service, all of Maywood is in a Liquefaction Zone of Required Investigation, suggesting that what is known about Maywood’s liquefaction risk is insufficient. Further investigation may be required to understand the degree and extent of liquefaction risk in Maywood.

2.7.3 Tsunamis and Seiches
Maywood is located approximately 20 miles from the Pacific Ocean at an elevation ranging between 140 and 175 feet above sea level. The risk of damage from seismic sea waves (tsunamis) is minimal. No large bodies of water are located such that they would adversely affect the City in the event of seiches (oscillations in a body of water due to earthquake shaking).

2.7.4 Slope Failure and Subsidence
Maywood is located on relatively flat-lying ground that has no slope stability problems or potential fur lurching. Additionally, the City I not located in the path of any potential or future landslide.

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2.17 2.8 FLOOD HAZARDS

2.8.1 FEMA-Effective Flood Hazard Zones
As illustrated by the California DWR Mapping Tool, most of Maywood east of Atlantic boulevard is in an area with reduced flood risk due to the levee on the Los Angeles River (Zone X)4 .

Important structures within this zone include Heliotrope Avenue Elementary School, Maywood Village Square Shopping Center, and Riverfront Park. Maywood’s industrial area along the Los Angeles River, between District Boulevard and Walker Avenue, is also in this Zone. The rest of Maywood is not in a FEMA-effective flood hazard zone.

FEMA Floodplain Map

2.8.2 Additional Measures of Flood Risk
Maywood is not included in the extent of any of the USACE or other regional flood mapping efforts shared via California’s Department of Water Resources’ Best Available Map platform.

Maywood is also not included in any California Department of Water Resources Levee Flood Protection Zone maps.
4 https://gis.bam.water.ca.gov/bam/

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2.18 2.8.3 Dam Inundation/Failure
Maywood is not located in a mapped dam inundation zone, nor is it near a dam without a mapped inundation zone.

2.9 HAZARDOUS MATERIALS AND WASTE

2.9.1 Hazardous Facilities and Sites Summary
Industrial land uses and zoning districts are concentrated around Maywood’s edges, east of Walker Avenue and along Fruitland and Maywood Avenues. Along the length of Slauson Avenue and Atlantic Boulevard are commercial uses and some commercial manufacturing uses.

Effectively, Maywood is bordered on all sides by industrial uses including rail yards, plastics manufacturers, and gas companies.

Land Use Map
Broadly, hazards are associated with the production, transportation, and storage of petroleum, chemical, and explosive products. Related activities are relatively concentrated within and just outside of Maywood. Given the density and proximity of facilities working with hazardous materials and housing in Maywood, health and displacement risks in the event of a hazardfueled fire or hazardous materials spill/leak are high.

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2.19 In nearby Vernon, Exide Technologies’ battery recycling plant released lead and other toxic chemicals into the air for decades. Residents and officials forced the plant’s closure in 2015, but the massive cleanup effort is ongoing. According to the state’s Department of Toxic Substances Control, more than 10,000 residential lots and 20,000 homes were impacted by exposure to lead dust from the plant.5 Nearly all of Maywood is included in the County’s map of affected areas and related clean-up zone. Per the Department of Toxic Substances Control, the site was still understood to pose an “imminent and substantial endangerment to the public health or welfare or to the environment” as of 2020. Lead exposure has many long-lasting effects, especially in kids, and lead is notoriously very hard to clean up; the LA County of Department of Public Health recommends nearby residents take advantage of blood testing and paint hazard testing resources to understand their risks and pursue clean-up resources provided by the County and State.

Exide Technologies Cleanup Area
In 2016, several explosions related to a magnesium-fueled fire at a metal recycling facility, Panda International Trading Company, prompted hundreds of evacuations and left more than 5 LA County Department of Public Health and https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-10-16/exide-bankrtuptcy-decisionvernon-cleanup

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2.20 3,000 area residents without power. A smoke advisory was issued, extending across much of the county. Residents lived right next door to the facility.

Maywood has one official Superfund site: For over 40 years until 1991, the Pemaco Maywood site was home to a chemical mixing facility that used chlorinated solvents, aromatic solvents, and flammable liquids. Activities contaminated the soil and groundwater with various contaminants. EPA has completed numerous cleanup actions on the site, though long-term operations and maintenance of the site’s cleanup plan are still ongoing.6

Another potential hazard related to industrial fire hazards are those created by utility lines, primarily gas lines, and overhead electrical power lines. Streets and railroads nearby used to transport hazardous or toxic substances. Train derailment and truck crashes are a risk.

2.10 FIRE HAZARDS
Maywood is at low risk for wildfire within its boundaries, as it is a densely developed, built out city with no woodland. However, smoke from wildfires can drift hundreds of miles and air quality issues can impact Maywood from wildfires in other parts of Los Angeles County and nearby where wildfires are more common – and becoming more severe and frequent. Climate change is increasing the risk of wildfire as drought and heatwaves dry out plants and dirt, creating fuel for fires. Exposure to smoke can result in immediate poor health outcomes for everyone, but especially people with heart or lung conditions, the elderly, and children7 .

Maywood does face other fire risks and problems may arise in older structures that are not adequately maintained according to current building and safety codes. The concentration of chemical use, storage, and manufacturing plants in and near Maywood also present a fire risk as does the transport of chemicals to/from these plants and other facilities. Several major arterials cross the City, linking freeways and railroads to plants using, producing, and/or discharging hazardous materials. These transportation routes may carry a variety of materials that, in the event of an accident, would pose health risks to Maywood residents.

2.11 GENERAL EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS

2.11.1 Sheltering
The City of Maywood has designated emergency shelters and emergency reception locations.

Emergency shelters are designated to provide short-term shelter for persons stranded in the City or left homeless in the event of a disaster or accident. These shelters may also be used to disperse supplies, serve as first aid stations, and serve as public information centers. Reception 6 https://cumulis.epa.gov/supercpad/cursites/csitinfo.cfm?id=0904950 7 Wildfire Smoke | Los Angeles County Department of Public Health - Environmental Health (lacounty.gov)

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2.21 centers are non-shelter gathering/collection areas where information, first aid, and supplies are dispersed and may serve as gathering areas for citywide evacuation.

2.11.2 Evacuation
Slauson Avenue and Atlantic Boulevard are the City’s designated emergency evacuation routes.

The direction of travel on these roadways and any restrictions to vehicular movement will depend on the nature, location, and spatial characteristics of the event leading to the evacuation. In addition, these two roadways are important routes for police and fire vehicles responding to emergency cases in the city and any significant long-term disruption of traffic flow should be considered as an adverse impact on emergency services.

2.11.3 Municipal Capacity and Partnerships
Emergency preparedness and response in Maywood depends on a combination of municipal, regional, county, state, and institutional teams and resources. Emergency response services and resources include:
• Los Angeles County Sheriff Department: The City of Maywood contracts the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department for police services. There is a substation on East Slauson Avenue. Residents can register to receive public safety messages via text or email. • County of Los Angeles Fire Department: Fire services in the City of Maywood are provided by the Los Angeles County Fire Department Fire Station Number 1633. The closest fire station is in Bell at 6320 Pine Avenue, just one block from the intersection of Atlantic Avenue and Randolph Street in Maywood.
• Utility services: Residents of Maywood are advised to contact utility services directly in the event of a utility-related emergency. The City provides contact information for each utility company on the municipal website. The City directs residents and businesses to SoCal Edison’s website to check outage status. SoCal Edison has Community Resource Centers, available to support customers during a Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS).

SoCal Edison provides Customer Resiliency Kits, which include informational materials, light snacks, water, small resiliency devices, and personal protective equipment.

Location and hours of operation details are typically updated one day before any potential PSPS event.
• The Southeast Rio Vista YMCA provides a diverse array of emergency services and has proved to a be a nimble responder in times of crisis. The YMCA served as a shelter to community members displaced by the 2016 magnesium fire explosions. It now partners with the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank and the City of Maywood to operate a monthly mobile food pantry, a service that was held more frequently during the lockdowns associated with the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Additionally, the YMCA provides a

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3.22 regular meal program for area children and seniors. Maywood’s preparedness for hazards and other disruptions depends on institutions like the YMCA that have longstanding relationships the community.

3.0 GOALS, OBJECTIVES, AND ACTIONS

3.1 BUILD A CULTURE AND PRACTICE OF DISASTER RESILIENCE Objective: Residents have increased awareness of the risks that Maywood faces and how their households can stay informed and prepared as disasters occur Actions:
• Supply information to the community about local physical hazard risks, household disaster preparedness best practices, and local/regional services in the event of a disaster using a variety of methods including print and electronic means. • Provide information to the community about hazardous material exposure risks and resources in their community using a variety of methods including print and electronic means.
• Partner with community groups and institutions to distribute information about hazard preparedness using a variety of methods including print and electronic means. • Remain informed about neighboring community, regional, county, and state resources related to risk and preparedness as they are released and proactively direct community members to these resources.
• Standardize communication channels for informing residents about potential hazards and resources in the event of a disaster using a variety of methods including print and electronic means.

3.2 IMPROVE PLANNING FOR, RESPONDING TO, AND RECOVERING

FROM HAZARDS AND DISASTERS THAT AFFECT MAYWOOD
Objective: Maywood makes decisions related to capital improvements and the provision of services using best available science and deep understanding of local vulnerabilities.

Actions:
• Complete the Maywood Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (in progress)

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3.23 Objective: Prioritize maintaining the integrity of essential public facilities.

Actions:
• Establish direct points-of-contact for each utility company. • Prioritize capital improvements and expansion projects at facilities that support emergency response.

Objective: Support cooperative working relationships with the public agencies responsible for emergency response and disaster preparedness.

Actions:
• Coordinate with county and other public agencies, including transportation agencies and health care providers, on emergency planning, response activities, and evacuation planning.
• Review and improve emergency preparedness and response capabilities in the City.

Objective: Mitigate the local urban heat island effect using green infrastructure and low impact development techniques.

Actions:
• Complete the Urban Forestry Plan (currently in progress). • Continue increasing the tree canopy along Maywood’s streets and in parks and other public spaces.
• Prioritize planting native trees along streets and in parks/public spaces.

Objective: Prepare Maywood residents for hot days and ensure access to services that help residents stay cool.

Actions:
• Explore creating a cooling center or “resilience hub” within the City of Maywood. • Coordinate with community groups, nonprofit organizations, and others to identify existing resources and networks that can support cooling efforts.

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3.24 • Provide tools and information related to relevant energy-efficiency and climate-resilient best practices to all community members pursuing new construction, renovation, and/or redevelopment projects.

3.3 MEET THE CHALLENGE OF CLIMATE CHANGE BY TAKING BOLD ACTION TO PROTECT MAYWOOD’S RESIDENTS, OUR QUALITY OF

LIFE, AND OUR ECONOMY
Objective: Ensure Maywood has a strong understanding of climate-related vulnerabilities and has developed climate adaptation goals and implementation strategies.

Actions:
• Follow the California OES Adaptation Planning Guide guidance and further assess vulnerabilities through development of a Maywood Local Climate Action Plan.

Objective: Integrate climate adaptation and mitigation into local planning and development decisions.

Actions:
• Identify and take all opportunities to prepare for climate change in all planning and investment decisions. Seek out decisions that make the situation better instead of making decisions that do not worsen the situation or transfer the challenge from one area, sector, or social group to another.
• Prioritize integrated climate actions – those actions that both reduce greenhouse gas emissions and build resilience to climate impacts – as well as other actions that provide multiple benefits.
• Prioritize actions that promote equity, foster community resilience, and protect the most vulnerable Maywood residents. Explicitly include communities that are disproportionately vulnerable to climate impacts.
• Base all planning, policy, and investment decisions on the best-available science, including local and traditional knowledge and consider future climate conditions.

Objective: Encourage energy-efficient and climate-resilient development.

Actions:

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4.25 • Support energy efficiency.
• Minimize fire risk and earthquake susceptibility in redevelopment projects. • Identify and encourage retrofits to existing buildings that do not meet fire and/or earthquake standards.

4.0 IMPLEMENTATION

4.1 PARTNERS AND COLLABORATION
Given the diversity of threats California faces and the vast array of entities that are focused on building our resilience to these threats, it is essential that our efforts to minimize hazard risk and adapt to climate change include partnerships, coordination, and collaboration. No one single government or entity is fully “in charge” or “responsible for” adaptation and disaster response. All entities, including local, regional, and state governments as well as communitybased organizations and the private sector hold a piece of this puzzle and must work together to leverage each other’s strengths and actions in response to the climate crisis.

Working together, minimize risk, respond to emergencies, and adapt to climate change allows us to go further, faster. We can move beyond the broad recognition of the need to build partnerships to institutionalizing these partnerships and collaboration to deliver results. These partnerships already exist within Maywood and offer opportunities to deepen and broaden interorganizational relationships. The YMCA, Amigos de los Rios, and East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice are just a few of the organizations and groups active in the City.

4.2 EMERGENCY RESPONSE RESOURCE SHARING
As a small city surrounded by other communities with a variety of resources and capabilities, Maywood and its neighbors depend on the County and neighboring community resources to respond to emergencies and meet resident needs during disasters. Many municipal boundaries in this area are invisible and community response is inextricably linked. For example, there are no official cooling centers in Maywood, but its residents are able to access cooling centers located in adjacent communities. Working together, these communities have the opportunity to leverage additional resources as well as administrative and physical capacity to meet the area’s needs in the event of a disaster. Maywood can work to formalize these partnerships and ensure equal access to services and response for its residents.

The City can also leverage its relationships with nonprofits and other community-based organizations to help engage the public and disseminate information before, during, and after a potential emergency.

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4.26 Another key strategy to prevent emergencies is to ensure that the electric system including substations, distribution centers, and home wiring is modernized and well-maintained. The electric grid is the responsibility of the public sector (crossing multiple jurisdictions), private utility providers, and individual property owners.

4.3 FUNDING
The City of Maywood and its partners will need to continue to pursue grant opportunities to fund Maywood’s investments in preparedness and adaption work. Leveraging municipal funds is often key to securing grants and other money from the General Fund could be used to support projects. The world of grant funding to support disaster preparedness, disaster recovery, and climate adaptation/resilience activities is ever evolving. New programs at the county, state, and federal level as well as from private funders are announced regularly.

4.4 IMPLEMENTATION PROGRAMS

4.4.1 Heat Mitigation Programs
While parkland and other open spaces may be the gold standard for reducing the urban heat island effect, such land is not available in Maywood’s compact, densely developed urban landscape. In this context of intense density, piecemeal interventions that prioritize high-impact, low-footprint projects are more appropriate. Some of these efforts include the careful selection of street trees that maximize shade while minimizing irrigation and watering needs, using lightcolored aggregate for paving streets and/or parking lots, supporting white-painted or greened rooves, and using low-maintenance greening when undertaking park renovations. Each of these interventions can have an outsized impact within Maywood’s tight urban fabric without significantly increasing maintenance costs. The City has already implemented a successful tree planting program and plans to continue adding street trees throughout the City. Many of these interventions are similar to low-impact development principles, including the use of engineered systems to replicate or use ecological processes, and can be incorporated into redevelopment and renovation projects throughout the City.

4.4.2 Buildings and Land Uses
As redevelopment occurs in Maywood, it is important that the City prioritize climate resilient structures designed to endure earthquakes. Redevelopment in Maywood is anticipated to be in larger buildings than the one- and two-story buildings that currently make up most of the City’s building stock. Maywood’s dense urban environment is conducive to resilient and efficient land uses that encourage alternative means of transportation and contribute less than a typical California development to the traffic emissions. Additionally, these redevelopments are all anticipated to be more energy efficient and climate resilient than the existing buildings. There are no vacant parcels in the City, so all projects are redevelopment projects.

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4.27 As the City undertakes necessary municipal projects and renovates City buildings, climateresilient, low-impact, and energy-efficient designs will be used. Oftentimes, these public buildings serve as shelter and/or resource locations during a disaster, so they will also need to be energy-secure to ensure they remain operational during any potential emergency.

una visión compartida para Maywood
CommUNITY
General Plan Update
2023

LAND USE ELEMENT

CITY OF MAYWOOD - LAND USE ELEMENT UPDATE
1 Table of Contents

1.0 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................ 2

1.1 SCOPE AND CONTENT OF THE LAND USE ELEMENT ................................................................ 4

2.0 RELATED TERMS AND CONCEPTS ......................................................................................... 5

2.1 DENSITY AND INTENSITY ................................................................................................................. 5

2.2 FLOOR-AREA RATIO ............................................................................................................................ 5

2.3 NONCONFORMING ............................................................................................................................. 6

2.4 ACCESSORY DWELLING UNIT .......................................................................................................... 7

3.0 RELATED PLANS AND PROGRAMS ......................................................................................... 7

3.1 ZONING ORDINANCE.......................................................................................................................... 8

3.2 RELATED GENERAL PLAN ELEMENTS ........................................................................................... 8

3.3 REGIONAL COMPREHENSIVE PLAN AND GUIDE ......................................................................... 8

3.4 AIR QUALITY MANAGEMENT PLAN ................................................................................................ 9

4.0 LAND USE PLAN ....................................................................................................................... 9

4.1 OVERVIEW OF LAND USE OBJECTIVES ......................................................................................... 9

4.2 LAND USE CATEGORIES ................................................................................................................. 10

4.2.1 Residential, Business, and Industry .......................................................................... 12

4.2.2 Public/ Quasi-Public..................................................................................................... 24

4.2.3 Parks ............................................................................................................................... 25

4.2.4 Education ....................................................................................................................... 25

4.2.5 Solid and Liquid Waste Disposal ............................................................................... 26

4.2.6 Greenways, Timberland Preserve Zone Lands, Military Land Uses ................... 26

4.3 DEVELOPMENT CAPACITY ANALYSIS ........................................................................................ 27

4.4 KEY LAND USE ISSUES FOR MAYWOOD ..................................................................................... 38

4.4.1 Preserve and Enhance Residential Neighborhoods .............................................. 38

4.4.2 Encourage Mixed-Use Development ........................................................................ 39

4.4.3 Promote Commercial Vitality ..................................................................................... 41

4.4.4 Support the Continued Operation of Industrial Businesses ................................. 42

4.4.5 Ensure Access to and Quality of Services and Infrastructure ............................. 43

4.4.6 Invest in the Aesthetic Quality of Maywood’s Public and Private Realms ........ 44

4.4.7 Upgrade city parks and increase amenities to provide more recreational opportunities to Maywood residents ........................................................................ 45

4.5 ZONING AND THE LAND USE ELEMENT ..................................................................................... 46

4.6 IMPLICATIONS OF LAND USE POLICY ......................................................................................... 48

CITY OF MAYWOOD - LAND USE ELEMENT UPDATE
2 INTRODUCTION
Maywood is a densely-developed community that faces the challenge of preserving the character of its neighborhoods and business districts while accommodating growth in response to regional needs for new housing and jobs. The City of Maywood is one of California’s smallest – and most densely populated. The Census Bureau estimates that more than 25,000 people live in Maywood’s 1.18 square miles (as of the 2020 US Census). Anecdotally, Maywood’s population is likely much higher – closer to 35,000.

Centrally located in the urbanized area of Los Angeles County, approximately eight miles southeast of Downtown Los Angeles, Maywood is south of an industrial district that includes Los Angeles’s Boyle Heights neighborhood as well as industrial areas located in the cities of Vernon and Commerce. Maywood and other communities to the south, east, and west of Los Angeles have traditionally served as residential communities for those working in the nearby industrial areas. Maywood is surrounded by Vernon to the north, Commerce to the east, Bell to the South, and Huntington Park to the west.

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3 Figure 1: Regional Location

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4 Maywood is predominantly residential, with commercial areas extending along the two major arterials: Atlantic Boulevard and Slauson Avenue. There are small industrial areas located at the northwest corner and easternmost reaches of the city.

Embedded in an area with mature urban development, Maywood's opportunities for responding to growth are limited. The City has no vacant parcels; the entire city has been previously developed. During the last decades of the twentieth century, development activity focused on the more efficient use of sites large enough to support additional housing or larger commercial spaces. While these trends will continue, the City anticipates that new opportunities will emerge for combining residential and commercial uses in vibrant mixed-use redevelopment projects.

This Land Use Element will guide these changes and provide a framework for decision-makers to ensure that new development reflects the qualities important to Maywood.

This Land Use Element describes long-range goals for the community’s physical development, both in terms of land use type and intensity, as well as urban character and form. The Element also provides the framework for all other General Plan elements, since land uses in Maywood affects:
• The design of the transportation system (Circulation Element); • How the City pursues new business activity (Economic Development Element); • Where housing will be located and what types of housing will be provided (Housing Element);
• How these uses create noise levels affecting the quality of life for people living and working in Maywood (Noise Element);
• How the City provides urban services to residents and businesses and prepares for natural and human-made disasters (Public Safety);
• How the City allocates open space and similar resources for the purposes of parks, environmental resource protection, and passive recreation (Open Space/Conservation Element); and finally,
• How the allocation of land in the city affects under-resourced and disadvantaged populations (Environmental Justice Element).

1.1 SCOPE AND CONTENT OF THE LAND USE ELEMENT
This Land Use Element supports the community's desire to retain and expand upon Maywood's unique and important features: its diverse residential neighborhoods, the potential of its commercial corridors, and the public facilities and services provided to the community. At the

CITY OF MAYWOOD - LAND USE ELEMENT UPDATE
5 same time, the goals and policies look toward the need to ensure the City's long-term fiscal stability, to accommodate the housing requirements of the community's diverse demographic composition, and to respond to the community’s retail and service commercial needs.

State planning law requires that the Land Use Element designates "the proposed general distribution and general location and extent of the uses of the land" for a variety of purposes (Government Code Section 65302(a)). Through maps and text, this Element defines the distribution and intensity of development of residential neighborhoods, commercial and industrial areas, parks and other open spaces, and governmental and institutional uses of properties in Maywood.

In particular, the Land Use Plan (Section 4.0) contains the Land Use Policy Map, which presents a pictorial representation of the land use distribution. The Land Use Plan section also identifies land use objectives where specific policies will be implemented to guide the City toward its land use (and related) goals. Finally, the Element describes the relationship between General Plan land use policy and zoning, and how the zoning ordinance provides the primary means for implementing land use goals.

2.0 RELATED TERMS AND CONCEPTS
This Element uses several planning terms that are important for discussing land use issues.

2.1 DENSITY AND INTENSITY
Density and intensity describe the level of development that is existing or permitted on a parcel of land. Density applies to residential land use classifications and refers to the number of allowable housing units (sometimes called dwelling units) per net acre of land. For nonresidential land use categories, intensity means the total amount of development on a lot.

Intensity can be expressed in several ways, such as the total building square footage, the mass of a building, the percent of lot coverage, or the floor-area ratio (FAR). This Element uses FAR to describe permitted intensity for nonresidential land uses.

2.2 FLOOR-AREA RATIO
Floor-area ratio, or FAR, represents the relationship between the total floor area of all buildings on a lot and the total area of that lot. The FAR is determined by dividing the total floor area of all buildings by the area of that lot. For example, a 5,000 square-foot building on a 10,000 squarefoot lot represents a FAR of 0.5. A 0.5 FAR can provide for a low-rise building covering most of the lot, a mid-sized structure with reduced lot coverage, or a tall building with substantial outdoor space or landscaping (see Figure LU-1).

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6 Figure 2: Floor-Area Ratio Illustrated

2.3 NONCONFORMING
Any use or structure that does not conform to the zoning regulations is considered a nonconforming use. Nonconforming can include:
• Nonconforming structures (by virtue of size, type of construction, location on land, or proximity to other structures);
• Nonconforming use of a conforming building;
• Nonconforming use of a nonconforming building; and
• Nonconforming use of land.

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7 2.4 ACCESSORY DWELLING UNIT
Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) are additional, often small-scale dwelling units added onto lots of existing, typically single-family or lower-density units. They have been known by many names such as granny flats, in-law units, or backyard cottages. They are affordable to construct, can provide a source of income for homeowners, and provide a needed housing option for many types of households. The City of Maywood has long had a significant number of ADUs in its residential neighborhoods. Many garages have been converted to accessory units.

In addition to garage conversions, many Maywood homeowners have built additions and/or otherwise divided their homes to accommodate multiple households. While many of the City’s ADUs were constructed with appropriate City permits and inspections, the City is working to identify and inspect those ADUs that were built without the necessary approvals. As part of this process, the City is working to ensure that all ADUs in Maywood are identified and inspected to ensure code compliance and safe living conditions. The City’s Inspectional Services staff are prioritizing inspections of ADUs and other rental units where health and safety concerns have been reported.

The California Health and Safety Code (HSC), Section 65583(c)(7), requires that cities and counties develop a plan that incentivizes and promotes the creation of ADUs that can be offered at affordable rent for very-low to moderate-income households. There are a number of state grants and financial incentives for the production of ADUs in low- and moderate-income neighborhoods. The City of Maywood will be undertaking a comprehensive rewrite of its Zoning Code. This will include updates to ensure compliance with state ADU regulations.

3.0 RELATED PLANS AND PROGRAMS
The Land Use Element provides the framework within which the City will make development decisions. Its scope is necessarily broad, addressing the entire City over a twenty-year planning period. In addition to this more broad Land Use Element, the City adopts detailed plans and ordinances to set specific standards for development and project design. These regulatory documents, described below, include the City's zoning ordinance, and specific plans that encompass limited geographic areas.

As Maywood makes land use decisions that affect surrounding jurisdictions and, in turn, neighboring cities adopt policy measures that impact Maywood, regional governance agencies have prepared plans to address issues of regional concern, including land use, air quality, transportation, and affordable housing. This Element of the General Plan also reflects the issues, policies, and regulations of the City and regional plans listed below.

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8 3.1 ZONING ORDINANCE
The City's zoning ordinance, which is part of the Municipal Code, establishes regulations with respect to permitted uses, allowable density, building height, end development character, etc.

The zoning ordinance consists of a map that delineates zoning designations by parcel, and text that explains the purposes of each designation, specifies permitted and conditional uses, and establishes development and performance standards.

The zoning ordinance serves as the primary implementation tool for the Land Use Element and the goals and policies it contains. Under California law, the zoning ordinance must be consistent with the General Plan.

Upon this General Plan's adoption, zoning inconsistencies may occur. The City of Maywood shall resolve those inconsistencies between the General Plan and the Zoning Code through the future zoning code update proposed for FY 2025. In case of inconsistency, the General Plan supersedes the Zoning Code.

Maywood is a densely-developed, predominately residential community. Almost 60% of the City’s total land is designed for Residential uses; the dominant residential land use regulation is “Residential,” identified by the R-3 district. This category of land use is characterized by a mix of single-family detached and attached or detached multi-unit developments with densities of up to 20 units per acre. While the Zoning Ordinance has been updated to create new zoning districts with higher densities, the Housing Element identifies several zoning changes to be made. A comprehensive zoning review and update is also planned in FY 2024.

3.2 RELATED GENERAL PLAN ELEMENTS
The City of Maywood’s Land Use Element is necessarily related and connected to the other General Plan Elements as it guides the use of all land within the City, designating particular areas for different uses. Those uses are discussed further in each of the related plan elements.

3.3 REGIONAL COMPREHENSIVE PLAN AND GUIDE
The Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) undertakes regional planning efforts for the six-county SCAG region that includes Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Ventura, and Imperial counties. SCAG's efforts focus on developing strategies to minimize traffic congestion, protect environmental quality, and provide adequate housing throughout the SCAG region. The Regional Comprehensive Plan and Guide - developed with active participation from local agencies, elected officials, the business community, community groups, and private institutions, and private citizens- sets forth broad goals and objectives

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9 intended to be implemented by participating jurisdictions and agencies such the South Coast Air Quality Management District and Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

3.4 AIR QUALITY MANAGEMENT PLAN
The federal Clean Air Act requires preparation of plans to improve air quality in any region designated as a non-attainment area. (A nonattainment area is a geographic area identified by the Environmental Protection Agency and/or California Air Resources Board as not meeting state or federal standards for a given pollutant). The plan must outline specific programs and strategies, and timelines for bringing the area into compliance with national and/or state air quality standards. The Air Quality Management Plan prepared by the South Coast Air Quality Management District was first adopted in 1994 and contains policies and measures designed to achieve federal and state standards for healthier air quality in the South Coast Air Basin. In 2022, SCAG updated the Plan to meet 2015 National Ambient Air Quality Standards for groundlevel ozone. The assumptions and programs contained in Maywood’s General Plan draw directly from regional goals, objectives, and assumptions contained in SCAG's Regional Comprehensive Plan and Guide.

4.0 LAND USE PLAN

4.1 OVERVIEW OF LAND USE OBJECTIVES
This section describes the planned distribution and development intensities of all land uses citywide and identifies specific goals the City will pursue within designated focus areas. The City's goals and objectives with respect to land use are to:
• Preserve and Enhance Residential Neighborhoods;
• Encourage Mixed-Use Development;
• Promote Commercial Vitality;
• Support the Continued Operation of Industrial Uses;
• Ensure Access to and Quality of Services in Infrastructure as Maywood Grows; • Invest in the Aesthetic Quality of Maywood’s Public and Private Realms; and • Upgrade City Parks and Increase Amenities to Provide More Recreational Opportunities to Maywood Residents.

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10 4.2 LAND USE CATEGORIES
To maintain the desired balance of uses in the community and achieve community goals regarding housing, economic development, industrial business opportunities, parks, and public facilities, the City will make land use decisions in conformance with the Land Use Policy Map.

The Land Use Policy Map, presented as Figure 3, illustrates properties designated for business and industrial activity, identifies existing residential neighborhoods and locations for new housing through mixed-use opportunities, shows parks and recreation amenities for the community, and indicates sites for schools and other public land uses. The land use categories shown on the map are as follows.

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11 Figure 3: Land Use Policy Map
Please note, some of the City’s parks are still zoned/mapped as residential uses and /or are only a portion of the block so are not shown on this map.

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12 The City of Maywood is not at risk of flooding per the current Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) flood mapping (see Figure 4). Since there are no mapped floodplains in Maywood, no land uses within the City are considered at risk of flooding. The City will continue to annually monitor any changes to the floodplains and update its regulations and policies accordingly. The revised zoning code will more strongly encourage (and require in some locations) the use of stormwater capture and low impact development (LID) techniques to help mitigate potential flooding concerns as the climate continues to change and the region experiences more frequent, intense rain events. Concurrent with this Land Use Element update, the City is updating its Safety Element with climate change impacts.

Figure 4: FEMA Flood Plain

4.2.1 Residential, Business, and Industry
Maywood is built-out and is one of the most densely populated communities in California (and even in the United States!). Maywood’s official population is approximately 25,000 residents; the population density is approximately 21,200 people per square mile. With the exception of a recent small dip in population, the City’s population has remained relatively steady since.

However, it is likely that the census and SCAG pre-certified data does not capture all of Maywood’s residents.

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13 Figure 5: Maywood Population 2000 – 2020 (SCAG Pre-Certified Local Housing Data) Most of Maywood’s residents reside in single-family dwellings. In Maywood, many single-family dwellings have one or more accessory dwelling unit (ADU) and/or have converted the garage to additional housing.

Figure 6: Maywood Housing Types 2000 – 2020 (SCAG Pre-Certified Local Housing Data) Maywood’s population is almost evenly split between men and women; the community is 50.5% male and 49.5% female. It is a young population of working age people and their children. The population skews younger than the SCAG region; nearly 30% of the population is under 18, compared to 23% in the SCAG region as a whole, and the largest age cohort in Maywood is 25- 29 years old. Residents aged 65 and older comprise only 7% of the City’s population, which is nearly 50% lower than in the SCAG region, where 13% of the population is 65 and older.

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14 Table 1: Maywood Population By Age (2019 ACS 5-Year Estimates) Age Number of Residents Percent of Residents
Under 5 2,308 8.4%
5 - 9 Years 2,053 7.5%
10 - 14 Years 2,203 8.1%
15 - 19 Years 2,061 7.5%
20 - 24 Years 2,226 8.1%
25 - 29 Years 2,771 10.1%
30 - 34 Years 1,906 7.0%
35 - 39 Years 1,690 6.2%
40 - 44 Years 1,863 6.8%
45 - 49 Years 1,897 6.9%
50 - 55 Years 1,684 6.2%
55 - 59 Years 1,331 4.9%
60 - 64 Years 1,051 3.8%
65 - 69 Years 751 2.7%
70 - 74 Years 549 2.0%
75 - 79 Years 549 2.0%
80 - 84 Years 197 0.7%
85 and Older 242 0.9%
Total (2019) 27,332 100%
Figure 7: Maywood Population By Age and Sex (SCAG Pre-Certified Local Housing Data) Maywood’s population is predominantly Hispanic; more than 98% of residents identify as Hispanic or Latino. The vast majority (84.7%) are of Mexican origin. Most residents (73.8%) identify as white and 24.5% identify as Some Other Race, which is often a category chosen by

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15 residents who identify as mixed race. Slightly more than half (53.0%) of Maywood’s population was born in the United States. Of the population not born in the United States, only 32.9% are naturalized citizens. While 6.2% of the population five years and older speak only English at home; 93.8% speak Spanish at home. Of the population that does not speak English at home,

46.3% speak English less than “very well.”
Table 2: Maywood Population By Race (2019 ACS 5-Year Estimates) Race Number of
Residents
Percent of
Residents
White Alone 20,162 73.8%
Black or African American Alone 241 0.9%
American Indian and Alaska Native Alone 47 0.2%
Asian Alone 73 0.3%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander
Alone 0 0%
Some Other Race 6,689 24.5%
Two or More Races 120 0.4%
Total 27,332 100%
The US Census Bureau tracks race and Hispanic/Latino Origin separately, forcing people who identify as Hispanic/Latino to select their race in a separate question. Many people identifying as Hispanic/Latino select White or Some Other Race as their race.

Table 3: Maywood Hispanic and Latino Population (2019 ACS 5-Year Estimates) Number of
Residents
Percent of
Residents
Hispanic or Latino 26,883 98.4%
Not Hispanic or Latino 440 1.6%
Total 27,332 100%

Maywood has 6,768 housing units, of which 3,686 or 54.5% are single-family detached houses.

This is comparable to the SCAG region, where 54.4% of housing are single-family detached houses. However, an additional 870 units in Maywood are attached single family units, resulting in a total single-family percentage of 67.3%. This is slightly higher than the SCAG region where

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16 61.7% of the housing is single-family units. However, single-family zoning in Maywood in fact allows two-family houses, and many nominally single-family properties in Maywood also have accessory units. Multifamily units make up 32% of the City’s housing stock, which is slightly less than in the SCAG region.

Figure 8: Housing Type (SCAG Pre-Certified Local Housing Data) Over the past twenty years, more single-family units have been constructed in Maywood than multi-family units. Single-family units increased by 637 and multi-family units decreased by 607.

An additional 37 mobile home units were added over the same two decades. Construction of South Region High School by the LAUSD in 2010 resulted in the elimination of 119 housing units.

Housing stability and security can depend heavily on housing tenure. Nearly three-quarters of Maywood residents are renters, which reduces housing security. Of the City’s approximately 6,700 housing units, only 1,731 or 26% are owner-occupied. In the SCAG region, housing tenure is more evenly divided between renters and homeowners. In communities like Maywood, absentee owners tend to be small landlords, sometimes former residents who move to another city and keep their Maywood house as a rental property.

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17 Figure 9: Housing Tenure in Maywood and the SCAG Region (SCAG Pre-Certified Local Housing Data)
Though more residents in Maywood rent than in other communities, the distribution of housing tenure by age is consistent with typical trends. The older the householder, the more likely they are to own their unit. However, the age at which householders become homeowners appears to be higher in Maywood than in many other places. In Maywood, the only age groups more likely to own their homes than rent are householders ages 65-84. Householders under 54 are significantly more likely to rent than own (83% of these households are renters). This is consistent with the fact that Maywood median incomes are lower than in the rest of the region.

Figure 10: Housing Tenure by Age (SCAG Pre-Certified Local Housing Data)

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18 Though homeownership rates in Maywood are significantly lower than in the SCAG region, the length of time Maywood residents have lived in their current units is comparable to the region as a whole. More Maywood residents moved into their current residence between 2010 and 2014 (36.2%) than during any other time period. Similarly, the largest proportion of SCAG residents (31.9%) moved to their current residence during the same time period. In both Maywood and the region, the second-highest percentage of residents (26.1% in Maywood and

27.9% in the region) moved to their current residence between 2000 and 2009. This indicates that housing occupation in Maywood has been relatively stable and most households have remained in the same unit for many years.

Maywood also has a relatively low housing vacancy rate. Based on the 2015 – 2019 ACS 5-Year Estimates, only 141 of Maywood’s 6,836 units were vacant. This is a vacancy rate of 2.0%. In Los Angeles County, the vacancy rate is three times higher at 6%.

Most housing units (65.8%) in Maywood were constructed prior to 1959. The biggest construction booms were in the 1940s and 1950s, when 45.8% of Maywood’s housing was constructed. In the SCAG region, more housing units were built during the 1970s than any other period. Less than one percent (0.9%) of Maywood’s housing has been constructed since 2010, with only 0.1% constructed since 2014.

Figure 11: Housing Units by Year Structure Built (SCAG Pre-Certified Local Housing Data) The ACS also provides information about substandard housing. In Maywood, the vast majority of housing is not considered substandard, but an estimated 112 units lack telephone services and 74 units lack complete kitchen facilities. No units are lacking plumbing facilities. In general, housing has been maintained and improved over the last decade, though unpermitted

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19 accessory units may need improvements to bring them up to code. Housing located at the western end of the city along the west side of Maywood Avenue, is in an area rezoned for industrial development in 1967. Although all residential uses were supposed to be vacated by 1987, some multi-family housing in poor condition persists in the area.

Given the age of much of Maywood’s housing, an estimated 10% of the city’s housing units (approximately 670 units) are in need of rehabilitation or replacement. In addition, one-story commercial buildings with deferred maintenance occupy many of the sites currently in the Emergency Shelter Overlay on Slauson Avenue and on sites identified as potential sites for affordable and additional housing in Section 3.6 of this plan. To provide more housing on these sites, these properties may need site consolidation, renovation or demolition and rebuilding into mid-rise buildings.

The ACS defines overcrowding as more than one occupant per room and severe overcrowding as more than 1.5 occupants per room. By this definition, almost three-fourths of Maywood households are overcrowded or severely overcrowded. 40.6% of Maywood’s renter-occupied households and 17.3% of owner-occupied households are overcrowded and an additional 14.8% of renter-occupied households and 4.6% owner-occupied households are severely overcrowded.

This means that over 55% of Maywood renter households live in overcrowded or severely overcrowded housing, significantly more than in the SCAG region. Regionally, only 22% of renteroccupied housing is overcrowded or severely overcrowded and 6.2% of owner-occupied housing is overcrowded or severely overcrowded. Maywood’s overcrowding is likely related to the large average household size and the number of young, low-income and immigrant families that call Maywood home.

Figure 12: Crowding by Extent and Tenure (SCAG Pre-Certified Local Housing Data)

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20 Most Maywood residents (99.5%) live in households (defined by the Census as all the people, related or not, who occupy the same housing unit), and 84.3% of households are family households, defined as people who are related by birth, marriage, or adoption. Of the 5,645 family households in Maywood more than half (63.3%) are married-couple families and 27.6% of married-couple households have their own children under 18 living with them. Nearly a quarter of Maywood households (23.2%) are female headed households without a spouse or partner present. More than half (54.6%) of all households include at least one person under the age of 18 and 23.7% have at least one person age 65 and older. Approximately 10% of Maywood’s households are single-person households. The average household size is 4.06 individuals and the average family size is 4.37 individuals.

Table 4: Maywood Households by Type (2019 ACS 5-Year Estimates) Number of
Households
Percent of All
Households
Family Households 5,645 84.3%
Nonfamily Households 1,050 15.7%
Married-Couple Families 3,576 53.4%
Cohabitating Couple Household 782 11.7%
Male Householder, no spouse/partner present 786 11.7%
Female Householder, no spouse/partner present 1,551 23.2% Households with Children Under 18 3,657 54.6%
Households with Seniors 65 and Older 1,589 23.7%
Male Householder Living Alone 287 4.3%
Female Householder Living Alone 427 6.4%
Total Households 6,695 100%
Recent data reported in the Maywood Plan to Prevent and Address Homelessness indicates that Maywood Schools have identified 4,379 families as “at risk.” This includes families of students eligible for free/reduced lunch, English learners, and foster youth.

Approximately twenty percent (19.7%) of Maywood’s households are experiencing poverty. This is more than double the household poverty rate in the SCAG region; regionally, only 7.9% of households experience poverty. Nearly half of Maywood households living under the poverty level are female-headed households and female-headed households with children account for 38% of Maywood households living in poverty. The poverty rate for children under 18 is estimated at 32%.

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21 In addition to female-headed households, many senior households are experiencing poverty.

Nearly 80% of Maywood’s elderly households earn less than 50% of the Housing and Urban Development Area Median Family Income (HAMFI). This is significantly higher than in the SCAG region, where 30.9% of senior households make less than 50% of HAMFI. Many of Maywood’s senior households are living in extreme poverty, 57.7% with incomes less than 30% of HAMFI. In the SCAG region, 24.2% of senior households make less than 30% of HAMFI.

Figure 13: Households by Poverty Status (SCAG Pre-Certified Local Housing Data) Table 5: Elderly Households by Income and Tenure (SCAG Pre-Certified Local Housing Data) As mentioned previously, the City of Maywood is predominately residential, but there are several commercial corridors in the City. Slauson Avenue and Atlantic Boulevard are the City’s two main thoroughfares and are home to the majority of the city’s commercial land uses. These roads

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22 boast an eclectic mix of small scale commercial buildings, fast food restaurants, larger commercial buildings, and strip malls. Most are on small lots with a combination of driveways/surface parking and street parking. The City’s commercial center is adjacent to its City Hall at the intersection of Slauson Avenue and Atlantic Boulevard.

Immediately adjacent to the City’s commercial corridors, the city’s land uses transition to residential uses. Most lots, even those appearing to be single-family residences, are multi-family residences. Sixty-two (62%) percent of Maywood households have more than two cars and parking remains a challenge. In addition to personal vehicles, many Maywood residents are tradespeople and have work trucks/vans, further exacerbating parking concerns.

The City’s parks are a key asset, particularly in such a densely-developed urban area. These open spaces are dispersed through the City and have been identified as key assets to protect and enhance.

The City’s infrastructure is already taxed, but through a Housing Element Program, the City expects to expand infrastructure to support its share of the Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA).

Maywood is well-connected with a strong street grid shaping the urban fabric; the city’s small size makes it easy to traverse though traffic can be a concern on major roadways. The city’s main thoroughfares are well-served by local bus and all streets have sidewalks. The City is actively working to expand bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure. The city’s compact blocks are all built out and buildings are close together. Many residences are well-maintained, but there are some health and safety concerns with units that were not built to code and/or are lacking adequate maintenance. Commercial buildings are similarly varied – some are impeccably maintained while others are suffering from deferred maintenance and may also be health and safety concerns. The City is actively working to increase its inspectional services capacity to bring all buildings and units into compliance.

During the Sixth Cycle Housing Element update, the City identified approximately 70 parcels most ripe for redevelopment. More information about these parcels can be found in section 4.3:

Development Capacity Analysis.

The City is strongly encouraging mixed-use, transit oriented redevelopment to reduce air quality impacts, traffic, and parking concerns.

Maywood’s population is not projected to increase dramatically. The businesses currently operating in Maywood serve the population relatively well, but as Maywood encourages more mixed-income projects with market rate housing units, more services like cafes are desired to serve the local residents.

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23 Maywood will, of course, be impacted by climate change in the form of more frequent, intense storm events but it is not currently in a FEMA mapped flood plain and is not at risk of wildfires.

Residential
The Residential land use designation provides for single-family detached and attached homes and multi-family units (i.e., apartments, townhomes, and condominiums). A maximum density of 20 units per net acre is permitted. Uses such as second living units, guest houses, community centers, parks, day care facilities, churches, and similar uses compatible with the neighborhood may also be permitted, consistent with zoning ordinance regulations. These areas are designated as the Residential (R-3) zoning district. Residential areas are shown as yellow on Figure 3: Land Use Policy Map.

Residential – Senior and Affordable Housing Overlay
The Senior and Affordable Housing Overlay district identifies areas where the primary by-right permitted uses are affordable housing developments and senior citizen housing complexes.

This is an overlay district, so other uses are determined by the underlying base zoning.

Affordable and senior housing is required to be income-restricted or age-restricted, as relevant, for a minimum of 55 years or a longer period as specified by subsidy or financing agreements through a deed restriction running with the land. The base density for senior housing is 72 units per acre and 48 units per acre for affordable housing for lower income households. However, through density bonuses, the maximum achievable density for senior housing is 112 units per acre and 65 units per acre for affordable housing for lower income households.

In addition to the areas already designated as R-SA, the R-SA designation can be initiated by the City or an affordable housing developer on properties currently zoned as C-M via a Zone Change Application.

The R-SA Zoning Overlay district replaced the Specialty Residential (R-S) Overlay designation.

Town Center Commercial
The Town Center Commercial land use designation accommodates larger commercial retail use in the vicinity of the Slauson Avenue/Atlantic Boulevard intersection. Examples of appropriate uses include retail stores that serve the citywide or regional market, specialty shops, and other commercial uses that contribute to the City's tax base. Professional offices and medical/dental clinics may be permitted on a more limited basis. The maximum intensity of development is a

0.3:1 FAR. This area is represented by both an underlying zoning district, which would dictate other allowable uses, and the Civic Center Overlay. The Town Center Commercial area is shown as dark pink on Figure 3: Land Use Policy Plan.

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24 Mixed Use
The Mixed Use designation encourages the integration of commercial, office, and residential uses to facilitate optimum use of properties and to create pedestrian districts. Uses may be mixed vertically, with residential units above street-level office and retail businesses.

Commercial uses include retail, service, office, and dining-establishments. This designation seeks to bring higher-density residential development to areas where commercial services are available. The designation allows a maximum density of 48 units per net acre and a maximum commercial development FAR of 0.5:1. These areas are shown as Mixed Use on the Land Use Map and are zoned CM – Commercial Manufacturing. Mixed Use areas are shown as pink (light and dark) on Figure 3: Land Use Policy Plan.

Industrial
The Industrial land use designation supports manufacturing and industrial activities. This designation maintains the City's industrial base while ensuring compatibility with adjacent uses.

Industrial uses that do not create conditions hazardous or otherwise detrimental to surrounding development are the only uses permitted. The maximum intensity of development is a FAR of

0.4:1. These areas are shown as Industrial on the Land Use Map and zoned as M – Industrial.

Industrial areas are shown in purple on Figure 3: Land Use Policy Plan.

4.2.2 Public/ Quasi-Public
The Public/Quasi-Public category provides areas throughout the City for a variety of public, quasi-public, and institutional uses. The primary land uses permitted include:
• Public buildings, including but not limited to, City Hall, public libraries, and the YMCA building
• Quasi-public facilities such as public utility facilities, water wells, and similar uses • Institutional uses such as public schools, private schools, and hospitals • Utility easements
For each type of development, zoning ordinance regulations control the maximum permitted intensity of development. The maximum intensity of development is 0.5:1 FAR. These areas are shown as Public/Quasi-Public on the Land Use Map and zoned PF – Public Facilities and are shown on Figure 3: Land Use Policy Map.

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25 4.2.3 Parks
The Parks designation applies to publicly owned and dedicated parkland. Associated facilities that may be developed include areas for active sports play, large multi-purpose fields for community events and informal recreation, tot lots, picnic areas, multi-purpose sports fields and courts, concessions, community event space, maintenance/support facilities, and caretaker facilities. The provision of parkland and green space may also be achieved through joint use agreements with the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) and utility companies (easements). City-owned parks are shown as Park on the Land Use Map and zoned OS – Open Space. As a densely-developed urban area, the City of Maywood does not have any rivers, creeks, or streams, flood corridors, riparian habitats, floodplain, agricultural lands, watershed protection areas, or other natural resources.

Figure 14: Parks

4.2.4 Education
Maywood is part of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). There are seven (7) LAUSD school buildings within the city including four (4) elementary schools, a high school, a magnet school, and a charter kindergarten program. In addition to the LAUSD schools, there are a

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26 number and variety of private schools offering educational programming from preschool/daycare through high school. School facilities are shown on the Land Use Map and are generally zoned as PF – Public Facilities.

Figure 15: LAUSD Schools

4.2.5 Solid and Liquid Waste Disposal
Recycling facilities are permitted in the C, CM, and M zoning districts; larger facilities are limited to the M zoning district. The maximum intensity of development varies based on the zoning designation. The M zoning district has a maximum intensity of development is a FAR of 0.4:1.

Solid waste facilities are authorized by Los Angeles County. The city provides solid waste and recycling services through a contract. This contract complies with all local and state requirements for trash diversion, organics collection, and recycling.

4.2.6 Greenways, Timberland Preserve Zone Lands, Military Land Uses The City of Maywood has no Greenways (as defined by Civil Code Section 816.52), Timberland Preserve Zone Lands, or Military Land Uses. The Los Angeles River is just to the east of Maywood (and immediately outside of its municipal boundaries); there is a bicycle and pedestrian path along its western edge.

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27 Figure 16: California Military Land Use Compatibility Analyst

4.3 DEVELOPMENT CAPACITY ANALYSIS
The City of Maywood is completely built-out. Infrastructure assessments have, for decades, shown that the City does not have adequate infrastructure available to support additional development, but has included a program in its Housing Element to increase infrastructure capacity to support the City’s Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA). In addition to limited infrastructure capacity, the City has zero vacant parcels. However, many of the City’s commercial and mixed use parcels could be redeveloped at higher densities. In fact, all recent development in the City has occurred at or above the maximum allowable density.

A review of the recent development projects in Maywood found that the most recent, large-scale mixed-use development occurred at 100% of the maximum allowable density (5601 Atlantic Boulevard and 5609 Atlantic Boulevard). There is one private residential project in the pipeline that is also anticipated to be at maximum allowable density. This pipeline project would replace a 4-unit building constructed in the 1920s with a new 7-unit building with one ADU. This project will be at the maximum allowable density while adhering to other City development standards.

The City is working with a nonprofit partner to provide 60 units of low-income housing (targeted to residents earning 30% - 60% of AMI); this proposal is for the successor agency parcels at 5102 and 5110 District Boulevard. The parcels are in the R-SA overlay which allows 48 units per

CITY OF MAYWOOD - LAND USE ELEMENT UPDATE
28 acre and up to 65 units per acre with the density bonus. This project will be creating 73 units per acre, which is higher than the maximum allowable density using the density bonus.

This review of recent and pipeline projects in the City of Maywood indicates that the City’s development standards are not preventing sites from being developed at their full density. If an applicant proposes a project at less than maximum allowable density, the City works with the applicant on a case-by-case basis to achieve maximum allowable density. While this does not happen frequently since all recent projects have been proposed at or above maximum allowable density, the City’s Planning Department would work with the Planning Commission and applicant to waive or lessen development standards if a project needed to increase its density.

While it does not appear that Maywood’s development standards are limiting residential redevelopment at maximum allowable density, the City intends to undertake a comprehensive zoning analysis and rewrite during the planning period and will evaluate all development standards including parking requirements, private open space requirements, the conversion of private open spaces to common open spaces, and building setback requirements.

The City’s focus has been on providing additional residential capacity in ADUs and mixed-use development to ensure that the city maintains its commercial base. The City works closely with project proponents to ensure a balance of uses and redevelopment at or above maximum density.

The City has identified almost 70 parcels as underutilized parcels that can support additional densities and housing units (See Figure 14).
• City-Owned Properties: The City has made the District Boulevard parcels and a cityowned parcel at 4801 Slauson Avenue available for affordable housing development.

The City issued a Notice of Availability to solicit proposals with a declared preference for affordable housing development on July 2, 2021 for these sites. Four developers inquired about the properties. In Spring 2022, the City began negotiations with one of the respondents for development of an affordable housing project on the District Boulevard properties.

The City-owned 4801 Slauson Avenue at the corner of Heliotrope has a light manufacturing use in a building that could be renovated or replaced. The property is listed for sale or lease but has not yet attracted developer interest. The City is interested in converting the space to a teen resource center.
• Mixed-Use Development: Selected properties along the Atlantic Boulevard and Slauson Avenue commercial corridors have been identified for mixed-use development. The mixed-use development could take several forms: stand-alone infill residential development or a combination of commercial and residential uses within the same

CITY OF MAYWOOD - LAND USE ELEMENT UPDATE
29 parcel and/or structure. These areas are noted in Figure 22. A total of 52 parcels totaling

9.5 acres zoned CM have been identified as candidates for mixed-use development.

These parcels are characterized by aging structures (the median year of construction is 1953). Most parcels also have a low Improvement to Land Value Ratio (ILR). Individually, some parcels are small and contain existing residential units and therefore may not appear to be viable properties for residential development. However, many parcels are contiguous and some have common ownership, making lot consolidation possible. If developed as mixed-use residential or stand-alone residential units, the maximum density is 20 units per acre. These parcels can accommodate 149 units (assuming development at 80% of the allowable density and excluding parcels that would not yield a net increase in units). Given Maywood’s existing density (many residential neighborhoods have between 14 and 19 units per acre in single-family neighborhoods), redevelopment at 80% of allowable density is reasonable given redevelopment patterns in the community. The most recent large-scale, mixed-use development at 5601 and 5609 Atlantic Boulevard provides 100% of the maximum achievable density. Maywood Villas is all-affordable senior housing constructed above commercial space. This building provides 54 units of senior housing on just shy of 0.5 acres). Given preliminary conversations with potential developers and nonprofit partners, redevelopment projects are likely to propose at least 80% of maximum allowable density to make the projects feasible. Development trends in Maywood indicate that commercial parcels are likely to convert to residential uses. The City actively works with project proponents to encourage mixed-use development that provides first-floor commercial space with residential units above. This is consistent with large-scale projects that have occurred in the City to date.

Since the recent large-scale projects proposed and completed in Maywood have occurred at 100% of maximum allowable density, assuming future development will occur at 80% of maximum allowable density incorporates the possibility that these sites will be developed as mixed-use developments with first-floor commercial as encouraged by the City.

During the Sixth Cycle Planning Period, the City will review the potential for expanding the R-SA Overlay District to include more properties for potential mixed-use renovation or redevelopment.

Parcels in Maywood are small; more than 95% are smaller than a half acre. Figure 17 and Table 6 show the city’s residential land inventory.

CITY OF MAYWOOD - LAND USE ELEMENT UPDATE
30 Figure 17: Residential Sites Inventory

CITY OF MAYWOOD - LAND USE ELEMENT UPDATE
31 Table 6: Residential Sites Inventory
Map ID APN Address Acres Existing Use General Plan Zoning (2019)
Estimated
Units (Current)
Zoning
(Current)
Estimated
Units (Future)
Year Built Building SF Current ILR Common
Ownership
Affordability
Level
Housing Successor Agency-Owned
1 6313001902 5102 DISTRICT BLVD 0.28 Underutilized
Office
Industrial R-SA 14 R-SA 30 1968 6844 - City Extremely-, Very-, and
Low-Income
2 6313001901 5110 DISTRICT BLVD 0.27 Underutilized
Office
Industrial R-SA 13 R-SA 29 1971 7200 - City Extremely-, Very-, and
Low-Income
77 6313001900 0.01 Vacant Industrial R-SA 1 R-SA 1 0 0 - City Extremely-, Very-, and
Low-Income
Subtotal 0.56 28 60
(per current
development
proposal)
Senior and Affordable Housing Overlay
54 6314024011 4818 E 58TH ST 0.18 SF Residence
In S-RA Overlay
Residential R-SA 8 R-SA 8 1930 1008 0.49 Mixed/All
Income Levels
55 6314024010 4820 E 58TH ST 0.17 SF Residence In
S-RA Overlay
Residential R-SA 8 R-SA 8 1930 1416 0.26 Mixed/All
Income Levels
56 6314024009 4824 E 58TH ST 0.17 Duplex
In S-RA Overlay
Residential R-SA 8 R-SA 8 1951 650 0.78 Mixed/All
Income Levels
57 6314024008 4826 E 58TH ST 0.17 5+ Units
In S-RA Overlay
Residential R-SA 8 R-SA 8 1960 4868 1.69 Mixed/All
Income Levels
58 6314024007 4834 E 58TH ST 0.17 SF Residence
In S-RA Overlay
Residential R-SA 8 R-SA 8 1923 1540 2.09 Mixed/All
Income Levels
59 6314024006 4840 E 58TH ST 0.17 Duplex
In S-RA Overlay
Residential R-SA 8 R-SA 8 1923 992 1.93 Mixed/All
Income Levels
60 6314024005 4846 E 58TH ST 0.13 SF Residence
In S-RA Overlay
Residential R-SA 6 R-SA 6 1965 1260 2.33 Mixed/All
Income Levels
61 6314024004 4848 E 58TH ST 0.13 SF Residence
In S-RA Overlay
Residential R-SA 6 R-SA 6 1937 1126 0.73 Mixed/All
Income Levels
62 6314024003 4852 E 58TH ST 0.14 Duplex
In S-RA Overlay
Residential R-SA 7 R-SA 7 1925 2078 1.48 Mixed/All
Income Levels
63 6314024002 4584 E 58TH ST 0.33 Large
commercial
Parking Lot
In S-RA Overlay
Residential R-SA 16 R-SA 16 1977 14750 0.49 H Mixed/All Income Levels

CITY OF MAYWOOD - LAND USE ELEMENT UPDATE
32 Map ID APN Address Acres Existing Use General Plan Zoning (2019)
Estimated
Units (Current)
Zoning
(Current)
Estimated
Units (Future)
Year Built Building SF Current ILR Common
Ownership
Affordability
Level
64 6314024026 5807 WOODLAWN AVE 0.09 Large
commercial
Parking Lot
In S-RA Overlay
Residential R-SA 5 R-SA 5 0 0 0.54 H Mixed/All
Income Levels
65 6314024027 5807 WOODLAWN AVE 0.07 Large
commercial
Parking Lot
In S-RA Overlay
Residential R-SA 3 R-SA 3 1977 3024 0.60 H Mixed/All
Income Levels
Subtotal 1.93 91 91
Mixed-Use Development
6 6313019031 5351 1/2 ATLANTIC
BLVD

0.47 Warehouse
with large
surface parking
lot
Mixed Use CM 8 R-SA` 23 1964 5537 0.48 Mixed/All
Income Levels
8 6313004017 5268 ATLANTIC BLVD 0.12 Outdated,
single story
Service,
Repairs shop
Mixed Use CM 2 R-SA 6 1946 2948 0.11 Mixed/All
Income Levels
9 6313004018 5276 ATLANTIC BLVD 0.12 Outdated,
single story
Warehouse
Mixed Use CM 2 R-SA 6 1953 5252 2.13 Mixed/All
Income Levels
10 6313006014 5306 ATLANTIC BLVD 0.24 Outdated,
single story
Stores with
large surface
parking lot
Mixed Use CM 4 R-SA 12 1939 3773 0.59 Mixed/All
Income Levels
11 6313006015 5312 ATLANTIC BLVD 0.26 Outdated,
single story
Store with
Residential
behind
Mixed Use CM 4 R-SA 13 1945 2634 1.02 Mixed/All
Income Levels
12 6313006031 5320 ATLANTIC BLVD 0.12 Outdated,
single story
Light
Manufacturing
Mixed Use CM 2 R-SA 6 1953 1224 1.19 A Mixed/All
Income Levels
13 6313006032 5326 ATLANTIC BLVD 0.12 Outdated,
single story
Light
Manufacturing
Mixed Use CM 2 R-SA 6 1964 2500 1.13 A Mixed/All
Income Levels

CITY OF MAYWOOD - LAND USE ELEMENT UPDATE
33 Map ID APN Address Acres Existing Use General Plan Zoning (2019)
Estimated
Units (Current)
Zoning
(Current)
Estimated
Units (Future)
Year Built Building SF Current ILR Common
Ownership
Affordability
Level
15 6313018002 5501 ATLANTIC BLVD 0.23 Outdated,
single story
Stores with
large surface
parking lot
Mixed Use CM 4 R-SA 11 1973 2080 1.13 Mixed/All
Income Levels
16 6313018001 5515 ATLANTIC BLVD 0.10 Outdated,
single story
Office with
large surface
parking lot
Mixed Use CM 2 R-SA 5 1950 400 0.11 Mixed/All
Income Levels
17 6313018027 5559 ATLANTIC BLVD 0.12 Outdated,
single story
Stores
Mixed Use CM 2 R-SA 6 1938 2545 1.05 Mixed/All
Income Levels
18 6313007008 5502 ATLANTIC BLVD 0.07 Outdated,
single story
Auto Service,
Body Shop
Mixed Use CM 1 R-SA 3 1945 1988 2.30 B Mixed/All
Income Levels
19 6313007009 0.10 Surface
Parking
Mixed Use CM 2 R-SA 5 0 0 - B Mixed/All
Income Levels
20 6313007010 5510 ATLANTIC BLVD 0.10 Surface
Parking
Mixed Use CM 2 R-SA 5 0 0 - B Mixed/All
Income Levels
21 6313007011 5516 ATLANTIC BLVD 0.10 Outdated,
single story
Restaurant
Mixed Use CM 2 R-SA 5 1950 2000 0.17 B Mixed/All
Income Levels
22 6313007012 0.10 Parking Lot Mixed Use CM 2 R-SA 5 4400 0.15 B Mixed/All Income Levels
24 6313007014 5556 ATLANTIC BLVD 0.10 Outdated,
single story
Service,
Repairs
Mixed Use CM 2 R-SA 5 1959 2400 0.56 C Mixed/All
Income Levels
26 6313008016 5630 ATLANTIC BLVD 0.14 Stores Mixed Use CM 2 R-SA 7 1947 1620 0.60 C Mixed/All Income Levels
27 6313016028 5701 ATLANTIC BLVD 0.35 Outdated, two
story Store and
Office with
significant
surface parking
Mixed Use CM 6 R-SA 17 1930 7356 1.72 Mixed/All
Income Levels
28 6313016024 0.12 Parking Lot Mixed Use CM 2 R-SA 6 1984 4400 0.06 D Mixed/All Income Levels

CITY OF MAYWOOD - LAND USE ELEMENT UPDATE
34 Map ID APN Address Acres Existing Use General Plan Zoning (2019)
Estimated
Units (Current)
Zoning
(Current)
Estimated
Units (Future)
Year Built Building SF Current ILR Common
Ownership
Affordability
Level
29 6313016023 5729 ATLANTIC BLVD 0.24 Outdated,
single story
Restaurant
Mixed Use CM 4 R-SA 11 1941 6923 1.77 D Mixed/All
Income Levels
30 6313009024 5700 ATLANTIC BLVD 0.25 Service Station
with significant
surface parking
Mixed Use CM 4 R-SA 12 1964 600 0.15 Mixed/All
Income Levels
31 6313009025 5714 ATLANTIC BLVD 0.13 Outdated,
single story
Medical, Dental
with significant
surface parking
Mixed Use CM 2 R-SA 6 1948 1432 0.85 Mixed/All
Income Levels
33 6314010012 4600 SLAUSON AVE 0.28 Outdated,
single story
Office with
significant
surface parking
Mixed Use CM 5 R-SA 14 1953 688 0.25 E Mixed/All
Income Levels
34 6314010028 4610 SLAUSON AVE 0.12 Outdated,
single story
Stores
Mixed Use CM 2 R-SA 6 1941 2038 0.97 E Mixed/All
Income Levels
35 6314010029 4618 SLAUSON AVE 0.17 Outdated,
single story
Office
Mixed Use CM 3 R-SA 8 1959 2024 0.96 E Mixed/All
Income Levels
36 6314010010 4622 SLAUSON AVE 0.07 Outdated,
single story
Auto Service,
Body Shop
Mixed Use CM 1 R-SA 3 1958 940 0.83 Mixed/All
Income Levels
37 6314010009 4626 SLAUSON AVE 0.07 Outdated,
single story
Office
Mixed Use CM 1 R-SA 3 1953 600 1.42 Mixed/All
Income Levels
39 6314014015 4701 SLAUSON AVE 0.18 Outdated, two
story Office
Mixed Use CM 3 R-SA 9 1980 546 1.24 Mixed/All
Income Levels
40 6314014016 4707 SLAUSON AVE 0.18 Outdated, two
story store with
SF Residence
Mixed Use CM 3 R-SA 8 1921 792 0.58 E Mixed/All
Income Levels
41 6314014017 4715 SLAUSON AVE 0.18 Outdated, two
story motel
Mixed Use CM 3 R-SA 9 1921 628 0.05 E Mixed/All
Income Levels

CITY OF MAYWOOD - LAND USE ELEMENT UPDATE
35 Map ID APN Address Acres Existing Use General Plan Zoning (2019)
Estimated
Units (Current)
Zoning
(Current)
Estimated
Units (Future)
Year Built Building SF Current ILR Common
Ownership
Affordability
Level
42 6314014018 4717 SLAUSON AVE 0.18 Outdated,
single story
Auto Service,
Body Shop with
significant
surface parking
Mixed Use CM 3 R-SA 9 1989 1281 1.50 Mixed/All
Income Levels
43 6314014019 4727 SLAUSON AVE 0.18 Outdated,
single story
Service,
Repairs
Mixed Use CM 3 R-SA 9 1957 1456 1.50 Mixed/All
Income Levels
44 6314014020 4735 SLAUSON AVE 0.18 Outdated,
single story
Club, Lodge
Mixed Use CM 3 R-SA 9 1958 6851 0.16 Mixed/All
Income Levels
45 6314014021 4741 SLAUSON AVE 0.18 Surface
Parking
Mixed Use CM 3 R-SA 9 0 0 - Mixed/All
Income Levels
47 6314014023 4751 SLAUSON AVE 0.18 Outdated,
single story
Light
Manufacturing
Mixed Use CM 3 R-SA 9 1967 3936 1.22 Mixed/All
Income Levels
48 6314014024 4755 SLAUSON AVE 0.05 Outdated,
single story
Light
Manufacturing
Mixed Use CM 1 R-SA 2 1955 1220 1.03 F Mixed/All
Income Levels
49 6314014025 4755 SLAUSON AVE 0.13 Outdated,
single story
Office
Mixed Use CM 2 R-SA 6 1955 3180 1.39 F Mixed/All
Income Levels
50 6314013017 4700 SLAUSON AVE 0.33 Outdated,
single story
Service Station
with significant
surface parking
Mixed Use CM 5 R-SA 16 1986 2540 0.29 Mixed/All
Income Levels
51 6314013016 4722 SLAUSON AVE 0.28 Outdated,
single story
Restaurant
Mixed Use CM 4 R-SA 13 1969 1097 1.38 G Mixed/All
Income Levels

CITY OF MAYWOOD - LAND USE ELEMENT UPDATE
36 Map ID APN Address Acres Existing Use General Plan Zoning (2019)
Estimated
Units (Current)
Zoning
(Current)
Estimated
Units (Future)
Year Built Building SF Current ILR Common
Ownership
Affordability
Level
52 6314013004 4728 SLAUSON AVE 0.35 Outdated,
single story
Light
Manufacturing
with significant
surface parking
Mixed Use CM 6 R-SA 17 1952 7080 0.68 G Mixed/All
Income Levels
53 6314013018 4756 SLAUSON AVE 0.52 Outdated,
single story
Church with
significant
surface parking
Mixed Use CM 8 R-SA 25 1937 3708 1.89 Mixed/All
Income Levels
66 6314024900 4801 SLAUSON AVE 0.36 Outdated,
single story
Light
Manufacturing
Mixed Use CM 6 R-SA 17 1956 8188 - City Mixed/All
Income Levels
67 6314024012 4815 SLAUSON AVE 0.14 Outdated,
single story SF
Residence
Mixed Use CM 2 R-SA 7 1922 900 0.26 I Mixed/All
Income Levels
68 6314024013 4819 SLAUSON AVE 0.15 Outdated,
single story
Warehouse
Mixed Use CM 2 R-SA 7 1923 872 1.17 I Mixed/All
Income Levels
69 6314024014 4825 SLAUSON AVE 0.12 Outdated,
single story
Duplex
Mixed Use CM -- R-SA 6 1942 937 1.43 Mixed/All
Income Levels
70 6314024030 4829 SLAUSON AVE 0.11 Outdated,
single story
Duplex
Mixed Use CM -- R-SA 5 1923 576 1.04 Mixed/All
Income Levels
71 6314024028 4833 SLAUSON AVE 0.12 Outdated,
single story
Store and
Residential
Mixed Use CM 2 R-SA 6 1967 480 0.74 Mixed/All
Income Levels
72 6314024017 4837 SLAUSON AVE 0.14 Outdated,
single story
Triplex
Mixed Use CM -- R-SA 7 1926 831 2.34 J Mixed/All
Income Levels
73 6314024018 4843 SLAUSON AVE 0.15 Outdated,
single story SF
Residence
Mixed Use CM 2 R-SA 7 1945 1152 1.17 J Mixed/All
Income Levels

CITY OF MAYWOOD - LAND USE ELEMENT UPDATE
37 Map ID APN Address Acres Existing Use General Plan Zoning (2019)
Estimated
Units (Current)
Zoning
(Current)
Estimated
Units (Future)
Year Built Building SF Current ILR Common
Ownership
Affordability
Level
74 6314024019 4847 SLAUSON AVE 0.13 Outdated,
single story
Fourplex
Mixed Use CM -- R-SA 6 1955 946 0.70 Mixed/All
Income Levels
75 6314024020 4851 SLAUSON AVE 0.10 Outdated,
single story
Store and
Residential
Mixed Use CM 2 R-SA 5 1961 450 0.89 Mixed/All
Income Levels
76 6314024021 4869 SLAUSON AVE 0.48 Outdated,
single story
Stores with
significant
surface parking
Mixed Use CM 8 R-SA 23 1960 1800 1.35 Mixed/All
Income Levels
Subtotal 9.50 149 461

CITY OF MAYWOOD - LAND USE ELEMENT UPDATE
38 4.4 KEY LAND USE ISSUES FOR MAYWOOD
The community has identified the following objectives as the most important to land use decision-making in Maywood:
• Preserve and Enhance Residential Neighborhoods;
• Encourage Mixed-Use Development;
• Promote Commercial Vitality;
• Support the Continued Operation of Industrial Uses;
• Ensure Access to and Quality of Services and Infrastructure as Maywood Grows; • Invest in the Aesthetic Quality of Maywood’s Public and Private Realms; and • Upgrade City Parks and Increase Amenities to Provide More Recreational Opporunities for Maywood Residents.

4.4.1 Preserve and Enhance Residential Neighborhoods
Housing covers nearly 60 percent of the City’s land area, offering residents a variety of housing choices: detached houses, duplexes, apartments, and housing designed to meet the special needs of the City's older residents. Maywood is a mature community (the majority of the housing stock is over 50 years in age); residential property maintenance is an important issue. If housing is not properly maintained, its deterioration can depress property values, discourage reinvestment, and eventually impact the quality of life in the neighborhoods. Furthermore, new residential development, which is predominately multi-family in nature, should be high quality and not overburden existing public facilities and services. Development standards for new multifamily projects should be established to regulate bulk and mass, among other issues. It is important to ensure ongoing preventative maintenance, housing improvement, and the new high-quality housing construction to preserve and enhance the quality of life in the neighborhoods.

Promote efforts to correct housing deficiencies including housing stock quality and availability.

Policies
• Provide adequate funding and staffing to support code enforcement programs. • Continued enforcement of building, zoning, health, and safety codes to improve quality of life for residents.

CITY OF MAYWOOD - LAND USE ELEMENT UPDATE
39 • Reduce overcrowding.
• Complete a comprehensive review, rewrite, and recodification of the City’s zoning ordinance. As part of this larger project, the effectiveness of front yard regulations for walls, fences, and hedges on residential properties will be reviewed to ensure that these elements are attractive and add value to the neighborhood. • Encourage conservation and rehabilitation programs aimed at improving and maintaining the quality of the existing housing stock in the City. • Establish, maintain, and enforce multi-family development standards that regulate the use of properties in a manner that protects the health, safety, and general welfare of the community and maintain neighborhood character.
• Review and adjust the PUD process and regulations.
• Use financing incentives (redevelopment funds, state and federal funds such as PHLA and HOME) in conjunction with code enforcement efforts to assist with rehabilitation of residential units.
• Coordinate and partner with other local agencies and nonprofit organizations to encourage with rehabilitation efforts and establish local rehabilitation programs. • Encourage developers of higher density multi-family projects to provide adequate parking facilities.
• Promote efforts to correct housing deficiencies including housing stock quality and availability.

4.4.2 Encourage Mixed-Use Development
Maywood's compact size, grid street pattern, access to public transportation, and intensity of development create conditions ideal for pedestrian activity and development approaches that combine places to live with places to work, shop, and pursue leisure activities. The concept of mixed-use development has long been established in intense urban downtowns, but the approach has proven successful at a smaller scale as well, as communities throughout California rediscover the efficiencies and vibrancy mixed-use development brings.

Mixed use development provides for the integration of commercial, office, and residential uses within a specific geographic area. Uses may be mixed vertically, with residential units above street-level office and retail businesses. Mixed-use development is permitted and encouraged along Slauson Avenue and Atlantic Boulevard. This approach to land use in Maywood will bring energy and diversity to Slauson Avenue and Atlantic Boulevard, with higher density residential

CITY OF MAYWOOD - LAND USE ELEMENT UPDATE
40 development in areas where services are available. To maintain the primarily business function of these districts, businesses must be oriented toward the street to encourage and facilitate pedestrian activity and access. The Zoning Code will establish design standards to encourage possible street/sidewalk/parking relationship and encourage pedestrian oriented activity.

Create a mixed-use district along Slauson Avenue and Atlantic Boulevard that provides opportunities for economic development and accommodates a complementary mix of commercial and residential uses.

Policies
• Provide zoning incentives that encourage mixed-use development that encourages pedestrian activity, creates connections between the various commercial uses, and is well designed.
• Promote the development of quality mixed-income housing in mixed-use areas by offering density bonuses and other financial or regulatory incentives for providing units for very-, low-, and moderate-income residents.
• Establish and enforce mixed-use development standards that address access, parking, pedestrian circulation, landscaping, and aesthetics.
• Require ground-floor commercial uses to be oriented to the street and sidewalks to support an appealing pedestrian experience and encourage foot traffic. • Encourage the utilization of these spaces for businesses that serve Maywood residents and provide services needed by Maywood residents, particularly those living in the adjacent mixed-use neighborhoods.
• Investigate opportunities to provide public parking to serve businesses along Slauson Avenue and Atlantic Boulevard. As part of the comprehensive zoning rewrite, the City will explore shared parking arrangements.
• Ensure that the architecture, landscape design, and site planning of mixed-use projects are of the highest quality, emphasizing a pedestrian scale, safe and convenient pedestrian access between uses, and spaces for public gathering. • Ensure that public gathering areas and plazas are incorporated within mixed-use projects to allow for social interaction and community activities. • Complete a comprehensive review, rewrite, and recodification of the City’s zoning ordinance.

CITY OF MAYWOOD - LAND USE ELEMENT UPDATE
41 • Review and adjust the PUD process and regulations.

4.4.3 Promote Commercial Vitality
Commercial businesses along Slauson Avenue and Atlantic Boulevard provide a vital revenue source for the City. Given Maywood's built-out character, the City encourages redeveloping outdated commercial uses to those that offer the optimal range of goods and services. Such redevelopment will not only boost the City's tax base, but will add convenience for residents to shop in Maywood rather than outside of the City. An important component of attracting this mix of businesses is to offer attractive and well-maintained business districts.

Promote new commercial development and the maintenance of existing commercial uses to enhance Maywood's commercial districts along Slauson Avenue and Atlantic Boulevard.

Policies
• Actively market and promote Maywood as a good place to do business, work, and live. • Attract and retain a wide range of businesses offering a range of commercial goods and services to the City’s residents.
• Strengthen the City's economic and tax base by attracting businesses that will provide both economic benefit to the community and provide needed services to residents. • Encourage increased private investment in neighborhoods. • Work with existing businesses to develop, expand, and implement strategies to market, attract, and retain a variety of retail and service commercial uses. • Target key sites/areas for the development of commercial projects that can accommodate an integrated mix of retail, office, restaurants, entertainment, and residential uses.
• Provide rehabilitation assistance to targeted commercial sites/areas to enable property owners to improve their commercial properties.
• Encourage the land assembly through public incentives to allow higher intensity commercial development.
• Provide assistance to non-conforming properties along Slauson Avenue to allow them to achieve conformance.
• Encourage redevelopment of older commercial properties and underutilized parcels.

CITY OF MAYWOOD - LAND USE ELEMENT UPDATE
42 • Continued enforcement of building, zoning, health, and safety codes to promote commercial property maintenance.
• Continue to enforce landscape, signage, and parking standards for commercial development.
• Require high-quality commercial development that contributes to Maywood’s character. • Encourage infill development that is architecturally and environmentally sensitive, incorporates sustainable planning and construction, and is compatible with neighboring land uses.
• Complete a comprehensive review, rewrite, and recodification of the City’s zoning ordinance.

4.4.4 Support the Continued Operation of Industrial Businesses Approximately six percent of the City's total land area (mostly located on the northeast and southeast corners of the City, adjacent to the cities of Vernon and Commerce) is dedicated to industrial use. Little or no opportunity for new industrial development exists in Maywood unless higher industrial development intensity is permitted to increase.

While the industrial businesses in Maywood are valued members of the community and opportunities exist for enhancing established industrial uses, the majority of the industrial properties are in close proximity to residential uses. As a result, intensification or recycling of the existing industrial uses may offer opportunities for eliminating inherent land use conflicts through transition to more compatible industrial uses and better site and building design In addition, Industrial Planned Unit Development Standards in the Zoning Code can serve as an incentive for industrial redevelopment and also be more compatible with less intense surrounding uses.

Maintain the City's existing industrial base while ensuring compatibility with adjacent uses.

Policies
• Facilitate the continued redevelopment of aging industrial uses to businesses more compatible with adjoining residential neighborhoods.
• Review and strengthen regulations for the establishment and operation of industrial uses that address parking, landscaping, screening of storage areas, and minimize nuisances such as smoke, noise, odors, and vibrations.

CITY OF MAYWOOD - LAND USE ELEMENT UPDATE
43 • Continued and increased enforcement of building, zoning, health, and safety codes to promote industrial property maintenance.
• Require industrial developments to provide adequate on-site employee and business parking to minimize adverse impact and congestion on local streets. Revised parking standards will also reduce conflicts between adjacent uses. Given Maywood’s small size and dense development pattern, incompatible land uses are necessarily adjacent to one another without the typical buffer or transitional uses. There are several areas where one side of the street is industrial and the other is residential, this creates a lot of conflicts when parking is limited and commercial vehicles are utilizing on-street parking.

4.4.5 Ensure Access to and Quality of Services and Infrastructure As one of the most densely populated communities in Los Angeles County and, in fact, the nation, Maywood's public facilities and services experience full utilization. The City and other public service entities provide the full range of urban facilities and services for Maywood residents and businesses: water supply, treatment, and distribution; sewage treatment, solid waste disposal; drainage/flood control; fire protection and emergency services; law enforcement, public education; parks, community centers and recreational opportunities; and libraries. The provision and maintenance of these services and facilities protect the quality of life and enhance the livability of the community.

Public facilities and services require upgrading and expansion on a periodic basis to accommodate future growth and development and to address the stresses on the facilities imposed by time. The following goals and policies work to ensure that future development is paced appropriately so that public services and facilities continue to be provided at acceptable levels of service to meet the community's needs.

Ensure that public facilities and services have sufficient capacity to support new development.

Policies
• Properly locate and adequately size public facilities to meet existing and projected demand.
• Evaluate the impact of development proposals on public facilities and services. • Require residential development proposals to include an evaluation of the capacity for sewer service, water supply, and other types of infrastructure. • Coordinate with public and private agencies to improve public facilities as density increases.

CITY OF MAYWOOD - LAND USE ELEMENT UPDATE
44 • Periodically inventory and monitor the condition of the City's sewer, water, storm drainage, streets, and parks, libraries, schools, health care facilities, and other supporting appurtenances
• Work with public and quasi-public service providers to ensure that the City's investment in its infrastructure is protected.
• Utilize redevelopment planning to improve infrastructure and streetscapes • throughout the City.

4.4.6 Invest in the Aesthetic Quality of Maywood’s Public and Private Realms Maintaining pride in the community requires continued reinvestment in the aesthetic quality of residential neighborhoods and business districts. Community aesthetics apply to both private and public properties, particularly streetscape improvements. Slauson Avenue and Atlantic Boulevard are the most traveled streets within Maywood, serving both local and regional traffic.

Enhancement along these corridors can create an enduring positive image for the City.

Enhancements may include street trees, undergrounding of utilities, street furniture, enhanced paving, signage, and lighting. The City, working with nonprofit partners and grant awards, has implemented an aggressive tree planting program to enhance the city’s throughfares and help reduce the urban heat island effect. In addition to the tree planting program, the City has received a $1.3 million grant from Clean CA to enhance and upgrade commercial corridors and industrial areas. This grant will improve landscaping and other enhancements in the public realm, softening the transition between commercial/industrial uses and residential neighborhoods. These projects include public art, utility box murals, landscaping, intersection bump outs, and other means to reduce the amount of pavement in the public realm. The City will add monument signs at city entrances and additional signage to deter dumping.

Maywood has the opportunity to differentiate itself when visitors, shoppers, or residents enter the City from neighboring jurisdictions. Gateways can have distinctive design features such as signs, graphics, landscaping, and accent lighting to welcome people to Maywood.

Provide maintenance and beautification of buildings, streetscapes, and neighborhoods.

Policies
• Establish attractive, identifiable City gateways.
• Undertake continued and consistent enforcement of building, zoning, health, and safety codes to promote property maintenance.
• Provide adequate funding and staffing to support code enforcement programs.

CITY OF MAYWOOD - LAND USE ELEMENT UPDATE
45 • Promote neighborhood beautification efforts.
• Direct efforts at maintaining and upgrading commercial and industrial areas of the community which have experienced disinvestment.
• Enhance the streetscapes throughout Maywood.
• Develop a strategy for ongoing public realm improvements.

4.4.7 Upgrade city parks and increase amenities to provide more recreational opportunities to Maywood residents
Maywood has limited parkland and open space in the City. There is not an opportunity to provide additional parks, so the City relies on the provision of open space in redevelopment projects and partnerships with the LAUSD to provide residents access to school recreational facilities. The City has been actively improving its municipal parks, increasing and updating amenities to expand recreational offerings for Maywood residents. In addition to a tree planting effort, the City has sought grants to provide or improve recreational amenities in its parks. There is a brand new soccer field and a Dodgers Dreamfield was unveiled at Maywood Park in 2022.

The Dodgers Dreamfield project included refurbishing an existing baseball diamond with new playing surfaces and grass, providing an enclosed field, upgraded dugouts, new pitcher’s mounds and bullpens, and the addition of a LED scoreboard that looks like the scoreboard at Dodger’s Stadium. The project also includes a new training zone. The YMCA’s building is owned by the City; the City works cooperatively with the YMCA to ensure adequate recreational amenities and undertake maintenance and improvement projects. In addition to routine maintenance of the pool at the YMCA, the City has recently upgraded and improved the splash pad. Riverfront Park has also undergone a transformation with the addition of exercise equipment and tree plantings.

Improve access to and quality of community services and facilities within the City.

Policies
• Continue to share public school recreation land and facilities for City recreation uses and/or community uses.
• Encourage the coordination of social and childcare programs. • Support the rehabilitation and expansion of the Maywood Cesar Chavez Library to meet the community’s changing needs.
• Encourage the development of a new civic center that will serve as a source of community pride and identity.

CITY OF MAYWOOD - LAND USE ELEMENT UPDATE
46 • Assure the effective participation of Maywood residents in land use decisions. • Improve pedestrian and ADA access to community facilities and services and commercial services throughout the city;
• Improve and expand community services and facilities for seniors, including community centers, hospitals, dental office, and health clinics.

4.5 ZONING AND THE LAND USE ELEMENT
The Maywood Zoning Ordinance serves as the primary tool for implementing land use policy.

Under California law, the zoning ordinance must be consistent with the General Plan, requiring that each land use category has one or more corresponding zone designations. The development standards and land use regulations contained in the zoning ordinance must reflect the policy statements contained in the Land Use Element. While the General Plan may be somewhat general in its discussion of permitted land uses and development intensities, the zoning ordinance must provide the specificity property owners and developers seek in identifying how particular properties can be used and developed. The City of Maywood intends to complete a comprehensive zoning rewrite in FY 2025; through that process, updates necessary for compliance with the General Plan and state law as well as any other inconsistencies will be addressed and remedied. The Housing Element and this Land Use Element identify a number of zoning programs and changes to be made during the comprehensive zoning rewrite. Figure 18 shows the City’s existing zoning designations and Table 7 identifies the relationship between land use categories and zoning designations.

CITY OF MAYWOOD - LAND USE ELEMENT UPDATE
47 Figure 18: City of Maywood Zoning Map
Please note: Some of the smaller parks and pocket parks are zoned residential so they do not appear on this map.

CITY OF MAYWOOD - LAND USE ELEMENT UPDATE
48 Table 7: General Plan/Zoning Consistency
General Plan Use Category Corresponding Zone
Designation(s) Notes
Residential R-3, R-SA R-SA is an overlay district
Town Center Commercial C, CC City Center is an overlay
district
Mixed Use CM
Industrial M
Public/ Quasi-Public PF
Park OS
Education PF
Solid and Liquid Waste Disposal C, CM, M With applicable restrictions and approvals
Greenways OS n/a in Maywood
Timberland Preserve Zone Lands - n/a in Maywood
Military Land Uses -

4.6 IMPLICATIONS OF LAND USE POLICY
Over time, as property owners redevelop sites within the City and changes in land use or intensity occur consistent with this Land Use Element, the overall distribution of land use will shift. Table 8 summarizes the shift in land uses from the existing to the proposed uses and the corresponding level of development anticipated to result from implementation of the Land Use Policy Map, and the goals and policies contained in this Element.

CITY OF MAYWOOD - LAND USE ELEMENT UPDATE
49 Table 8: Existing and Proposed Land Use and Population Estimates Land Use
Category
Existing
Acres
Percent
of Total
Proposed
acres
Percent
of Total
Proposed
Average
Density
Existing
Dwelling
Units
Proposed
Dwelling
Units*
Existing
Square Feet
(in
1,000)
Potential
Square Feet
(in
1,000)
Population*
27,332
Residential 441 59% 441 59% 16 du/ac 6,836 7,056 +862
Residential –
Senior/Affordable
Overlay
4 1% 4 1% 60 du/ac --- 240 +940
Mixed Use
Residential
7 1% 7 1% 35 du/ac --- 245 +959
Commercial
(General
Commercial)
55 7% 44 6% 0.30 99 586
Town Center
Commercial
12 2% 12 2% 0.25 131 156
Industrial 45 6% 45 6% 0.40 689 802
Public/QuasiPublic17 2% 17 2% 0.25 183 245
Parks 7 <1% 7 <1%
Streets and
ROWs
172 23% 172 23%
Total 760 100% 760 100% 6,701 7,541 1,102 1,789 30,093

CITY OF MAYWOOD - LAND USE ELEMENT UPDATE
50 The buildout population projections presented in this table are based on the projected number of dwelling units that can be accommodated and the year 2019 5-Year American Community Survey persons per household factor for Maywood, which is 4.00. A 2.1% vacancy rate is applied to the population and housing estimates per the 2019 5-Year American Community Survey. The base population number is also based on the 2019 5-Year American Community Survey.

CITY OF MAYWOOD - LAND USE ELEMENT UPDATE
1 APPENDIX A
Proof of Publication

una visión compartida para Maywood
CommUNITY
General Plan Update
2023

CIRCULATION

ELEMENT

CITY OF MAYWOOD - CIRCULATION ELEMENT
Table of Contents

1.0 INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................... 2.3

1.1 SCOPE AND CONTENT OF THE CIRCULATION ELEMENT................ 2.4

1.2 RELATIONSHIP/CORRELATION TO OTHER GENERAL PLAN
ELEMENTS .................................................................................................. 2.4

2.0 RELATED PLANS AND PROGRAMS ...................................................................................... 2.5

2.1 MAYWOOD ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION BIKE AND PEDESTRIAN
MASTER PLAN............................................................................................ 2.5

2.2 SCAG REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION PLAN – CONNECT
SOCAL .......................................................................................................... 2.5

2.3 METRO CONGESTION MANAGEMENT PLAN ...................................... 2.5

2.4 I-701 MAJOR CORRIDOR STUDIES ........................................................ 2.6

2.5 REGIONAL AIR QUALITY MANAGEMENT PLAN .................................. 2.7

3.0 IMPORTANT CONCEPTS AND TERMS................................................................................. 3.7

3.1 LEVEL OF SERVICE ...................................................................................... 3.7

3.2 INTELLIGENT TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS ...................................... 3.8

3.3 STREET/HIGHWAY CLASSIFICATIONS ................................................. 3.9

3.3.1 FREEWAY................................................................................................... 3.11

3.3.2 MAJOR HIGHWAY ................................................................................... 3.11

3.3.3 SECONDARY HIGHWAY.......................................................................... 3.11

3.3.4 COLLECTOR .............................................................................................. 3.11

3.3.5 LOCAL STREET ......................................................................................... 3.12

3.3.6 LOCAL ROADWAY SAFETY PLAN (LRSP) ROADWAY
CLASSIFICATIONS................................................................................ 3.12

3.4 BICYCLE PATH CLASSIFICATION ......................................................... 3.13

3.4.1 BICYCLE PATHS ....................................................................................... 3.13

3.4.2 BICYCLE LANES ....................................................................................... 3.13

3.4.3 BICYCLE ROUTES .................................................................................... 3.13

4.0 CIRCULATION PLAN ............................................................................................................ 4.13

4.1 REGIONAL ACCESS - EXISTING AND PROPOSED MAJOR
THOROUGHFARES .................................................................................. 4.13

4.1.1 I-710 FREEWAY ISSUES .......................................................................... 4.13

4.2 EXISTING AND PROPOSED TRANSPORTATION ROUTES ............... 4.15

4.2.1 NEIGHBORHOOD TRAFFIC SAFETY .................................................... 4.16

4.2.2 TRUCK ROUTES AND COMMERCIAL GOODS MOVEMENT ............ 4.17

4.2.3 COMPLETE STREETS .............................................................................. 4.18

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4.2.4 PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION................................................................... 4.20

4.2.5 ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION: BICYCLE + PEDESTRIAN
NETWORKS ............................................................................................ 4.21

4.2.6 PARKING .................................................................................................... 4.25

4.2.7 EMERGING TRANSPORTATION SOLUTIONS..................................... 4.25

4.2.8 NON-INFRASTRUCTURE CIRCULATION IMPROVEMENTS ............ 4.26

4.2.9 TERMINALS AND MILITARY AIRPORTS/PORTS ............................... 4.27

4.2.10 PUBLIC UTILITIES .................................................................................... 4.27

APPENDICES
• Appendix A: Maywood Complete Streets Policy
• Appendix B: City of Maywood Local Roadway Safety Plan • Appendix C: City of Maywood Active Transportation Plan

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2.3 1.0 INTRODUCTION
Maywood has a well-developed multimodal circulation system. Its roadway network consists of two major arterial roadways (Slauson Avenue and Atlantic Boulevard), collector streets, and a street-grid network of local streets that connect residents to all parts of the City, as well as to neighboring communities. Regional vehicular access is provided by the nearby I-710 Freeway.

The City’s two major arterial roadways, Slauson Avenue and Atlantic Boulevard, provide local access within Maywood and serve as primary access to and from the nearby freeway system, mainly to the I-710 and the I-5 beyond I-710.

Maywood is served by two Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) buses. Route 108 runs east-west through Maywood along Slauson Avenue, connecting Maywood with Downey to the east and Marina Del Rey to the west. Route 260 runs north-south through Maywood along Atlantic Avenue, connecting Maywood with Altadena to the north and Compton to the south. To supplement local transit resources, the City operates two fixed-route shuttles and has a successful Dial-A-Ride program for elderly and/or disabled residents.

The City is actively implementing complete streets projects, which include prioritizing pedestrian and bicycle facilities throughout the City.

As one of the smallest and most densely developed communities in Los Angeles County and the country as a whole, Maywood's transportation system bears a significant burden. Wellplanned circulation is of utmost importance since the City relies heavily on the commercial corridors serving as major transportation thoroughfares. Travel delays and road hazards with the resulting driving frustrations not only impact public safety but also affect the economic wellbeing of the city The ease with which people can move within and through Maywood depends upon good circulation planning. In a built-out community like Maywood, where the street system is well established, opportunities for improving circulation may seem limited. The Circulation Element aims to be creative in addressing anticipated circulation needs and the ability of the road network and alternative transportation modes to meet travel demand into the future. The Circulation Element emphasizes the maintenance of a transportation system that responds to the demand of current and planned land uses, as set forth in the Land Use element, as well as the projected through traffic: intercommunity and freeway bound. This Circulation Element is also directly linked to the Environmental Justice element as access to transportation is often inequitable in traditional transportation networks.

CITY OF MAYWOOD - CIRCULATION ELEMENT

2.4 1.1 SCOPE AND CONTENT OF THE CIRCULATION ELEMENT
State law requires: " ... A circulation element consisting of the general location and extent of existing and proposed major thoroughfares, transportation routes, terminals, any military airports and ports, and other local public utilities and facilities, all correlated with the land use element of the plan."
In characterizing the correlation requirement, the circulation element of a general plan must provide meaningful proposals to address changes reflected in the land use element, and the land use element must provide meaningful proposals to reflect changes reflected in the circulation element. A proposal is “meaningful” if the element identifies reasonably reliable funding sources.

The provisions of a circulation element affect a community’s physical, social, and economic environment, as well as its health. SB 1000 requires local governments to address environmental justice considerations related to circulation - such as access to transportation systems, air quality related to transportation, delivery routes and transit options for nutritional food access, and promotion of physical activity.

The broad purpose of the Circulation Element is to define a safe, efficient, and adequate circulation system in Maywood that responds to all circulation needs. Circulation refers to the actual physical circulation system consisting of freeways, streets, bicycle routes, and sidewalks, as well as modes of transportation including cars, buses, trucks, trains, bicycles, ridesharing, and walking. People at different stages of their lives and for various reasons have different transportation needs. For example, a senior Maywood resident may ride the bus to shop for groceries but may need more specialized dial-a-ride services to visit a doctor. A young person may drive to work on weekdays but choose to bike to a park on weekends. This Element examines the transportation requirements of a diverse population and establishes appropriate policies.

1.2 RELATIONSHIP/CORRELATION TO OTHER GENERAL PLAN

ELEMENTS
The circulation system should accommodate the level of multi-modal traffic generated by current and future development within the City and by present and future through traffic created by any regional traffic growth. Thus, this Element presents a circulation plan that is based upon land use policy set forth in the Land Use Element, as well as the projected increase in through traffic and increase in multi-modal improvements for all category of users.

As required by SB 1000, this Circulation Element is also inextricably linked with the City’s firstever Environmental Justice Element. The entire City of Maywood is an environmental justice area; circulation and transportation access remain an important burden most often borne by those with the fewest options.

CITY OF MAYWOOD - CIRCULATION ELEMENT

2.5 2.0 RELATED PLANS AND PROGRAMS

2.1 MAYWOOD ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION BIKE AND PEDESTRIAN

MASTER PLAN
Concurrent with this update of the Circulation Element, the City of Maywood completed an Active Transportation Bike and Pedestrian Master Plan in October 2023 with the goal of providing “a clear and comprehensive framework for safer, more convenient non-motorized transportation options throughout the City.” The Maywood Active Transportation Plan engaged more than 150 people through several community events and charettes. Community feedback on the Active Transportation Plan was consistent with the feedback received during events supporting the General Plan Update and can be categorized into XX themes: excessive vehicle speeds, narrow streets, and the feeling of “unsafe” streets. Recommendations based on the existing conditions research, community feedback, and transportation best practices are provided in six categories: bicycle network recommendations, bicycle intersection recommendations, pedestrian intersection recommendations, roadway recommendations, regional connectivity recommendations, and non-infrastructure recommendations. All recommendations of the Active Transportation Plan are also considered recommendations of this Circulation Element Update. The Active Transportation Plan can be found in Appendix C of this Element.

2.2 SCAG REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION PLAN – CONNECT SOCAL
Adopted on September 3, 2020, The Regional Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy of the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) addresses regional issues, goals, objectives, and policies for the Southern California region. The plan, which SCAG periodically updates to reflect changing conditions in the southland, has been developed with active participation from local agencies, elected officials, the business community, community groups, private institutions, and private citizens. The plan sets broad goals for the region and provides strategies to reduce problems related to congestion and mobility.

Connect SoCal charts a path toward a more mobile, sustainable, and prosperous region by making connections between transportation networks, between planning strategies and between the people whose collaboration can improve the quality of life for Southern Californians.

2.3 METRO CONGESTION MANAGEMENT PLAN
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (METRO) is responsible for planning and operating regional transit facilities in Los Angeles County. As part of its functions, METRO prepares the Congestion Management Plan, or CMP, mandated by State law. Individual

CITY OF MAYWOOD - CIRCULATION ELEMENT

2.6 cities within the County are responsible for implementing the CMP. The Los Angeles County CMP identifies the transportation network, establishes services levels for network routes, identifies strategies to reduce congestion, and sets forth requirements for local jurisdictions to ensure CMP compliance. The CMP for Los Angeles County requires that the traffic impact of individual development projects of potentially regional significance be analyzed.

The CMP identifies a network of arterial roadways and all freeways in the County that comprise the CMP system. The Long Beach Freeway, 1-710, is the only regional roadway/freeway that is relevant to the City of Maywood, according to the CMP. While the I-710 freeway falls outside the Maywood city boundaries, it plays an integral role in affecting mobility in the City and is therefore addressed in this Circulation Element.

In June of 2018, the METRO Board of Directors acted to initiate the process to opt-out of the State-mandated program and directed METRO to consult with local jurisdictions to consider and prepare the necessary resolutions for jurisdictions to exempt themselves from the program. The California Government Code Section 65088.3 states that jurisdictions within a county may optout of the CMP requirement without penalty, if a majority of local jurisdictions of the County's population formally adopt resolutions requesting to opt-out of the program.

2.4 I-701 MAJOR CORRIDOR STUDIES
Facilitated by the Governor's Traffic Congestion Relief Plan, in 2002 Caltrans, Gateway Cities Council of Governments, the Los Angeles County METRO, and SCAG initiated a multi-year Major Corridor Study of the 1-710, Long Beach Freeway to analyze traffic congestion and other mobility problems along this Corridor and to develop multi-modal, timely, cost-effective transportation solutions from the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach to State Route 60. This study constitutes a comprehensive evaluation of the I-710 freeway corridor, parallel arterials, and other components of the system's infrastructure, including goods movement analysis focusing on truck transport. Maywood City officials and staff participate in policy and technical planning to ensure Maywood's interests were appropriately reflected in the strategy.

The plan proposed the widening of a 19-mile stretch of the 710 Freeway from East Los Angeles to Long Beach. In May of 2022 METRO rejected the widening project and selected a “no build” alternative, putting an end to the project and closing out the environmental impact report.

Eliminating widening was a major shift from a plan approved by the LA Metro board that would have required the destruction of hundreds of freeway-adjacent homes and businesses.

METRO launched the I-710 Corridor Investment Plan process in the Fall of 2021 in response to community members and stakeholders demands for a different vision for mobility in their communities. METRO, in partnership with community stakeholders along the I-710 South Corridor, is working to identify multimodal transportation projects and programs that will offer mobility options that embrace equity and sustainability with goals that foster a healthier

CITY OF MAYWOOD - CIRCULATION ELEMENT

3.7 lifestyle, economic vitality, social equity, environmental stewardship, and access to opportunity for all.

2.5 REGIONAL AIR QUALITY MANAGEMENT PLAN
The federal Clean Air Act requires preparation of plans to improve air quality in any region designated as a non-attainment area. (A non-attainment area is a geographic area identified by the Environmental Protection Agency and/or California Air Resources Board as not meeting federal or state standards for a given pollutant). The plan must outline specific programs, strategies, and timelines for bringing the area into compliance with national and/or state air quality standards.

The Air Quality Management Plan prepared by the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD), first adopted in 1994 and updated on a three-year cycle, contains policies and measures designed to achieve federal and state standards for healthier air quality in the South Coast Air Basin. Many of the programs address circulation improvements since fossilfuel­powered vehicles account for more than 60 percent of nitrogen oxides emissions and 70 percent of the carbon monoxide emissions within the basin.

In October of 2015, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) strengthened the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for ground-level ozone, lowering the primary and secondary ozone standard levels to 70 parts per billion (ppb). The South Coast Air Basin is classified as an “extreme” non-attainment area and the Coachella Valley is classified as a “severe-15” non-attainment area for the 2015 Ozone NAAQS. The 2022 AQMP is being developed to address the requirements for meeting this standard.

3.0 IMPORTANT CONCEPTS AND TERMS

3.1 LEVEL OF SERVICE
The efficiency and quality of traffic operations can be described in terms of Level of Service, or LOS. Levels of Service range from A to F, with LOS A indicating excellent operating conditions with little delay to motorists, and LOS F denoting congested conditions with excessive vehicle delay. Generally, LOS D is considered the lowest acceptable operating conditions on an urban arterial roadway. The LOS designations correspond to volume­to-capacity (V/C) ratios calculated for roadways. For example, a roadway that carries 18,000 vehicles per day, with a capacity to accommodate 20,000 vehicles per day, has a V/C of 0.90. Table C-1 correlates the roadway LOS interpretation to V/C ranges and the actual traffic conditions associated with each LOS designation. While Level of Service is still the most commonly-used metric to evaluate an intersection, there are many factors that influence how an intersection operates and Level of

CITY OF MAYWOOD - CIRCULATION ELEMENT

3.8 Service is limited in it only evaluates traffic timing, it does not evaluate intersection safety nor consider how bicyclists and pedestrians interact with the intersection.

Table 1: LEVEL OF SERVICE INTERPRETATION AT SIGNALIZED INTERSECTIONS Level of
Service Description
Volume to
Capacity Ratio
A Excellent operation. All approaches to the intersection appear quite open, turning movements are easily made,
and nearly all drivers find freedom of operation. 0-0.60 B Very good operation. Many drivers begin to feel
somewhat restricted within platoons of vehicles. This
represents stable flow. An approach to an intersection
may occasionally be fully utilized and traffic queues start to form 0.61-0.70
C Good operation. Occasionally drivers may have to wait more than 60 seconds, and back-ups may develop behind
turning vehicles. Most drivers feel somewhat restricted 0.71-0.80 D Fair operation. Cars are sometimes required to wait more than 60 seconds during short peaks. There are no longstanding traffic queues. This level is typically associated with design practice for peak periods. 0.81-0.90
E Poor operation. Some long-standing vehicular queues
develop on critical approaches to intersections. Delays may be up to several minutes. 0.91-1.00
F Forced flow. Represents jammed conditions. Backups
form locations downstream or on the cross street may
restrict or prevent movement of vehicles out of the
intersection approach lanes; therefore, volumes carried are not predictable. Potential for stop and go type traffic flow. Over 1.00
Source: Highway Capacity Manual, Special Report 209, Transportation Research Board, Washington, D.C., 1985 and Interim Materials on Highway Capacity, NCHRP Circular 212, 1982

3.2 INTELLIGENT TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS
The application of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) technology allows control of traffic by advanced computer and communication technologies. The goal of ITS is to reduce travel times, vehicle delay, and overall congestion. Additional benefits accrued from the application of ITS include safety and traveler information. A number of corridors and areas in Maywood are ideally suited for ITS application, provided coordination with adjacent cities allows for an interconnected system to facilitate through traffic.

CITY OF MAYWOOD - CIRCULATION ELEMENT

3.9 3.3 STREET/HIGHWAY CLASSIFICATIONS
Roadways typically are classified according to their overall purpose or function within a system of roads. Road classification is based primarily on traffic volume and on the interruption of traffic flow. For example, freeways carry very high traffic volumes and have an uninterrupted flow (no traffic signals or stop signs, and access is limited to freeway ramps and interchanges) while local roads offer free access to neighboring land uses and provide on street parking. See Figure 3 for the classifications of Maywood’s roadways.

Maywood uses five roadway classifications for which standards are prescribed. The development standards are based on the Los Angeles County Code Book, with modifications to collectors and local streets to better reflect existing conditions within Maywood.

CITY OF MAYWOOD - CIRCULATION ELEMENT

3.10 Figure 1: Roadway Cross-Section by Classification (not to scale) Source: CBA, January 2003, Katz, Okitsu & Associates

CITY OF MAYWOOD - CIRCULATION ELEMENT

3.11 3.3.1 FREEWAY
A freeway is a controlled access, high-speed roadway with grade-separated interchanges. A freeway is intended to carry high volumes of traffic from region to region. The planning, design, construction, and maintenance of freeways in California are the responsibility of the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans). There are no freeways in Maywood.

3.3.2 MAJOR HIGHWAY
The function of a Major Highway is to connect traffic from minor arterials and collectors to other parts of the city, freeway interchanges, and adjacent major land uses. Major Highways also provide a linkage between activity centers in the City to other adjacent communities and other parts of the region. Major Highways are designed to move large volumes of traffic, typically in the range of 40,000 to 60,000 vehicles per day. Major Highways have a curb-to-curb width of 84 feet within a 100-foot right-of-way. Eight-foot sidewalks are recommended. Access to adjacent land uses and the presence of parking should be minimal or prohibited completely.

There are no major highways in Maywood.

3.3.3 SECONDARY HIGHWAY
A Secondary Highway serves as an intermediate route to carry traffic between local streets, collectors, and Major Highways. Secondary Highways are intended to provide access to all types of land uses and generally have no limitation on access. Parking is generally allowed during all periods of the day or may be prohibited during morning/evening peak periods. This roadway classification is designed to carry moderate levels of traffic, generally in the range of 15,000 to 25,000 vehicles per day. Secondary Highways provide an 64-foot curb-to-curb width within an 80-foot right-of-way. Eight foot sidewalks should be provided on either side. Slauson Ave and Atlantic Boulevard are the City’s secondary highways. Randolph Street (which forms a portion of the City’s border with Bell) is also a secondary highway.

3.3.4 COLLECTOR
The primary purpose of a Collector is to serve as an intermediate route to carry traffic between local streets and highways. Collectors are intended to provide access to all types of land uses and generally have no limitation on access. Parking is typically allowed during all periods of the day or, if necessary, may be prohibited during peak hours on certain segments. Collectors are designed to carry moderate levels of traffic, generally in the range of 10,000 to 15,000 vehicles per day. A Collector has a curb-to-curb width that ranges from 40 to 54 feet contained within a 64-foot right-of-way.

Given the city’s tight grid system, none of the roadways in Maywood are designed as collector streets, but several serve this purpose.

CITY OF MAYWOOD - CIRCULATION ELEMENT

3.12 3.3.5 LOCAL STREET
Local streets provide direct vehicular, pedestrian, and bicycle access to adjacent land uses.

They are intended to carry low volumes of traffic, typically narrow, and allow unrestricted parking. Local streets in Maywood have a 36-foot curb-to-curb width within a 5O-foot right-ofway. All of Maywood’s remaining streets are densely developed local streets.

3.3.6 LOCAL ROADWAY SAFETY PLAN (LRSP) ROADWAY CLASSIFICATIONS The City of Maywood (working with Kimly-Horn) recently completed a LRSP, in which four roadway classifications were used: Principal Arterial (Slauson Avenue and Atlantic Boulevard), Minor Arterial (Maywood Avenue, Loma Vista Avenue, Gifford Avenue, Heliotrope Avenue, Alamo Avenue, E 55th Street, E 52nd Place, and Fruitland Avenue), Collector (Randoph Avenue, Heliotrope Circle, and E 52nd Street), and Local (all other roads).

Figure 2: Roadway Classifications (2022 Local Roadway Safety Plan)

CITY OF MAYWOOD - CIRCULATION ELEMENT

4.13 3.4 BICYCLE PATH CLASSIFICATION
Bicycle travel is accommodated either on or separate from the local road network. Maywood has adopted the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) bicycle path classification system as follows:

3.4.1 BICYCLE PATHS
Class I bike paths have exclusive rights-of-way intended to serve cyclists with the safest means of travel. They are physically separated from motor vehicle traffic by a barrier or spatial distance.

3.4.2 BICYCLE LANES
Class II bicycle lanes are located along a curb lane of a street or highway. The path is generally denoted with pavement markings and lane line markings. Motor vehicles are prohibited from driving in bike lanes except when turning to and from driveways or intersections.

3.4.3 BICYCLE ROUTES
Class Ill bicycle routes are intended for shared use with pedestrian or motor vehicle traffic.

Signs are posted to indicate that the road also serves as a bike route, although no special striping is provided.

4.0 CIRCULATION PLAN

4.1 REGIONAL ACCESS - EXISTING AND PROPOSED MAJOR

THOROUGHFARES
The regional transportation system includes freeways, highways, and major thoroughfares that provide City residents and the business community with access to all areas of Los Angeles County and beyond. Interstate 710 (Long Beach Freeway) is located approximately one-quarter mile east of Maywood. Access to and from the I-710 is achieved only through the ramp systems at the intersection of Atlantic Boulevard and Bandini Boulevard. The next closest interchange is at Florence Avenue, approximately one mile beyond the southern boundary of Maywood.

4.1.1 I-710 FREEWAY ISSUES
Interstate 710 is a vital interstate route, yet no major improvement has been made since it was built in the 1970s. Traffic volumes along the entire stretch of I-710 have overwhelmed the original design capacity of the freeway interstate, particularly at interchanges. Due to the limited freeway access for Maywood and adjacent cities, the interchange of I-710 at Atlantic Boulevard

CITY OF MAYWOOD - CIRCULATION ELEMENT

4.14 is severely congested during the morning and evening peak hours. The volume of truck traffic from the ports to warehouse and distribution points throughout Southern California has also accelerated the deterioration of I-710. Given its proximity to numerous rail yards to the north, Maywood is significantly impacted by I-710 congestion.

The METRO-sponsored I-710 Corridor Study has presented numerous alternatives and several proposed improvements to the freeway, its parallel arterials, and interchanges. These changes would benefit Maywood by eliminating design deficiencies at the Atlantic Boulevard interchange, possibly widening Atlantic Boulevard to increase capacity, and even adding an additional interchange at Slauson Avenue just east of the City. The new Slauson Avenue interchange proposed by Caltrans is anticipated to occur within the timeframe of the Maywood General Plan (before the year 2022). This interchange would provide full access to the I-710 from Slauson Avenue and potentially relieve congestion at the nearby Atlantic Boulevard interchange.

In January of 2022, the City of Maywood released an RFP to provide engineering services for the preparation of Project Approval and Environmental Documents (PAED) & Plans, Specifications and Estimates (PS&E) for the Slauson Ave. and Atlantic Blvd. Congestion Relief Improvements.

The purpose of this project is to relieve congestion along the Slauson Avenue Corridor within the City of Maywood, to increase capacity, improve traffic flow and operation by reducing delay from equipment upgrades and traffic signal synchronization.

The City supports enhanced public transit as a means to alleviate regional traffic congestion on the I-710 and other freeways and highways surrounding the City. Although they do not passthrough Maywood, the Metro A Line (Blue) and Metro C Line (Green) provide additional transportation options for City residents.

Goals & Policies
Minimize freeway impacts on the local street system while ensuring convenient access to the long Beach Freeway (I-710) from Maywood.

Policies
• Support efforts of the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) to improve traffic flow on the freeway system and thereby reduce impacts on the City’s arterial network.
• Work with Caltrans to provide a full or partial interchange of the Long Beach Freeway at Slauson Avenue.
• Support efforts of Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (METRO and other transportation agencies to increase use of mass transit and other alternatives

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4.15 to single-occupant and private automobiles as a way to reduce potential traffic loads on the Long Beach Freeway
• Support the I-710 Corridor Investment Plan process that is working to identify multimodal transportation projects and programs that will offer mobility options that embrace equity and sustainability with goals that foster a healthier lifestyle, economic vitality, social equity, environmental stewardship, and access to opportunity for all.

4.2 EXISTING AND PROPOSED TRANSPORTATION ROUTES
Maywood's roadway network consists of two major arterial roadways (Slauson Avenue and Atlantic Boulevard), collector streets, and a street-grid network of local streets that connect residents to all parts of the City, as well as to neighboring communities. Regional vehicular access is provided by the nearby I-710 Freeway. The City’s two major arterial roadways, Slauson Avenue and Atlantic Boulevard, provide local access within Maywood and serve as primary access to and from the nearby freeway system, mainly to the I-710 and the I-5 beyond I-710.

All of Maywood’s streets have sidewalks. There are no dedicated bikeways identified on the LA County Bikeways Map, but the Los Angeles River Bicycle Trail runs along the City’s eastern boundary. The City is actively working to add bike lanes (where possible) and sharrow markings along city streets. The City’s Circulation Plan is shown in Figure 3. Maywood’s street network is fully developed and there is no opportunity to create new roads or to widen existing streets.

Atlantic Boulevard and Slauson Avenue are the two Secondary Highways that provide access to all parts of the City and link Maywood to the freeway system (Figure 3). As Atlantic Boulevard and Slauson Avenue are the primary facilities in the City for local and through traffic, the Atlantic Boulevard/Slauson Avenue intersection experiences heavy volumes and congestion through most of the day. As local and regional traffic growth places more vehicles on these two roadways, pressure to increase the number of lanes on either or both roadway may increase.

The City is focused on improving circulation for all users throughout the community and undertakes street improvement projects in an ongoing manner as funding permits. Recent improvements to Atlantic and Slauson include the construction of a raised and landscaped median and the provision of a third lane in each direction during peak hours. While very limited opportunities exist to widen these roadways, there are other opportunities to improve traffic flow and safety. These improvements include the use of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) linked to signal networks throughout Maywood and in adjacent communities; using CCTV to monitor road conditions, improving enforcement of existing traffic laws, and rationalizing distribution and deliveries. Improving bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure can also improve traffic conditions, by making biking and walking safer and more desirable. The City has been focused on enhancing the bicycle and pedestrian experience and providing additional bike/ped infrastructure throughout the City.

CITY OF MAYWOOD - CIRCULATION ELEMENT

4.16 Figure 3: Circulation Plan / Roadway Classifications

4.2.1 NEIGHBORHOOD TRAFFIC SAFETY
Cut-through traffic, specifically around the intersection of Slauson Avenue and Atlantic Boulevard during peak travel hours, is a substantial neighborhood traffic safety concern in Maywood. Though the primary issue with cut-through traffic is at the intersection of Slauson Avenue and Atlantic Boulevard, the use of GPS technology has made cut-through traffic significantly worse throughout the community.

One of the ways that cities have done to reduce traffic impacts on residential streets is developing neighborhood protection plans. Such plans have been very effective in reducing traffic impacts on local residential streets by either slowing the speed of traffic and/or reducing the volume of cut-through traffic by making it less convenient for motorists to reach residential streets. The Circulation Element recommends that Maywood establish a Neighborhood Traffic Control Program, with the overall objective of reducing traffic impacts and thereby improving the livability of its neighborhoods.

The Neighborhood Traffic Control Program design and adoption process will ensure that every neighborhood with demonstrated traffic problems has equal access to neighborhood traffic control measures. The Program depends upon citizen involvement and may vary from year to

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4.17 year based upon funding available for neighborhood traffic control. The design and adoption process includes the following nine steps:
• Step 1: Identify Candidate Streets/Neighborhoods
• Step 2: Conduct Preliminary Screening and Evaluation
• Step 3: Survey/Petition Affected Persons
• Step 4: Prepare an Engineering Analysis
• Step 5: Convene Neighborhood Meetings
• Step 6: Determine Prioritization and Funding
• Step 7: Develop Demonstration Project
• Step 8: Make Determination of Permanent Project
• Step 9: Monitoring
Implementation of a successful neighborhood protection plan requires consultation with the neighborhood residents because the associated physical modifications often result in modified neighborhood travel patterns. To discourage cut-through traffic, the neighborhood streets must be made less attractive as alternate routes. This typically means making the street more difficult to access and slower to drive through. These changes not only impact neighborhood residents but also motorists cutting through the neighborhood. As appropriate, measures will be implemented on a temporary basis to test the effectiveness of the neighborhood protection plan and gauge community reaction.

4.2.2 TRUCK ROUTES AND COMMERCIAL GOODS MOVEMENT
A great deal of movement of freight by truck occurs in and through Maywood. Proximity to the I710, the I-5 and to the industrial city-of Vernon contributes to the increased truck traffic experienced by Maywood residents. The City has designated a number of streets as truck routes to ensure the orderly movement of commercial vehicles carrying goods and materials throughout the community. The truck routes in Maywood connect with those in adjacent cities to form an integrated surface street network for the movement of trucks. Figure 4 shows the designated truck routes within the City. As most of the designated truck routes are also highly traveled city roadways, it is imperative that Maywood ensures that these routes are improved to maintain safe and efficient traffic flows for non-truck motorists and pedestrians.

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4.18 Figure 4: Truck Routes

4.2.3 COMPLETE STREETS
Through its adopted Complete Streets Policy, The City of Maywood has expressed its commitment to creating and maintaining Complete Streets that provide safe, comfortable, and convenient travel along and across streets, roads, highways, and bridges through a comprehensive, integrated transportation network that serves all categories of users, including pedestrians, users and operators of public transit, bicyclists, persons with disabilities, seniors, children, motorists, users of green modes, and movers of commercial goods, and emergency first responders. Since 2021, the City has coordinated with local non-profit organizations to add street trees to areas of the city most affected by the urban heat island effect; this program is expected to continue.

Safety continues to be a concern in Maywood and region. Between 2016 and 2020, there were more than 1,100 collisions in Maywood. Most of these collisions were minor, but there were two fatalities and sixteen severe injuries during the time period. Nine of the severe injuries occurred in collisions between vehicles and pedestrians. (2022 Local Roadway Safety Plan)

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4.19 Goals & Policies
Provide a safe, local multi-modal transportation system that accommodates current and future volumes and needs for all category of users.

Policies
• Implement the 2022 Local Roadway Safety Plan (LRSP).
• Update current roadway standards to reflect existing conditions and conform to County standards.
• Pursue funding sources from regional, state, and federal agencies for future circulation improvements, including but not limited to SAFETA-LU or subsequent programs, Proposition C, gas tax, and State infrastructure funding programs for future improvements on Slauson Avenue and Atlantic Boulevard.
• Implement Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) technologies to improve traffic flow. • Implement the complete streets policy including requiring new commercial development projects provide adequate bicycle and pedestrian facilities and amenities such as street trees, landscaping, paving, benches, waste receptacles, and bicycle racks. • Establish and maintain a Neighborhood Traffic Control Program to address cut-through traffic, traffic calming, and other neighborhood traffic issues. • Establish a designated safe route to local schools utilizing measures in the Neighborhood Traffic Control Program.
• Maintain truck routes consistent with Figure 4.
• Implement the Roadway Recommendations of the City of Maywood Active Transportation Plan including the addition of speed humps, curb extensions, and edge line treatment to help reduce vehicle speeds in residential neighborhoods. See Figure 5:

Proposed Roadway Facility Improvements (Active Transportation Plan Figure 18).

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4.20 Figure 5: Proposed Roadway Facility Improvements (source: City of Maywood Active Transportation Plan)

4.2.4 PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
Increasing public transit use provides many benefits to the community including both reducing traffic congestion and reducing emissions that contribute to air pollution. Public transportation in Maywood consists of fixed route bus service and demand responsive shuttles. These modes of transportation provide viable alternatives to private automobile use, but private vehicle use remains the dominant mode of transportation. This is consistent with the Los Angeles and Southern California region.

LA Metro provides regional bus and rail transit service. Two LA Metro routes pass through Maywood. Route 108 runs east-west through Maywood along Slauson Avenue, connecting Maywood with Downey to the east and Marina Del Rey to the west. Route 260 runs north-south through Maywood along Atlantic Avenue, connecting Maywood with Altadena to the north and Compton to the south. The transit routes through Maywood maintain a high level of ridership by Maywood residents. The City is working with LA Metro to provide more bus routes and stops at appropriate locations throughout Maywood, specifically on Slauson Avenue.

The City of Maywood is also served by a demand activated public transportation system. This system provides curb-to-curb shuttle service to residents and is limited to trips within the City.

To expand its public transit system, the City will continue to explore and implement partnership

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4.21 opportunities with the neighboring cities of Bell, Cudahy, and Huntington Park to develop a multi-jurisdictional shuttle service.

In addition to public transportation offered by LA Metro, Maywood will continue to explore other opportunities for regional access to improve and expand public transportation options for the residents of Maywood.

Goals & Policies
Facilitate access to public transportation that is safe and responsive to changing transit demands.

Policies
• Maintain and expand, as feasible, Dial-a-Ride and Maywood Express service for Maywood residents.
• Explore partnership opportunities with the cities of Bell, Cudahy, and Huntington Park to develop multi-jurisdictional Dial-a-Ride.
• Work with the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro) to provide improved and maintained bus routes and stops at appropriate locations throughout the City, specifically on Slauson Avenue.
• Work to improve transit opportunities linking Maywood to other areas of the region. • Consistent with the Housing and Land Use Elements, encourage mixed-use, transitoriented development along Slauson Avenue and Atlantic Boulevard.

4.2.5 ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION: BICYCLE + PEDESTRIAN NETWORKS Bicycling and walking are popular modes of transportation for recreation. Historically, Maywood did not provide designated bicycle facilities, with nearby routes limited to the Los Angeles River Bicycle Trail that extends south to San Pedro Bay. Under Senate Bill 821, two percent of the Los Angeles County Local Transportation Fund must be used for the development of pedestrian and/or bicycle facilities. The City will use these funds to establish a bicycle path system consistent with Figure 5, the Bikeway Plan.

Pedestrian mobility in the City is accommodated by sidewalks. All streets in Maywood have sidewalks and the City works to undertake sidewalk improvement projects as budget allows.

For sidewalks to be an effective means of facilitating mobility, they need to be kept free of obstructions. To achieve this, Maywood has a policy that requires that any equipment (including utility poles, fire hydrants, traffic controls, street lighting, etc.) must be placed to minimize its interference with pedestrian flow. The City is committed to enhancing pedestrian mobility, as

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4.22 well as meeting the needs of less mobile residents by continuing a multi-year program to install handicap access ramps throughout the community.

In July 2002, LA Metro broke ground on a bike and pedestrian path that will provide car-free mobility options between Inglewood and the east side of South L.A. and access to transit along the way when it is completed in 2024. A second segment of the path, called the Rail to River project is the planning phase. It would extend the bike and walking path from the Slauson A Line station further east to the LA River, passing just along the City’s southern border.

LA Metro is also working on the LA River Path Project, which is a new bicycle and pedestrian path connecting the existing LA River Bike Trail (that runs along Maywood’s eastern border) with Downtown Los Angeles. This project is in the environmental review and design phase. It is anticipated to open in 2027.

Goals & Policies
Provide for an extensive, integrated, and safe bicycle, and pedestrian network throughout the community, and make Maywood a pedestrian-friendly community.

Policies
• Implement the recommendations of the 2023 City of Maywood Active Transportation Plan. Bike Network Facility Recommendations are summarized on Figure 5 (Active Transportation Plan Figure 15) and include the addition of bike routes, consistent bicycle/pedestrian wayfinding/signage, improving intersections to better support bicycle and pedestrian traffic (see Figure 6: Proposed Bicycle Intersection Facility Improvements (Active Transportation Plan Figure 16) and Figure 7: Proposed Pedestrian Intersection Facility Improvement (Active Transportation Plan Figure 17)), improving bike crossing treatments, updating some intersections to all-way stops to provide clarity and improve safety for cyclists, installing high-visibility crosswalks, and increasing pedestrian crossing time at key intersections.
• Coordinate with the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority to improve bicycle routes within the Los Angeles County bicycle route system. • Support efforts to link the bicycle path system to the Los Angeles River Bicycle Trail.

Coordinate with organizations such as the Northeast Trees to create regional bicycle path system.
• Complete Streets - require that adequate bicycle and pedestrian facilities and amenities such as street trees, landscaping, paving, benches, waste receptacles, and bicycle racks be incorporated into new commercial development projects.

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4.23 • Pursue funding sources from regional, state, and federal agencies, specifically under Senate Bill 821, to provide sidewalk improvements and enhancements, and to create and maintain bicycle paths.
• Require ground floor commercial uses to be oriented to the streets and sidewalks to encourage a vital and appealing pedestrian experience.
• Ensure that all sidewalks and walkways in the City are safe for pedestrian users by requiring that they be wide, well lit, and be appropriately shaded in commercial areas. • Support the planning and future implementation of the Rail to River project. • Support Metro’s LA River Path Project.
• Further study and advance intersection improvements at the intersections of Slauson Avenue and Maywood Avenue and District Boulevard and Atlantic Boulevard as identified in the Active Transportation Plan.

Figure 5: Proposed Bicycle Network and Wayfinding Facility Improvements (source: City of Maywood Active Transportation Plan)

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4.24 Figure 6: Proposed Bicycle Intersection Facility Improvements (source: City of Maywood Active Transportation Plan)
Figure 7: Proposed Bicycle Intersection Facility Improvements (source: City of Maywood Active Transportation Plan)

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4.25 4.2.6 PARKING
Parking facilities that are safe, convenient, and attractive represent an essential component of a functioning transportation system. With the introduction of mixed-use development along Slauson Avenue, the demand for off-street parking may increase. The City acknowledges the role that adequate parking plays in creating successful business centers and is committed to ensuring its adequate provision of parking consistent with state laws and regulations.

Parking remains a constant concern in Maywood. This challenge is directly related to Maywood’s dense residential development and the number of ADUs and multi-family dwellings that exist within the City. Many of Maywood’s residences were designed as single family homes, but now have multiple households. Many garages have been converted to ADUs, reducing the amount of off-street parking available to residents while increasing the number of residents. Onstreet parking is available on all of Maywood’s streets. However, residents must purchase a permit in order to legally park overnight. Permits are issued on an annual basis for a $10 fee.

Residents are able to apply online and must provide proof of residency.

Goals & Policies
Ensure that development projects provide well-designed parking facilities that are safe, convenient, and attractive.

Policies
• Adopt and enforce an ordinance that sets forth definitive standards for the design and construction of parking facilities, as well as increasing the supply of secure parking for new development along Slauson Avenue and Atlantic Boulevard. • Consider implementing shared parking policies that would make more parking available to residents without constructing additional parking spaces or a parking garage.

4.2.7 EMERGING TRANSPORTATION SOLUTIONS - BIKESHARE
In an August 2021 research report by University of Southern California Pacific Southwest Region University Transportation Center called Improving Environmental Justice and Mobility in Southeast Los Angeles, researchers conducted a case study of the potential impact of a docked bikeshare system in two Southeast Los Angeles – East Los Angeles and Maywood. The research did not discuss the interest in community bikeshare in the Maywood community.

Research found that a docked bikeshare system could bring significant numbers of the population within a 10-minutes bicycle ride of high frequency transit, improving Environmental Justice and Mobility in Southeast Los Angeles.

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4.26 Goals & Policies
Ensure that residents, workers, and visitors have increased access to emerging transportations systems such as bikeshare and other shared mobility solutions.

Policies
• Implement shared mobility strategies (such as docked bikeshare) as feasible to increase access to transportation options and further encourage alternative transportation. • Continue to study and explore transportation innovations including technological advances to improve the safety and efficiency of Maywood’s circulation system for pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists alike.

4.2.8 NON-INFRASTRUCTURE CIRCULATION IMPROVEMENTS
As outlined in the City of Maywood Active Transportation Plan, a community’s circulation system extends beyond the physical infrastructure and services. There are a variety of “soft” strategies that can be used to enhance service, improve transportation, and increase safety within the City.

Goals & Policies
Ensure that residents and others are aware of transportation infrastructure improvements as they occur and continue to seek resident feedback on infrastructure improvements.

Policies
• Develop a citywide bike map.
• Identify Safe Routes to School maps highlighting preferred walking routes to each school.
• Routinely survey residents to assess the performance of local circulation infrastructure. • Host educational programming to help residents become more comfortable with alternative means of transportation. Events can include community and parent workshops, bicycle helmet distribution programs, and student workshops, assemblies, and rodeos.

Goals & Policies
Actively encourage Maywood residents to walk and/or cycle to local destinations.

Policies

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4.27 • Regularly host Walking School Bus and School Bicycle Train Events. • Organize Senior Walking Clubs.
• Host a Bike or Walk to Work Day event.

4.2.9 TERMINALS AND MILITARY AIRPORTS/PORTS
The City of Maywood does not have any airports, seaports, bus or train stations, military installations, or other terminals.

4.2.10 PUBLIC UTILITIES
The City’s s public utilities share the roadway right-of-way. Utility work impacts the transportation network and serves as an opportunity to implement complete street enhancements. When roadways are disrupted for utility work, the City returns the roadway to a better condition than it was in initially. This often includes the addition of street trees and other landscaping treatments as well as improved sidewalks and the addition of bike lanes or sharrows. When possible, the City operates under a “dig once” policy which encourages utility providers to coordinate their work and service improvements.