ATTACHMENT A
FINDINGS FOR ZONING CODE
TEXT AMENDMENT
Zoning Code Text Amendment:
Implementing the Housing Element – Emergency Shelters and other Code Amendments Attachment A: Findings for Zoning Code Text Amendment Page 1 City Council June 12, 2023
ATTACHMENT A
FINDINGS FOR ZONING CODE TEXT AMENDMENT
Prior to the approval of a Zoning Code Text Amendment, the following findings must be made:
1. The proposed amendment is in conformance with the goals, policies and objectives of the General Plan, and other adopted goals and policies of the City.
The proposed amendment to the Zoning Code is consistent with the goals and policies of the General Plan as follows:
Land Use Element
• Goal 2. Land Use Diversity. A mix of land uses meeting the diverse needs of Pasadena’s residents and businesses, fostering improved housing conditions, offering a variety of employment and recreation opportunities, and supporting a healthy population while protecting the environment.
o Policy 2.1 (Housing Choices). Provide opportunities for a full range of housing types, densities, locations, and affordability levels to address the community’s fair share of regional, senior, and workforce housing needs and provide a strong customer base sustaining the economic vitality of Pasadena’s commercial land uses. The types, densities, and location of housing shall be determined by the Land Use Diagram and reflect the projected needs specified in the Housing Element.
o Policy 2.7 (Civic and Community Services ). Provide diverse uses and services supporting Pasadena’s residents such as facilities for civic governance and administration, public safety (police and fire), seniors and youth, community gatherings, and comparable activities.
• Goal 10. City Sustained and Renewed. Development and infrastructure practices that sustain natural environmental resources for the use of future generations and, at the same time, contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and impacts on climate change.
o Policy 10.6 ( Adaptive Reuse) . Encourage adaptive reuse of structures, including non-historic structures, as a means of supporting environmental sustainability.
• Goal 16. Superior Services. A superior level of services meeting the needs of Pasadena’s diverse residents including schools, hospitals, parks, child and senior Zoning Code Text Amendment:
Implementing the Housing Element – Emergency Shelters and other Code Amendments Attachment A: Findings for Zoning Code Text Amendment Page 2 City Council June 12, 2023
facilities and programs, libraries, shelters, public audi toriums, health facilities, social clubs and recreation centers.
o Policy 16.3 (Anticipated Needs). Ensure that the land use planning process anticipates the future human services needs of the community by utilizing the data compiled by the new evaluation methods identifying the type(s) and ideal location(s) for these services.
o Policy 16.4 (Support Organizations). Provide support to public, private, and voluntary organizations and associations that provide services for Pasadena’s diverse communities.
o Policy 16.7 (Shared Facilities). Encourage the sharing of facilities between various public service providers, as well as those offered by private entities, such as the joint use of school play areas for recreation, school facilities for child and after school day care, and libraries for civic and cultural events.
o Policy 16.8 (Coordination of Human Services). Prioritize coordination of facilities and programs between public and private agencies and between various levels of government involved in the human serv ice field. Aim to eliminate overlapping efforts in the human service field.
• Goal 21. Desirable Neighborhoods. A City composed of neighborhoods with a variety of housing types that are desirable places to live, contribute to the quality of life, and are well maintained.
o Policy 21.2 (Equitable Distribution of Affordable Housing). Providing for the equitable distribution of affordable housing throughout the City, as defined by the Housing Element goals and policies, capitalizing on opportunities for new development allowed by the densities permitted in the Central District and Transit Villages.
Housing Element
• Goal HE-1. Neighborhoods citywide with quality housing, parks and community services, infrastructure, and public services that maintain and enhance neighborhood quality, character, and residents’ health.
o Policy HE -1.1 (Diversity of Neighborhoods). Provide balanced mixes, densities, and forms of residential and mixed- use districts and neighborhoods.
• Goal HE-2. A balanced supply and diversity of rental and ownership housing suited to residents of varying lifestyle needs and income levels.
Zoning Code Text Amendment:
Implementing the Housing Element – Emergency Shelters and other Code Amendments Attachment A: Findings for Zoning Code Text Amendment Page 3 City Council June 12, 2023
o Policy HE-2.1 (Housing Diversity) . Facilitate and encourage diversity in types, prices, ownership, and size of single- unit homes, apartments, homes, mixed- use and transit-oriented developments, work/live housing, and emerging housing types.
o Policy HE-2.4 (Affordable Housing). Facilitate a mix of household income and affordability levels in residential projects citywide, with an emphasis on ensuring integration of affordable housing into every neighborhood.
o Policy HE -2.5 (Adaptive Reuse). Support innovative strategies for the adaptive reuse of office, retail, hotels/motels, and industrial buildings, consistent with land use policy, to accommodate innovative housing types and productive use of underused buildings.
o Policy HE-2.8 (Development Process). Modify development processes to streamline and simplify the processing of entitlement permits, design review, building permits, and funding of affordable housing projects.
o Policy HE -2.9 (Community Involvement). Continue and support dialogue with builders, advocates, nonprofits, residents, finance industry, and other stakeholders in addressing the housing needs of residents and workforce in Pasadena.
• Goal HE -3. Increased opportunities for people to find and retain housing in Pasadena and to afford rental and ownership homes specific to their income and life stage status.
o Policy HE -3.2: Partnerships. Pursue collaborative partnerships with nonprofit organizations, faith -based organizations, developers, business community, and S tate and federal agencies to develop, rehabilitate, preserve, and retain affordable housing.
The proposed am endments were developed through discussion with the Housing department and agencies that provide services for unhoused people in Pasadena as well as during a publicly -noticed study session and public hearing with the Planning Commission. Through this dialogue, development of the proposed amendments took these concerns and solutions into account, consistent with Housing Element Polic y
2.9. The proposed amendments include changes to t he Zoning Code to facilitate additional available locations for new emergency shelter s and low barrier navigation centers in appropriate zones in alignment with State law, consistent with Land Use Policies 2.1, 2.7,10.6, and 21.2 . This is intended to anticipate the needs of the unhoused population in Pasadena by increas ing access to shelter for unhoused people and connect them with services provided by qualified agencies to assist in transitioning to permanent housing, consistent with Land Use Policies 16.3, 16.4, 16.7, and 16.8 as well as HE Policy 3.2.
Zoning Code Text Amendment:
Implementing the Housing Element – Emergency Shelters and other Code Amendments Attachment A: Findings for Zoning Code Text Amendment Page 4 City Council June 12, 2023
The proposed amendment increases housing availability and potentially creates opportunities to produce and/or acquire more affordable housing, consistent with Land Use Policies 2.1, 10.6, 16.7, and 21.2, as well as Housing Element Policy HE-2.1, HE-
2.4, HE -2.5 and HE -3.2. The amendments will establish a permitting process that allows for ministerial review and development standards for low barrier navigation centers, consistent with State law and Housing Element Policy HE -2.8, as well as a discretionary review process and development standards for safe parking locations to occur in conjunction with nonprofit entities and similar organizations, consistent with Housing Element Policies HE-2.8 and HE-3.2. The proposed amendment additionally streamlines the process for reasonable accommodation requests by disabled individuals, consistent with Housing Element Policy HE-2.8.
Further, the proposed amendments fulfill implementation objectives from the following programs:
Program 16: Housing for People with Disabilities
“Amend t he Municipal Code to remove the Minor Variance requirement for a request for a reasonable accommodation and replace the process with a staff-level ministerial action. Reduce overall processing time by up to four weeks.
Program 19: Homeless Services
“Investigate establishing a “safe parking” ordinance that allows people without permanent housing to park on a temporary basis in designated safe parking areas, with some form of discretionary review required to allow such use. If found to be an appropriate City program, establish an ordinance by 2024.”
Program 23: Zoning Code Updates
“Update emergency shelter regulations in the Zoning Code to ensure consistency with State law and specifically, to ensure adequate capacity to accommodate the City’s unhoused need and address constraints. The updated code provisions will revise parking requirements to comply with State law, increase bed limits above the current 12-bed limit to at least 35 beds based on input from service providers, and allow for Low Barrier Navigation Centers.”
“For sites used in prior Housing Elements designated in this element as sites required to achieve the lower -income RHNA, adopt zoning code amendments, in compliance with Government Code section 65583.2, subdivision (c), that establish regulations that allow by-right approval of housing projects that include at least 20 percent of the units for lower-income households and do not require a subdivision.
Under, State law, by right approval means that no review under the California Environmental Quality Act may be required, and no discretionary approval may be required, although the City may require design review approval based on objective standards. In the interim and prior to adoption of the ordinance, the City will Zoning Code Text Amendment:
Implementing the Housing Element – Emergency Shelters and other Code Amendments Attachment A: Findings for Zoning Code Text Amendment Page 5 City Council June 12, 2023
establish a process or pr ocedure that implements by -right approval for eligible projects in compliance with Government Code section 65583.2, subdivision (c).
This will include a provision for design review with objective standards.”
2. The proposed amendment would not be detrimental to the public interest, health, safety, convenience, or general welfare of the City.
The proposed amendments are consistent with numerous policies in the Land Use and Housing Elements of the General Plan. They are intended to bring the City into compliance with State Law and anticipate and provide opportunities for additional locations for emergency shelters, low barrier navigation centers, and safe parking locations throughout Pasadena. The amendments will establish a process that allows for a ministerial review process for projects that meet specific development standards and thresholds and a discretionary review process for projects exceeding certain thresholds in order to allow public participation in the review of projects that propose changes significant enough that they may result in potential impacts and that would otherwise contain provisions outlined in the staff report . For these reasons, the amendments will not be detrimental to the public interest, health, safety, convenience, or general welfare of the City.