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Agenda Report
November 24, 2025
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council
FROM: Planning & Community Development Department
SUBJECT: NORTH LAKE SPECIFIC PLAN UPDATE
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the City Council:
1. Adopt the Addendum to the 2015 Pasadena General Plan Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and find that the Addendum properly discloses only minor technical changes or additions to the EIR, and none of the conditions triggering a subsequent or supplemental El R are present, as set forth in State California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines Section 15164;
2. 3.
Make the Findings for Approval for the General Plan Land Use Map Amendment, Specific Plan Adoption, Zoning Map Amendment, and Zoning Text Amendment (Attachment A) to adopt the recommended North Lake Specific Plan (Attachment B). The Zoning Text Amendment also includes technical changes in the previously adopted Central District and Lamanda Park Specific Plans for internal consistency; Adopt a resolution approving the General Plan Map Amendment;
4. Adopt a resolution approving the recommended North Lake Specific Plan; and
5. Direct the City Attorney to prepare an ordinance for the Zoning Map and Text Amendments within 120 days consistent with the provisions set forth herein.
PLANNING COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION:
On September 10, 2025, by a vote of 7-0, the Planning Commission recommended that the City Council approve the proposed North Lake Specific Plan (NLSP), as presented by staff, with three recommended changes below.
1. Change timeframe for Implementation Action PA-4 (Temporary Art Installations in Empty Storefronts) from 'Medium-Term' to 'Short-Term'.
2. Amend the Land Use Categories for 701 and 709 N. Mentor Avenue (Low Density Residential [0-6 units per acre]) and 919 E. Orange Grove Boulevard (Medium Density Residential [0-16 units per acre]) to Medium-High Density Residential (0-32 MEETING OF11/24/2025AGENDA ITEM NO.17
Recommended North Lake Specific Plan
November 24, 2025
units per acre). Also, change the corresponding Zoning Districts from RS-6 (Single- Family Residential, six units per acre) and RM-16 (Multi-Family Residential, 16 units per acre) to RM-32 (Multi-Family Residential, 32 units per acre) and NL-RM-32 (Multi-Family Residential, 32 units per acre) (Attachment F, page 7).
3. Change the Zoning District for two properties outside but adjacent to the NLSP, 1311 and 1321 N. Mentor Avenue, from RM-12-PK-LD-1 (Residential Multi-family, two units per lot, Parking Overlay District, Landmark District 1 [Bungalow Heaven]) to RM-12-LD-1 (removing the PK overlay) Attachment F).
Staff is supportive of the Planning Commission recommendations.
BACKGROUND:
In 2018, the City initiated the 'Our Pasadena - Putting the Plan in Motion' program to update the City's eight specific plan areas. Five of the eight specific plans have been adopted by the City Council (Lincoln Avenue [2021], East Colorado [2021], South Fair Oaks [2022], Central District [2023], and Lamanda Park [2024]). After adoption of the proposed NLSP, two Specific Plans remain; Fair Oaks Orange Grove and East Pasadena. The Planning Commission will held its second Study Session on Fair Oaks Orange Grove in October 2025 and the first Study Session on East Pasadena will occur in early 2026.
Recommended North Lake Specific Plan
The Planning Commission held six Study Sessions on the NLSP between May 2023 and July 2025, followed by a public hearing on September 10, 2025. Please see Attachment C for a summary of outreach efforts. Below is an oven/iew of the proposed NLSP. The entire proposed NLSP is included as Attachment B.
Plan Context
The proposed NLSP is generally along North Lake Avenue from Maple Street to Elizabeth Street, along East Washington Boulevard between El Molino Avenue and Catalina Avenue, and along East Villa Street from El Molino Avenue to Wilson Avenue (Figure 1). The Plan area centers along the prominent north/south corridor connecting with the Central District, the 1-210 Freeway and the Metro A Line Lake Station to the south; the historic residential neighborhoods of Bungalow Heaven, Washington Square, and Historic Highlands to the east and west; and Altadena to the north.
Recommended North Lake Specific Plan
November 24, 2025
Plan Boundary
Based on feedback from the
community and Planning
Commission, the current Plan
boundary (Figure 1) has been
revised to remove six
parcels, such as the eastern
portion of the CVS parking lot
and residences on North
Mentor Avenue, south of Rio
Grande Street. Added
parcels include the western
portion of the McDonald's
parking lot on Boylston Street
and the parking lot for the
Pasadena Covenant Church
on Santa Barbara Street.
Figure 1: Plan Boundary
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Plan Vision, Subareas, and Concepts
As Figure 2 (North Lake Specific Plan Subareas) shows, the NLSP area is envisioned as four subareas with their own identities: 1) Washington Place; 2) Vineyard Gardens; 3) North Lake Village; and 4) Lake Station District. Following Figure 2, each of the subareas' concepts are described in greater detail.
Figure 2: North Lake Specific Plan Subareas
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Washington Place
The Washington Place subarea serves as a northern entrance to the NLSP area, extending from the Specific Plan's northern boundary at Elizabeth Street, south to Claremont Street, and along Washington Boulevard between El Molino and Catalina Avenues. The subarea is focused on the neighborhood-serving commercial node at the intersection of Lake Avenue and Washington Boulevard, with commercial office, retail, and restaurant uses occupying a variety of building typologies.
While the Santa Catalina Library, the Washington Theater building, and several traditional retail storefronts reflect the subarea's early pre-1940 development, Washington Place includes an eclectic variety ofmid-to-late 20th century and early- 2000s development. Many commercial uses in the subarea feature parking in the rear, with sidewalk-oriented entrances that activate and provide passive surveillance to the streetscape.
The goal of the area is to advance an active, walkable, neighborhood-serving gateway to North Lake Avenue, with development that respects and reinforces the neighborhood's rich history.
The rendering below showcases the development potential of the 'Food-4-Less' site (southwest corner of Lake/Washington) with a mixed-use development; ground-floor commercial and residential units on the upper floors, with rooftop open space, enhanced pedestrian amenities, and new street trees.
Figure 3. Washington Place Concept
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Vineyard Gardens
The Vineyard Gardens subarea is a nod to "Lake Vineyard Avenue," the former name of Lake Avenue. This subarea encompasses the section of Lake Avenue between Claremont Street to the north and Mountain Street to the south, and has a predominantly residential character, comprising an existing mix ofsingle-family and mutti-family residential uses. Some small commercial uses are also located throughout the subarea, many of which occupy formerly residential structures. The scale and form of some of the subarea's development reflect the historic character of neighboring Bungalow Heaven and Washington Square historic residential districts, with low building heights, and large landscaped setbacks.
The north/south block lengths are relatively long and are comprised of mostly small lots with approximately 45 feet of frontage and shallow depths, reflecting the early 1900s subdivisions intended for residential use. One- and two-story single-family residential buildings that remain include California Bungalow (Craftsman), Mission Revival, and Minimal Traditional styles that were popular from the 1900s through the 1940s.
The overall goal of the Vineyard Gardens subarea is to establish a mixed-use neighborhood that encourages a mix of architectural styles reinforcing the existing residential character of adjacent neighborhoods. The illustration below shows a mid- block location on the east side of Lake Avenue with a new residential development, public realm enhancements, and landscaped medians.
Figure 4. Vineyard Gardens Concept
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North Lake Village
The North Lake Village subarea encompasses the section of Lake Avenue between Mountain Street to the north and Orange Grove Boulevard to the south. The subarea is characterized primarily by commercial retail uses, many of which are occupied by several fast-food establishments with street-facing surface parking lot and drive-through facilities. The subarea also includes a CVS drug store and pharmacy (occupying approximately three acres) and several neighborhood-serving small businesses.
The subarea is characterized by one to two-story structures that reflect an eclectic variety of design styles from mid- to late-20th century development and a diversity of site planning arrangements with low lot coverage. The prevalence of small building footprints, inconsistent setbacks, large surface parking lots, and frequent driveway curb cuts creates an auto-oriented character. Many commercial lots feature shared driveways and surface parking lots for adjacent businesses. Sidewalk-fronting storefronts generally provide surface parking lots in the rear.
The goal of the area is to establish a mixed-use commercial corridor with an enhanced streetscape and public realm that supports a variety of indoor and outdoor dining options, designed with sensitivity to the adjacent residential historic landmark districts.
The illustration below shows a mid-block location on the east side of Lake Avenue with a new mixed-use development, public realm enhancements, and landscaped medians.
Figure 5. North Lake Village
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Lake Station District
The Lake Station District is the NLSP's southernmost subarea, bounded by Orange Grove Boulevard to the north, Wilson Avenue to the east, Maple Street to the south and El Molino Avenue to the west. The 1-210's Lake Avenue freeway on and off ramps, Lake Avenue Overpass, and Lake Metro A Line Station (accessible via the overpass) all contribute to a multimodal southern gateway to the subarea.
The subarea is characterized by a mix of commercial and residential uses, along with institutional uses such as Fire Station 33 and Lake Avenue Church. Also in this area is the City-owned property at the southeast corner of Lake Avenue and Villa Street (formerly Kaiser Permanente), an opportunity for new housing in the subarea.
The Lake Station District subarea's urban form is generally characterized by one to two- story buildings with a mix of architectural character and its overall goal is to leverage the area's close proximity to the 210 Freeway, Metro A Line Station, and the Central District to facilitate a higher-intensity mix of retail, office, and multi-family housing; creating a vibrant, transit-oriented southern gateway to the North Lake Avenue corridor.
The illustration below shows the southwest corner of Lake Avenue and Orange Grove Boulevard with a larger scale mixed-use development, public realm enhancements, and landscaped medians.
Figure 6. Lake Station District Concept
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Land Use Regulations
The proposed land use regulations (Attachment B, Chapter 4) seek to facilitate development and improvements to realize the vision for the area. The plan will continue to allow for a variety of commercial and residential uses throughout the NLSP area, with varying intensity and residential density.
The regulations seek to promote the revitalization of the corridor as follows:
Expand Housing Opportunities
Allow housing in more areas of the corridor, specifically between E. Orange Grove Boulevard and E. Mountain Street.
Focus greater residential density at the south end of the corridor, near the Metro A Line station.
New residential development with private and common open spaces for gathering, recreation, and respite that contribute to enhanced livability within an urban setting.
Setbacks and upper floor stepbacks that provide sensitive transitions to adjacent residential neighborhoods.
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Simplify parking standards and exempt small businesses from costly parking requirements to lower barriers to entry and enable greater flexibility for changing uses amid economic factors.
Focus commercial uses on the ground-floor at the Villa and Washington nodes to support existing businesses and encourage new ones, to support surrounding neighborhoods.
Allow, but not require, ground floor commercial uses for all other street frontages.
Reduce requirements for ground floor commercial space.
Private Realm Standards
The proposed private realm, or development standards (Attachment B, Chapter 6), will regulate intensity, density, size, and location for new development in the NLSP area.
Recommended North Lake Specific Plan
November 24, 2025
Residential Density
The proposed residential densities (Figure
7) have the goal of providing new housing
opportunities, while considering the
proximity of surrounding residential
neighborhoods. Higher densities are
focused at the Lake Station District area
and at the southwest comer of Lake
Avenue and Washington Boulevard.
Through the Planning Commission Study
Session process, densities were modified,
resulting in lower than originally
considered densities at Lake
Avenue/Washington Boulevard, and the
addition of housing in the North Lake
Village subarea (Mountain Street to
Orange Grove Boulevard), where housing
was not a permitted use.
Figure 7: Residential Density
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Building Heights
The proposed building heights (Figure 8)
accommodate the proposed residential
densities. Taller buildings are focused in
the Lake Station District area and at the
southwest corner of Lake Avenue and
Washington Boulevard (this is also where
height was increased compared to the
2007 NLSP).
In the areas that allow up to 51 feet in
height, height averaging is allowed,
whereby a maximum of 30 percent of a
building's footprint may be up to 63 feet in
height (roughly one additional floor).
The intent of height averaging is to balance
additional height with lower height
elsewhere on the site to achieve an
economically feasible development that
protects view corridors and contributes to a
more visually-compelling skyline.
For RS (single-family) and RM (multi-
family) zoned sites, the plan defers to the
current Zoning Code development
standards for height limits.
Figure 8: Proposed Building Heights
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Setbacks and Stepbacks
Setbacks for street-facing buildings (Figure 9) establish the relationship between a building at the street it faces/interacts with. Smaller setbacks provide for a more direct connection, while larger setbacks allow for more of a buffer between the street and a building. The proposed setbacks vary from 3-5 feet in the more intensive areas of the NLSP area, to 5-10 feet and 10-20 feet in the less intense areas. The intent was to provide more flexibility compared to the 2007 Figure 9: Street Setbacks NLSP, where the setbacks varied between
five feet and 20 feet.
The proposed interior setbacks (side and rear)
would be 15 feet for new buildings on sites
adjacent to a lot in an RS or RM zoning district
or with a historic resource. The upper floors
would 'step back' by not being located within
an encroachment plane, sloping upward and
inward at a 45-degree angle, beginning 15
feet above the existing grade along the shared
property line (Figure 10).
Figure 10: Interior Stepbacks
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Open Space
Open spaces contribute to an active public and private realm, serving a variety of purposes including spaces for private use, relaxation, and community and employee gathering. Open spaces can range from private patios and balconies to useable shared spaces such as plazas and pocket parks with public art. These spaces give residents access to natural light and fresh air and provide spaces for gathering, recreation, and respite. Open space requirements will correlate with the number of units and size of buildings.
Residential projects, including mixed-use projects, will be required to provide a minimum amount of total open space (combination of all private and common open space areas), as a function of number of bedrooms per unit, ensuring adequate open space for residents within each building. Due to more modest building envelopes (related to heights, floor area and setbacks) in the draft Specific Plan, the open space requirements are slightly less compared to other recently adopted specific plan areas, such as Central District and South Fair Oaks. However, the required open space will be greater than what is currently required in the Zoning Code.
Publicly Accessible Open Space (PAOS) will be required only for larger projects - those with more than 80,000 square feet of gross floor area. For these projects, the size of the PAOS will be a minimum of two percent of the gross floor area. This standard is expected to apply to any future redevelopment of the 'Food-4-Less' and the City's LakeA/illa site, due to the relatively large size of these sites.
Public Realm Standards and Design Guidelines
The public realm standards and design guidelines in the proposed NLSP (Chapters) serve to implement the General Plan vision and achieve the objectives of the Pasadena Street Design Guide, Pasadena Pedestrian Plan, and Pasadena Master Street Tree Plan. To improve the public realm for users of all abilities, and to provide enough space for simultaneous uses of the sidewalk, these standards and guidelines ensure that new developments contribute to the safety, accessibility, and connectivity of their surrounding streetscape network.
Typical elements in the public realm include the roadway itself, sidewalks, street trees, streetlights, street furniture (permanent benches, trash receptacles, etc.) in addition to adjoining public or publicly accessible open spaces. Collectively, these elements create an outdoor environment - a place for people to circulate, gather, and be outside.
Beyond their contribution to safe and comfortable pedestrian circulation, these standards and design guidelines support the elevation of North Lake Avenue into a Great Street - a dynamic public space that fosters community, supports the local economy, and invites people to stay. A lively streetscape rich with amenities will be critical to realizing the vision of the NLSP, which itself can lay the groundwork for a comprehensive and transformative streetscape plan for North Lake Avenue.
Recommended North Lake Specific Plan
November 24, 2025
The public realm vision in the proposed NLSP is a more robust vision than in the prior draft versions of the NLSP. It prioritizes the creation of a cohesive and inviting streetscape, and the public realm standards outlined in this chapter were developed to support the Planning Commission's transformative vision for North Lake Avenue.
Planning Commission Subcommittee on the Public Realm
Throughout the NLSP Study Sessions, the Planning Commission devoted a significant amount of time to discussing the public realm, and how improvements to the public realm are necessary to the success of the NLSP area, including the formation of a subcommittee (Subcommittee) with the specific task of Grafting recommendations for public realm improvements.
As part of their effort, the Subcommittee held several meetings with City staff from various departments, as well as with invited members of the community in the Summer of 2024, resulting in nine Goals, four Objectives, and 25 Policies to make Lake Avenue a 'Great Street' (Appendix 3 of the NLSP). These were presented to the full Planning Commission at the November 2024 Study Session:
Goals focused on building a sense of place, attracting businesses and mixed-use projects with housing, providing a clean and safe corridor, calming traffic movement, emphasizing transit, reducing congestion, addressing the heat-island effect and stormwater runoff, and embracing public art.
Objectives emphasized preparing a comprehensive streetscape plan for North Lake Avenue.
Policies for the public realm addressed the function of the corridor and mobility options, pedestrian safety through new and more visible crosswalks, eliminating some on-street parking, new and more resilient street trees, replacing center turn lanes with landscaped medians, and enhancing the pedestrian experience with paseos and green spaces.
Policies for private property focused on reducing the amount of existing and new parking, redeveloping existing parking lots, reducing the number of curb cuts along North Lake Avenue, and supporting facade improvements for existing businesses.
Following the November 2024 Planning Commission Study Sesson, and at the Planning Commission's direction, staff worked with the Subcommittee to integrate their recommendations into the draft NLSP. This work resulted in the Goals being incorporated as 'Community Priorities' in Chapter 1, Objectives as Implementation Actions in Chapter 7, and the Policies as part of the Vision, Goals & Policies in Chapter 3, as guiding principles and Public Realm Standards in Chapter 5, and/or as Implementation Actions in Chapter 7.
Figure 11: Sidewalk Widths
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Recommended North Lake Specific Plan
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In addition, Chapter 5 includes 10 key
qualities of a 'Great Street', based on
information from the Project for Public
Spaces, a nonprofit dedicated to creating
and sustaining public spaces that build
strong urban fabrics through placemaking.
Examples of these include: Attractions &
Activities, Essential Amenities, and Balanced
Transportation.
Sidewalks
Minimum sidewalk requirements play not
only a crucial role in circulation within the
plan area, but also have goals of supporting
future densities, uses, and pedestrian
volumes. Sidewalks also provide space for
shade and stormwater capture, through
space for street trees and parkways.
The minimum sidewalk width for new
development (Figure 11) ranges from 12-15
feet. The sidewalk area is divided into three
zones: Amenity Zone (e.g., parkway,
vegetation, bus shelters); Walk Zone (e.g.,
path of travel, free of obstructions); and
Frontage Zone (e.g., seating, outdoor dining,
planters).
Existing sidewalk widths are generally
10-12 feet along Lake Avenue, with some
exceptions to accommodate additional space
for parkways and tree plantings.
Street Trees
An important provision of the proposed NLSP
is street trees. Whether required for new
development, or when planted by the City as
part of the urban forest, following the City's
Master Street Tree Plan is crucial. Appendix
2 of the proposed NLSP gives a general
description of existing street trees, designated street tree species, and guidance for future tree selection. Although the City's Master Street Tree Plan does not apply to street medians, it does provide guidance for future landscaping in new or existing medians.
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Drive-Through Businesses
The future ofdrive-through business in the NLSP was a significant topic of discussion for the Planning Commission. Since the NLSP was first adopted in 1997, new drive- through businesses have been prohibited in the NLSP area. The drive-through businesses that existed at the time became 'legal, non-conforming' (i.e., they were legally established but no longer complied with current land use requirements).
Per the Zoning Code, legal, non-conforming uses may be altered or enlarged throughout most of the City, subject to the approval of a Minor Conditional Use Permit (MCUP); they cannot be demolished and rebuilt. The logic behind such a regulation is that, once a use has been discontinued or the life of a building exceeded, the property would be redeveloped with a permitted use.
However, when the NLSP was updated in 2007, a specific provision was added that allowed an existing drive-through business to be demolished and rebuilt, through the CUP process, provided the size of the new building was not larger than the demolished building. Also allowed with a CUP was an increase in the number of queuing positions and/or service windows. This was done to incentivize existing drive-through businesses to improve their properties. Outside of the NLSP, no other non-conforming uses, including drive-through businesses, can be demolished and rebuilt.
Currently, there are six permitted drive-through businesses in the NLSP, all of which are restaurants and are located between Orange Grove Boulevard and Mountain Street. Of these, two have been rebuilt and four have been remodeled (Table 1).
Table 1: Dhve-Through Businesses in NLSPArea
Demolished and RebuiltRemodeled
Chick-fil-A (2023)Del Taco (2018)Starbucks (2014)
McDonald's (2018)Popeye's (2015)Tierra Mia (2025)
The proposed NLSP will continue to prohibit new drive-through businesses, however the Planning Commission considered four options to regulate the existing ones:
1. Maintain the existing provisions. The building can be demolished and rebuilt with a CUP provided there is no expansion.
2. Regulate the same as other non-conforming uses citywide. The building may be altered or enlarged with a Minor CUP; it cannot be demolished and rebuilt.
3. Add drive-through businesses to the list of non-conforming uses (such as service stations) in the NLSP that are prohibited from expanding or rebuilding. Only certain limited alterations are permitted as outlined in the Zoning Code.
4. Allow design alterations to the existing building with a Minor CUP. No expansion of the use would be permitted (this would eliminate the current demolish/rebuild allowance), including number of service windows, seating areas and/or building expansion and the use could not expand in any way onto adjacent site(s). The Recommended North Lake Specific Plan
November 24, 2025
number of queuing lanes or queuing spaces could be increased only if it resulted in improved site circulation.
The Planning Commission supported #4 as it provides for cosmetic upgrades to a building and site plan improvements if needed to improve circulation without allowing for a demolition and rebuild of the use. Also, this option maintains the City's ability to add conditions of approval through the Minor CUP process to address site specific issues.
The Planning Commission recognized this option would prolong the life of these non- conforming drive-through businesses, but felt that option #3 could potentially result in outdated building designs and unattractive businesses remaining for many years until, or if, they change to a conforming use.
Plan Implementation
The proposed NLSP will be primarily implemented through the adoption of the plan's new land use, public realm, and development regulations, which align private sector investment with the plan's vision, goals, and policies. Although the NLSP does not explicitly allocate funds nor identify how funds should be spent, the proposed NLSP will include targeted actions intended to help guide and prioritize the implementation of the plan, and will also provide an overview of existing services, plans, and programs, all of which can be leveraged to help implement the plan.
Examples of implementation actions include developing a streetscape plan for the NLSP area, studying the feasibility of closing Boylston Street east of North Lake Avenue, establishing a place-making program, exploring opportunities for gateway signage to the NLSP area, and supporting the formation of a Business Improvement District. The complete list of proposed implementation actions is provided in Chapter 7 of the proposed NLSP. In addition to gateway signage for the NLSP area, Staff is also investigating the feasibility of establishing gateway signage for each of the eight Specific Plan areas.
Changes to Adopted Specific Plans
As part of the specific plan update process, other adopted specific plans are updated for consistency between the plans, clarification of standards for implementation, and/or technical clean-ups. Staff proposes the following updates (Table 2 and Attachment F):
Table 2: Summary of Changes
DESCRIPTIONNOTES
CENTRAL DISTRICT SPECIFIC PLAN (2024)
Clarification: Reference the correct table in Section 17.30.080.B related to open space.Typographic error
LAMANDA PARK SPECIFIC PLAN (2025)
Rezone 50 S. Virginia Avenue from East Colorado Specific Plan, Commercial General, the Lamanda Park area, Height Limit Overlay District-1 (ECSP-CG-5, HL-1) to Multi-Family
residential, City of Gardens (RM-32).
Mapping correction
Recommended North Lake Specific Plan
November 24, 2025
COUNCIL POLICY CONSIDERATION:
The updated NLSP will advance the following goals of the General Plan:
Goal #36 of the Land Use Element: North Lake - A well-designed and attractive corridor supporting multiple travel modes including transit, bicycling, and walking with clusters of distinctive places for shopping, dining, and living.
Goals HE-1 and HE-2 of the 2021-2029 Housing Element: Healthy Neighborhoods and Living Environments; Housing Supply and Diversity.
A full summary of the General Plan's supporting policies can be found in Attachment A.
In addition, the vision of the NLSP will also be supported by the City's Economic Development Strategy, including Guiding Principle 2.0 [Invest in Neighborhoods and Sma// Businesses) and related 2.4 (Support Property and Business Improvement District [PBID] Formation).
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS:
An Initial Study and EIR was prepared for the Pasadena General Plan in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and certified by the City Council on August 17, 2015. An addendum to the EIR has been prepared to analyze the new NLSP in compliance with Section 15164 (Addendum to an EIR or Negative Declaration) of the CEQA guidelines (Title 14, Chapter 3, Article 11). The addendum found that the project revisions will not result in any potentially significant impacts not already analyzed in the EIR. Refer to Attachment D for the Addendum to the General Plan EIR and to Attachment E for information on the 2015 General Plan EIR.
CONCLUSION:
The proposed NLSP will replace entirely the previously adopted Specific Plan (2007).
The updated Specific Plan will define area boundaries, vision, goals, policies, development standards, public rights-of-way improvements, and implementation actions. The proposed Specific Plan seeks to facilitate and encourage private development and public improvements, with the overall goal of realizing the vision and objectives for the area.
On September 10, 2025, the Planning Commission voted to recommend approval of the NLSP as proposed by staff, with three additional recommendations as listed earlier in this report. Staff agrees with the Planning Commission's recommendations.
Recommended North Lake Specific Plan
November 24, 2025
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no direct fiscal impact on the City by adopting the NLSP and associated addendum to the 2015 General Plan EIR. Costs related to some implementation action programs are expected to be partially or fully offset by grant funding as available. The NLSP is designed to encourage the retention of existing businesses and spur additional development and public realm improvements within the plan area, which may result in increased revenue to the City's General Fund, helping to offset costs related to the public realm improvements.
Respectfully Submitted,
t.^ ^€^
JENNIFER/PAIGE,9((^P
Director of Planning & Community
Development
Prepared by:Reviewed by:
A^^-^A-
David Sinclair
Senior Planner
Luischa
PlaManngger
Approved by:
MIGUELMARQUEZ
City Manager
I^Aa—^
Attachments (6):
Attachment A -
Attachment B -
Attachment C -
Attachment D -
Attachment E -
Attachment F -
Required Findings for General Plan and Zoning Code Amendments Proposed North Lake Specific Plan
Community Engagement and Public Feedback
Addendum to the General Plan Environmental Impact Report (EIR) 2015 General Plan EIR and Appendices
Recommended General Plan and Zoning Code Amendments