Administrative
Report
N.2., File # 23-6324 Meeting Date: 7/18/2023
To: MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
From: BRANDY FORBES, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
TITLE
DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION REGARDING OBJECTIVE RESIDENTIAL STANDARDS TO
REPLACE CURRENT RESIDENTIAL DESIGN GUIDELINES
CONSIDERATION OF A PLANNING COMMISSION RESOLUTION RECOMMENDING THAT THE CITY COUNCIL ADOPT OBJECTIVE RESIDENTIAL STANDARDS AND AMEND TITLE 10, CHAPTER 2 (ZONING ORDINANCE) AND TITLE 10, CHAPTER 5 (COASTAL LAND USE PLAN
IMPLEMENTING ORDINANCE) OF THE REDONDO BEACH MUNICIPAL CODE FOR THE
IMPLEMENTATION OF OBJECTIVE RESIDENTIAL STANDARDS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
As part of the City Council’s Strategic Planning efforts, the Community Development Department has been directed to update the City’s Residential Design Guidelines to Objective Residential Standards.
The current Residential Design Guidelines were adopted 20 years ago in 2003.
In June 2021, the City retained Lisa Padilla (dba Cityworks Design) to assist in the update effort.
Initial community feedback was obtained in late 2021 and early 2022 to help guide the development of objective standards. The Draft Objective Residential Standards were released for public comment in January 2023. Staff and the consultant received significant input on the draft document from the Planning Commission Objective Residential Standards Subcommittee, and members of the public who attended the Designer Focus Group meeting on March 15, 2023 and the joint Planning Commission meeting and Community Workshop held on March 29, 2023. The Draft Objective Residential Standards were updated to incorporate the input provided at the above meetings (May 2023 version) and were presented and discussed at the May 18, 2023 Planning Commission meeting.
Later, at a public hearing held on June 15, 2023, the Planning Commission adopted a resolution recommending revisions to the Redondo Beach Municipal Code to implement the Objective Residential Standards and suggestions for the Draft Objective Residential Standards document to be considered by the City Council. The Resolution also includes findings that the proposed amendments are exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). It should be noted that some of the Commission’s recommendations would require additional analysis/study and zoning amendments to implement. The presentation provided by staff at the July 18 City Council meeting will identify the recommendations that, if also preferred by City Council, would require follow up work.
The Draft Objective Residential Standards are now ready for City Council review. This agenda item
N.2., File # 23-6324 Meeting Date: 7/18/2023
The Draft Objective Residential Standards are now ready for City Council review. This agenda item provides for the City Council’s initial consideration of the objective standards and, following direction on any preferred modifications, will be brought back as a noticed public hearing in August to allow for formal adoption.
BACKGROUND
In 2019-2020, the City Council set a Strategic Planning goal to update the Residential Design Guidelines, which were adopted almost 20 years ago. This update was driven by various residents expressing concerns about residential developments throughout the City. As the Mayor and City Councilmembers started learning about the issues, they realized that the guidelines needed to be updated.
In June 2021, the City was awarded an SB2 grant from the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) to fund the update to the Residential Design Guidelines. The scope of needed work was as follows:
· Create objective standards instead of guidelines open to subjective interpretation. This was also driven by the adoption of SB 330 in 2019 which restricts any development requirements adopted after January 1, 2020 to be objective, quantifiable and written development standards · Add standards for R1A zones
· Clean-up ambiguous, outdated guidelines
· To give better direction on Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) The Objective Residential Standards, similar to the 2003 Residential Design Guidelines that they will replace, are in addition to the zoning provisions of the Redondo Beach Municipal Code. The Objective Residential Standards will be to clarify the details of what is required of the zoning code.
The main goal is to provide straight-forward criteria that reflect the community’s interest in maintaining neighborhood character, so new or renovated residential buildings are compatible with established development. By establishing clear and objective direction on what is required of a project, the planning review process is streamlined for residential projects.
One of the biggest challenges of the existing 2003 Residential Design Guidelines has been differing interpretations of their meaning due to the Guidelines’ subjective description. Ultimately, the Community Development Director or Planning Commission is required to make a determination to resolve ambiguity. This has led to process delay and/or disappointment and has been a major concern of both staff and applicants.
One measure of success for the new Objective Residential Standards will be the reduced time for residential project review from concept to completion, due to more direct requirements and a streamlined planning process. The State of California defines objective standards as those that, “involve no personal or subjective judgment by a public official and are uniformly verifiable by reference to an external and uniform benchmark or criterion available and knowable by both the development applicant or proponent and the public official before submittal.” A standard is distinguished from a guideline by the terminology that is used. Standards are identifiable by the words “shall” or “must” whereas guidelines use should or may. The intent of going from subjective guidelines to objective standards is to be straight-forward and clear, and to eliminate application interpretation on a case-by-case basis.
N.2., File # 23-6324 Meeting Date: 7/18/2023
On June 8, 2021, the City Council approved a contract with Cityworks Design to prepare Objective Residential Design Standards. The original contract term ran through June 30, 2022. On June 14, 2022, the City Council approved an amendment to the Agreement, extending the term through December 31, 2022. The original contract deadlines were aligned with the SB2 Grant Funding from the California Department of HCD.
In December 2022, HCD granted extensions to the SB2 Grant Agreements to allow additional time for completion, due to many of these grants being utilized for Housing Elements that are not finalized or delayed work on other contracts due to focus on Housing Element preparation. Following the extension, adoption of the Objective Residential Standards needs to be completed by September 30, 2023, per the Grant Agreement.
With the extended deadline, the City Council authorized a contract amendment with Cityworks Design in February 2023 to adjust the term of the Agreement to correspond with the Grant Agreement extension and to also accommodate additional community feedback opportunities. This allowed for supplemental input from the Planning Commission Objective Residential Standards Subcommittee, additional Planning Commission meetings and more feedback from the community.
The Planning Commission held their public hearing on the Objective Residential Standards on June 15, 2023 and adopted a resolution recommending amendments to the implementing Ordinance and revisions to the Objective Residential Standards document at that meeting.
The community outreach began in December 2021. The key work completed to date includes:
July - Nov 2021 Background/Existing Conditions Research, Content Development for Initial Engagement Events
December 13, 2021 Designer Focus Group Workshop #1
December 16, 2021 Planning Commission Meeting #1 to discuss the purpose of the updates and to gain initial feedback on the current Residential Design Guidelines January 10, 2022 Community Workshop #1 to discuss the project and explain the topics to be included in the updated Objective Residential Standards January 2022 Community Survey to gain feedback on the main topics of focus to be included in the updated Objective Residential Standards September 2022 Planning Commission established a subcommittee to for this project Fall 2022 Planning Commission subcommittee provided input and feedback on internal draft language for document
January 2023 Draft Objective Residential Standards document was released, with request for public comment
February-March 2023 Received feedback from Planning Commission Objective Residential Standards Subcommittee, design community, and public on the Draft Objective Residential Standards document
March 15, 2023 Designer Focus Group Workshop #2
March 29, 2023 Community Workshop #2 and Planning Commission Meeting #2 to discuss draft document and get further direction on some of the standards.
May 11, 2023 Revised Draft Objective Residential Standards document was released May 18, 2023 Planning Commission Meeting #3 to discuss revisions June 15, 2023 Planning Commission Meeting #4 with public hearing and resolution recommending to City Council implementing regulations and revisions to
N.2., File # 23-6324 Meeting Date: 7/18/2023
recommending to City Council implementing regulations and revisions to the Draft Objective Residential Standards
The March 29, 2023 special meeting of the Planning Commission was a combination of Planning Commission Meeting #2 and Community Workshop #2. The meeting included a presentation to the Planning Commission and public on the Draft Objective Residential Standards and the key changes, as well as the comments heard to date. There was a robust community input session following the presentation. There were topics in the Objective Residential Standards document where direction was needed, and after the community presentation and discussion, the Planning Commission discussed the remaining topics and provided direction to staff and Cityworks Design in order to finalize the document.
Based on the feedback through these efforts, staff and Cityworks Design revised the Draft Objective Residential Standards document. The revised Draft Objective Residential Standards, incorporating the input provided from the public and Planning Commission, was released on May 11, 2023 and presented and discussed at the May 18, 2023 Planning Commission meeting.
In an effort to arrange standards in the most useful way to support clear information for project applicants, the organization of the Draft Objective Residential Standards differs somewhat from the existing 2003 Residential Design Guidelines. Additionally, many of the subjective guidelines could not be translated directly into standards, so a standard was created to address the issue. For example, the existing guideline for roof deck location says it “should be stepped back from the building edge above the second floor,” and “should be oriented away from neighbors’ yards as much as possible.” This leaves the guideline open to interpretation without measurable results. The proposed standard to address this is, “A roof deck shall be set back at least 10 feet from the required first story setbacks on all sides.”
The document format, along with all illustrations and examples, incorporated City Council direction and public input from the outreach phase of the project.
Section I: Introduction
The Introduction has a considerable amount of basic information as to what the document is, how it is laid out and a guide to reading the document. It provides background information, goals and the fundamental purpose of the new standards.
Section II: Standards Applicable to All Residential Districts This section is new. It includes standards that would be applied to all residential properties-mainly regarding basements. This includes key zoning code definitions and regulations, and clarifies their intent relative to the Objective Residential Standards.
Section III: R-1 Single Family Zoning District Standards The 2003 Residential Design Guidelines discuss recommendations for front yard lot coverage and entries, broad suggestions about massing, guidelines (not standards) (or should vs shall) about mezzanines and roof decks being setback and oriented being compatible, unmeasurable suggestions regarding scale and mass, roof articulations and architecture, but does not specify expectations and requirements. As well, there were conflicting garage placement recommendations that were only enforceable in specific areas (the Avenues and Beryl Heights).
N.2., File # 23-6324 Meeting Date: 7/18/2023
The Objective Residential Standards call out precise setbacks and distances for these various features, such as mezzanines, roof decks, balconies, privacy/neighborhood compatibility, second story setbacks and garage placement. The guidelines on parkways and driveway guidelines are items that are very typical for construction, whereas the proposed Objective Residential Standards have very specific standards for front yard permeability and landscaping, curb cuts/driveways/parking requirements and modular construction standards.
Section IV: R-1A Single Family Zoning District Standards The Objective Residential Standards have been expanded to include R-1A in addition to R-1 for single-family. These are similar to R-1, but there are many distinct standards since this area is what is often referred to as the “tall and skinny” district. The lots in R-1A are incredibly narrow compared to the regular R-1 zones, and the setbacks and such are specific to these conditions to create buildability in these areas.
Subsections under the R-1 and R-1A residential zones are essentially categorized the same and include:
· Key Zoning Code Development Standards
· Additional Second Story Setbacks (R1)
· Garages on Sloping Lots
· Mezzanines
· Balconies, Decks and Roof Decks
· Other Privacy and Neighborhood Compatibility Standards · Garage Location and Design (R1)
· Front Yard Permeability and Landscaping
· Parking, Curb Cuts, Parkways and Street-Adjacent Elements · Modular Construction
Section V: R-2 and R-3 Multi-Family Zoning District Standards.
The lower density multi-family of R-2 and R-3 zones have been separated out from the medium and higher density multi-family, whereas currently in the 2003 Residential Design Guidelines those are all grouped together.
Section VI: RMD and RH Multi-Family Zoning District Standards.
This section calls out the standards for medium and higher density multi-family developments. By distinguishing these from the lower density multi-family zones, more specific details can be applied to each, since the needs for the requirements are a bit different.
Subsections under both of the multi-family sections go into detail regarding the following:
· Site Planning
· Parking and Access
· Architecture
· Mezzanines/Roof Decks/Balconies
· Single Family Structures in Multi-family Zones
· Lighting
· Permeability and Landscaping
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These standards are detailed and measurable when compared to the existing Residential Design Guidelines. For example, common open spaces requirements in the current 2003 Residential Design Guidelines contain broad “should” statements for being visible, whereas the Objective Residential Standards will require pathways to connect all units to common open spaces. The standards for building height, mezzanines and roof decks proposed in the Draft Objective Residential Standards are now measurable, whereas the Residential Design Guidelines contained vague descriptions of what those should be.
Section VII: R-1 Character Area Design Guidelines
The current 2003 Residential Design Guidelines have neighborhood-specific design guidelines for “the Avenues” and “Beryl Heights” neighborhoods. Where there are actual requirements (shall) in that document, those have been carried over into the Draft Objective Residential Standards for R-1 Single Family Zoning. The guidelines (should) are included in this “Character Area Design Guidelines” section. This was also expanded to include additional neighborhoods and gives guidance to property owners on how they might have new additions or construction be reflective of the way those areas were originally developed. These are not requirements, but rather helpful tools for those wanting to construct in line with that neighborhood.
Section VIII: Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs)
This section makes the ADU regulations more user-friendly and easier to understand and act upon.
HCD has recently provided the City with direction for updating zoning ordinances to comply with the latest State adopted regulations. Staff received that direction from HCD after the May 2023 Draft Objective Residential Standards were prepared, so we will make sure that any changes made to the Ordinance, per HCD direction, are reflected in the final version of the Objective Residential Standards.
At a public hearing on June 15, 2023, the Planning Commission adopted a resolution recommending revisions to the Redondo Beach Municipal Code to implement the Objective Residential Standards, and recommendations to the City Council regarding the Draft Standards’ document. A copy of that Resolution is included in the agenda packet. Staff’s presentation at the City Council meeting will go over each of those recommendations.
COORDINATION
The Community Development Department collaborated with Cityworks Design to prepare this agenda item and the Draft Objective Residential Standards.
FISCAL IMPACT
The costs associated with the preparation of the Objective Residential Standards are included in the contract with Cityworks Design approved by City Council. The original contract cost was $138,955, which was fully funded through SB2 Grant Funds awarded to the City by the HCD through a Grant Agreement executed on June 12, 2020. The additional contract amount of $72,080, approved with the third amendment, is funded by the City’s General Plan Maintenance Fund. The total not-toexceed amount of the agreement is $212,035.
APPROVED BY:
Mike Witzansky, City Manager
N.2., File # 23-6324 Meeting Date: 7/18/2023
ATTACHMENTS
· Planning Commission Resolution Objective Residential Standards Implementing Ordinances - AS ADOPTED June 15, 2023
· Draft City Council Presentation, July 18, 2023
· Objective Residential Standards, May 11, 2023
· Current Residential Design Guidelines Booklet, Adopted October 7, 2003 · Public Comments Received Since June 15, 2023 Meeting
· Planning Commission Administrative Report, June 15, 2023 · Planning Commission Presentation, June 15, 2023
· Planning Commission Blue Folder from PC Objective Residential Standards Subcommittee, June 15, 2023
· Public Comments Received Between May 18 - June 15, 2023 Meetings · Planning Commission Presentation, May 18, 2023
· Commissioner Hinsley’s Researched Items as Discussed May 18, 2023 · Public Comments Received Between March 29-May 18, 2023 Meetings (1 of 2) · Public Comments Received Between March 29-May 18, 2023 Meetings (2 of 2) · Planning Commission Presentation, March 29, 2023
· Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on Draft Objective Residential Standards · Combined Designer Focus Group Comments, March 19, 2023 · Combined Community Comments, March 22, 2023
· PC Objective Residential Standards Subcommittee Comments - Sheila Lamb, March 22, 2023 · PC Objective Residential Standards Subcommittee Comments - Matthew Hinsley, March 22, 2023
· February 2022 Survey Results Summary
· Community Workshop Presentation, January 10, 2022
· Planning Commission Presentation, December 16, 2021