DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION ON THE GENERAL PLAN-LAND USE ELEMENT UPDATE WITH A FOCUS ON THE BUILDING INTENSITY (FLOOR AREA RATIO) LIMITS FOR THE PUBLIC/INSTITUTIONAL (PI) AND “OTHER” NON-RESIDENTIAL GENERAL PLAN LAND USE DESIGNATIONS Community Development
January 20, 2026
BACKGROUND
2016 - General Plan Update initiated
Land Use Element
Open Space & Conservation Element
Safety Element
Noise Element
May 18, 2021 City Council Land use and FAR discussions
Directed FAR to be set at 0.75 for all PI sites including BCHD and 1.25 for City Hall and Annex October 2024 - Presentation to City Council
November 2024
Housing Element implementation items adopted
Environmental Impact Report Certified
2 3
HOUSING ELEMENT IMPLEMENTATION
LAND USE ELEMENT
Blueprint for future physical development
Policies on land use (Future Meeting)
Sets FAR allowances
Proposed FAR Change Areas (PI & Other Non-residential Special Policy Areas):
Artesia/Aviation (AACAP)
Industrial (I-1 and I-3) Properties North of Manhattan Beach Boulevard Larger Commercial Shoping Centers Along PCH
Public Institutional Properties - Citywide
4 Commercial Changes – AACAP & PCH Areas
5 AACAP Change Area – SPA 2 and 3
FAR Increase from 0.60 to 1.5
PCH North Change Area – SPA 5a
FAR Increase from 0.50 to 1.0
PCH Central Change Area – SPA 5b
FAR Increase from 0.50 to 1.0
Industrial Changes – North of Manhattan Beach Blvd
6 Industrial I-1 Change Area
FAR Increase from 0.70 to 1.0
Industrial I-3 Change Area
FAR Increase from 0.70 to 1.0
Public/Institutional (PI) Land Use Designation Changes
The City’s existing General Plan currently does not identify a building intensity (FAR) for the P (Public and Institutional) designation.
Some PI Zones do identify a FAR in Zoning Ordinance
City Hall property (zoned P-CIV civic center zone) – FAR of 1.25 P-ROW (right-of-way zone) – FAR of 0.10
P-PRO (parks, recreation, and open space zone) – FAR of 0.25 All other existing PI zones do not have an identified FAR cap (subject to Planning Commission Design Review) P-SF school facility zone
P-CF community facility zone
P-RVP riviera village parking zone
7 Public/Institutional (PI) Land Use Designation Changes 8 PI FAR Analysis (Existing vs. Proposed)
9 FAR COMPARISON ANALYSIS
Address
Property Area SF
Proposed GP (w/ notes on Existing use)
Existing Building SF
Existing FAR
.75 FAR Maximum SF
1.25 FAR Maximum SF
2400 Grant Ave.
30,089
PI- RBFD Station 2
10,555
0.35 22,567
37,611
200 Flagler Ln.
58,239
PI - City Yard next to Dominguez Park
9,395
0.16 43,679
72,799
514 N Prospect
432,836
PI-BCHD
251,900
0.58 324,627
541,045
415 Diamond St.
290,576
PI-exemption site (City Hall)
185,790
0.63 217,932
363,220
200/222 N. Pacific Coast Hwy.
221,424
PI-exemption site (City Annex, RBUSD offices and auditorium) 47,566
0.21 166,068
276,780
401 S Broadway
22,652
PI- RBFD Station 1
11,070
0.49 16,992
28,315
801 S Pacific Coast Hwy.
143,312
Kensington
82,471
0.58 107,484
179,140
Beach Cities Health District
10 Beach Cities Health District – Current FAR is 0.58
Existing BCHD Property Area – 432,836 sf
Existing Building Floor Area – 251,900 sf
City Council adopted an “Addendum” to the Certified PEIR on December 3, 2024 studying up to 1.25 FAR Examples of FAR calculations
.75 FAR = 324,627 sf
1.0 FAR = 432,836 sf
1.25 FAR = 541,045 sf
Recommendation: Set the FAR at between 1.0 and 1.25
Planning Commission Recommendations
Planning Commission’s recommendations concerning the “P/I” land use designation:
Amend the FAR for the Public/Institutional (PI) land uses from 0.75 to 0.5 for all properties except:
City Hall, the Annex site on Northeast Corner of PCH and Vincent St, and all City Fire and Police Station properties which would have an FAR of 1.25.
Eliminate the proposed Public/Utility (U) land use designation for the AES and SCE transmission tower corridor properties and maintain the existing land use designation of “P” Public or Institutional for these properties.
Amend the land use designation from “OS” (Parks and Open Space) to “PI” (Public/Institutional) at the School District owned properties identified as: 1. Lincoln Elementary School Fields and Blacktop Area; 2. Alta Vista Elementary School Fields; and 3. The former Franklin School Site. 11 Planning Commission Recommendations (continued)
Planning Commission’s recommendations concerning the “other” land use designations:
Amend the FAR for the C-4 designated properties along Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) from 1.0 to 0.5 and develop a comprehensive plan for the PCH corridor.
Within the MU Mixed-Use Zoning Districts for projects including both commercial and residential uses amend the proposed minimum commercial FAR from 0.35 to 0.4. 12 Article XXVII – Major Changes in Allowable Land Use
The following proposed FAR amendments require an Article XXVII vote:
The increase from 0.6 to 1.5 in the AACAP
The increase from 0.7 to 1.0 in the I-1 and I-3 designations north of Manhattan Beach Boulevard The change from C-2 to C-4 (increases FAR from 0.5 to 1.0) within the PCH North and Central SPAs The identification of a FAR of .75 or 1.25 for the proposed Public Institutional (PI) locations, with the exception of the City Hall property as it currently has a zoning FAR of 1.25.
All other changes proposed are classified as a “Minor Change in Allowable Land Use” which are not subject to a vote. 13 Article XXVII – Major Changes in Allowable Land Use
14 Recommended Council Action
Set the FAR cap for PI Zones and the BCHD site
Staff recommends setting the FAR at 1.25 for City Hall and the Annex Staff recommends to set the FAR at between 1.0 and 1.25 for BCHD Staff recommends setting the FAR at 0.75 for other PI properties Set the FAR cap for the I-1 and I-3 designations north of Manhattan Beach Boulevard Staff recommends increasing from the FAR 0.7 to 1.0
Change from C-2 to C-4 (increases FAR from 0.5 to 1.0) within the PCH North and Central Special Policy Areas Staff recommends changing the C-2 to C-4 withing the PCH North and Central Special Policy Areas Maintain the existing land use designation of “P” Public or Institutional for the AES and SCE transmission tower and amend the land use designation from “OS” (Parks and Open Space) to “PI” at the School District owned properties Staff recommends maintaining the existing designations at these locations 15 Recommendations (continued)
Provide direction on the following two Article XXVII vote options:
Option #1 – Adopt LUE Update and conduct a special election in late summer 2026 (Staff recommends this option) Option #2 – Bifurcate LUE Update. Council approves AACAP FAR on March 3rd for a special election in June 2026. Council approves the balance of LUE FAR changes in late summer 2026 Option #2 would come at an additional election expense of approximately $300,000, but would allow for an expedited implementation of the AACAP 16 Commercial Land Use Designation Changes
17 General Plan Land Use Designation – Existing/Proposed Land Use Designation – Existing/Proposed
Maximum Density/Intensity – Existing/Proposed
Description – Existing/Proposed
C-2
Neighborhood Commercial (CN)
(Locations within AACAP, along PCH North (east side of PCH), PCH Central (east and west side of PCH), and PCH South (west side of PCH), and along Torrance Boulevard and Catalina Avenue just east of Torrance Boulevard) Max. FAR 0.50
Max FAR 1.50 for Artesia and Aviation Boulevards Special Policy Areas Same uses as C-1 and movie theaters, and overnight accommodations; except Riviera Village where no “footprint” exceeding 30,000 square feet is permitted for a single use for food sales, retail goods, or other large volume use.
C-1: Retail commercial, eating and drinking establishments, household goods, food sales, drugstores, building materials and supplies, professional offices, personal services, cultural facilities, and similar uses.
Provides for commercial districts with uses that complement adjacent residential neighborhoods. Allowed uses include retail, restaurants, personal services, office, hotel*, kenneling*, and similar uses. The intent of this designation is to provide goods and services that meet the needs of residents and businesses Buildings in the CN districts should front the street with rear, alley loaded parking where feasible. Where CN designations contain existing residential uses, they shall be allowed to remain and shall be considered conforming; however, no new residential units are permitted Maximum FAR 0.50 (except for the Artesia and Aviation Boulevards Special Policy Areas, where the Maximum FAR is 1.50) *Conditionally permitted subject to zoning code
C-2
C-4
(Locations along PCH North (west side of PCH), and PCH Central (east and west side of PCH south of Torrance Boulevard) FAR 0.50
FAR 1.00
Same uses as C-2
C-2: Same uses as C-1 and movie theaters, and overnight accommodations; except Riviera Village where no “footprint” exceeding 30,000 square feet is permitted for a single use for food sales, retail goods, or other large volume uses C-1: Retail commercial, eating and drinking establishments, household goods, food sales, drugstores, building materials and supplies, professional offices, personal services, cultural facilities, and similar uses.
Industrial Land Use Designation Changes
18 General Plan Land Use Designation – Existing/Proposed Land Use Designation – Existing/Proposed
Maximum Density/Intensity – Existing/Proposed
Description – Existing/Proposed
I-1 and I-3 (Industrial)
(Areas North of Manhattan Beach Blvd)
FAR 0.7
FAR 1.00
Light industrial, research and development, "office park" facilities, manufacture of spacecraft and associated aerospace systems, supporting commercial uses (e.g., restaurants, banks, copiers, and similar uses), educational and governmental facilities, and day care centers.
Public/Institutional (PI) Land Use Designation Changes
19 General Plan Land Use Designation – Existing/Proposed Land Use Designation – Existing/Proposed
Maximum Density/Intensity – Existing/Proposed
Description – Existing/Proposed
Public (P)
Public/Institutional
(PI)
N/A
Max. FAR 0.75 for
all properties
except:
Max. FAR 1.25 at City Hall bounded by PCH, Broadway, Carnelian St, and Diamond St Max. FAR 1.25 at the
Annex site on Northeast Corner of PCH and Vincent St
Subject to Planning
Commission Design
Review
Governmental administrative and capital facilities, parks, schools, libraries, hospitals and associated medical offices, public cultural facilities, public open space, utility easements, and other public uses.
Provides for governmental administrative and capital facilities, schools, libraries, hospitals and associated medical offices, public cultural facilities, and other public uses, ancillary parks, recreation and open spaces. Sites that are allowed to develop up to a maximum 1.25 FAR are also subject to Planning Commission Design Review (PCDR).
Public (P)
Public/Utility (U)
N/A
Max. FAR 0.10
Governmental administrative and capital facilities, parks, schools, libraries, hospitals and associated medical offices, public cultural facilities, public open space, utility easements, and other public uses.
Provides for utility uses including easements with public access for recreation and parking. Maximum FAR 0.10.
Public (P)
Parks and Open Space (OS)
N/A
Max. FAR 0.20
Governmental administrative and capital facilities, parks, schools, libraries, hospitals and associated medical offices, public cultural facilities, public open space, utility easements, and other public uses.
Provides for public open space, passive park uses, sports fields, active recreation uses, and coastal-related recreational activities as well as accompanying public facilities such as restrooms, picnic pavilions, parking facilities, and lifeguard towers. Maximum FAR 0.20.
Article XXVII – Minor Changes in Allowable Land Use
20 Commercial FAR/Land Use Designation Changes
Limited to Special Policy Areas (SPA)
Increasing development potential within select commercial corridors – AACAP; PCH; Torrance Blvd AACAP Area
Increase FAR from 0.60 to 1.5
City Council Direction – August 6, 2025
PCH North & Central -
Increase FAR from 0.50 to 1.0 (C-2 to C-4)
PCH Central & Torrance Boulevard
No change in FAR (0.50)
Change from C-2 to CN
New Commercial Neighborhood (CN) designation (No Change in FAR) Commercial districts with uses that support adjacent residential neighborhoods Pedestrian-oriented
21 Industrial Land Use Designation Changes
Focused around existing and future metro stations
North of Manhattan Beach Boulevard (near existing metro station) Preserves opportunities for new jobs
Preserves existing industrial areas and allows future additional development/expansion Industrial Areas North of Manhattan Beach Boulevard
Increase FAR from 0.70 to 1.0
22