PUBLIC HEARING FOR CONSIDERATION OF AN APPEAL OF A DENIAL BY THE PLANNING COMMISSION OF AN EXEMPTION DECLARATION AND VARIANCE TO EXCEED THE 30- FOOT
MAXIMUM BUILDING HEIGHT REQUIREMENT FOR THE INSTALLATION OF FOUR BULK
CRYOGENIC STORAGE TANKS WITH A PROPOSED HEIGHT OF
APPROXIMATELY 38 FEET AT AN EXISTING MANUFACTURING FACILITY ON PROPERTY LOCATED WITHIN AN INDUSTRIAL- COMMERCIAL ( IC- 1) ZONE
Community Development Department
October 6, 2026
Site Background & Existing
Conditions
250,600 facility on 4.43 acres
Primarily used to manufacture, assemble, and test aerospace components.
Subject Property: Industrial- Commercial (IC- 1)
West: Industrial- Commercial (IC- 1)
North & Further West: Industrial (I- 1)
South, Across Manhattan Beach Boulevard: Single- Family Residential ( R- 1) 2 Proposed Project &
Variance Request
Project:
Installation of four cryogenic storage
ranks required to support existing
manufacturing operations.
Storage of liquid nitrogen and liquid
argon.
Setback 112’ from front PL and 222’
feet from nearest SFR.
Variance:
Exceed height maximum
Code Limit: 30 feet
Proposed 38 feet
3 4
June 2024
Google Maps
Street View
Project
Rendering
Planning Commission Review
5 August 20, 2026
Request for Variance application was considered
Decision is limited to Variance criteria
Staff from Fire Department attended and provide information on the permitting process
PC continued to further consider concerns raised by some members regarding safety September 17, 2026
Variance application was denied (4- 3)
While not part of the criteria, most of the discussion at two PC meeting centered on safety
Permitting Process
6 1. Building Permit application and plan set submitted by Impulse Space for the proposed cryogenic tanks.
2. The plans in the application are then reviewed by the Building and Safety Division of the Community Development Department for compliance with the California Building Code, including structural foundations and the attachment details/ requirements for the tanks.
3. The plans are then routed to the Fire Department to review for compliance with the California Fire Code and National Fire Protection Association ( NFPA) standards and certifications, including site conditions, required clearances, tank specifications, pressure- relief systems, and emergency shutoffs.
4. Following review, Building & Safety Division and Fire Department personnel will note any deficiencies in the plans and return them to the applicant for corrections.
Permitting Process (continued)
7 5. When compliance is fully demonstrated in the final plan set, the permit is issued to the applicant for the installation of the cryogenic tanks.
6. During the installation of the tanks, personnel from the Building & Safety Division and Fire Department will perform life- safety inspections to ensure compliance with the approved plans.
7. Following installation of the cryogenic tanks Impulse Space is required to submit a hazardous materials business plan to the California Environmental Reporting System ( CERS), which triggers a notification to the local Certified Unified Program Agency (CUPA), which in this instance is the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
8. The Los Angeles County Fire Department will then conduct a hazardous materials inspection within 30 days to verify compliance with all applicable hazardous materials requirements.
Variance Criteria
8 a)There are special circumstances applicable to the property, including size, shape, topography, location, or surroundings, such that the strict application of the zoning provisions deprives such property of privileges enjoyed by other property in the vicinity and under identical zone designation
Property Constraints
9 Slender property with a narrow depth
Lesser depth (385 feet) in comparison to many other IC- 1 Zoned properties in the vicinity with depths of over 400 and 500 feet
20- foot- wide fire lane along the rear of the property SCE Transmission Towers on east side limit setbacks
Constrained in its ability to accommodate required employee parking and accessory equipment necessary for the permitted aerospace manufacturing use in comparison to many other IC- 1 Zoned properties in the vicinity 10 Zoning designation is Industrial (IC- 1) and allows for industrial and limited commercial uses
Northeast of Interstate 405 between Marine and Inglewood Avenues North side of 182nd Street between Kingsdale and Hawthorne Boulevards
Both sites have greater depth and area around building to accommodate parking and accessory structures
Other IC- 1 Properties
Other IC- 1 Properties
11 There is one property designated in the IC- 1
Zone that enjoys a higher height privilege
Property located at 2500 Marine Boulevard
contains a cell tower that was permitted at a
height of 47 feet
Entitled through the Conditional Use Permit
process
Separate process for granting height
exceptions to cell towers feet, which exceeds
the 30- foot height limit
Adjacent I1 Zone Properties
12 Both zones allow for the same industrial uses, while the IC- 1 also allows for some additional commercial uses
The IC- 1 and I- 1 are both listed in the Municipal Code under the identical “Industrial” zoning classification and are identified under the same Purpose Section RBMC 10-
2.1000
The height standard for the subject property in the IC- 1 is significantly more restrictive (30 feet) than the surrounding I- 1 Zone (100 feet) in the vicinity The surrounding industrial properties have been allowed to install numerous similar storage tank structures which are similarly required for their manufacturing needs, which is a privilege that has been granted to other properties within the vicinity, specifically Northrup Gruman
Variance Findings
13 Estimated that using the shorter tanks of 30 feet or less would eliminate roughly 50 parking spaces, which would impact the surrounding neighborhood and business operations
There is limited area on the property where the cryogenic tanks can be installed, which are essential to the permitted aerospace manufacturing use The property occupied by Impulse Space does not share the privileges and benefits enjoyed by other properties in the vicinity and within the IC- 1 Zone, which have greater depth and land area configurations and capacity to accommodate required parking under the Municipal Code, and installation of accessory structures
Does not share same privileges as other Industrial (I1) properties within the vicinity that operate as aerospace manufacturing
Variance Criteria
14 b) The Variance granted shall be subject to such conditions as will assure that the adjustment thereby authorized shall not constitute a grant of special privileges inconsistent with the limitations upon other properties in the vicinity and zone in which such property is situated Strict adherence to the zoning district’s 30- foot height limit would limit the ability of the subject property to effectively conduct aerospace manufacturing and provide adequate parking The property occupied by Impulse Space does not share the privileges and benefits enjoyed by other properties in the vicinity and within the IC- 1 Zone, which have greater depth and land area configurations and capacity to accommodate required parking Does not share the same height privileges of industrial zoned (I1) properties within the vicinity Variance Criteria
15 The granting of a Variance shall not be contrary to the objectives of the Comprehensive General Plan
Consistent with General Plan’s Goal of Economic Sustainability ( LU- 6) Retention and Expansion Policy ( LU- 6.12)
Job/ Housing Balance Policy ( LU- 1.4)
PROCEDURES
1. Open the public hearing, receive and file all documents and correspondence on the proposed project;
2. Accept all testimony from staff, the applicant, and the public and deliberate;
3. Close the public hearing;
4. Adopt the attached Resolution by title only, and waive further reading. 16 RECOMMENDATION
1. ADOPT BY TITLE ONLY RESOLUTION CC- 2610- 083 OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY
OF REDONDO BEACH GRANTING AN APPEAL AND APPROVING AN EXEMPTION DECLARATION AND VARIANCE TO EXCEED THE 30- FOOT MAXIMUM BUILDING HEIGHT
REQUIREMENT FOR THE INSTALLATION OF FOUR BULK CRYOGENIC STORAGE TANKS WITH A PROPOSED HEIGHT OF APPROXIMATELY 38 FEET AT AN EXISTING MANUFACTURING FACILITY ON PROPERTY LOCATED WITHIN AN INDUSTRIALCOMMERCIAL ( IC- 1) ZONE 17