Permanent Adoption of Interim Zoning Ordinances and Palisades Emergency Order Downtown Economic Recovery IZO 2825 (CCS)
• Simplifying Land Use Review, Limitations, and Development Standards. Expand permitted land uses, limiting discretionary reviews, and simplifying/eliminating restrictive land use limitations within the Downtown area. • Outdoor Rooftop Commercial Uses on City-Owned Parking Structures. Allows certain outdoor commercial uses on the top-level of public parking structures owned by and at the sole discretion of the City, including rooftop cinemas, community assembly, small/large-scale commercial entertainment, and recreation facilities.
Community gardens are proposed to be removed as an allowable rooftop use due to potential maintenance concerns with such a use on parking structure rooftops and based on its inconsistency with the strategic priority of activating economic opportunity and growth. Exemptions to floor area, floor area ratio, and height projections supporting the establishment of these rooftop uses will also be amended.
• Floor Area Ratio (FAR) Flexibility for Existing Non-Conforming Buildings on the Promenade. Allows existing properties on the Promenade that were approved pursuant to a Development Review Permit (DRP) to retain their floor area development rights, providing flexibility on shifting, removing, and replacing nonconforming floor area at any given time. This change provides property owners with design flexibility for commercial tenant spaces to meet the needs of prospective businesses over time, while staying within the maximum floor area limits of the approved DRP.
• Outdoor Commercial Uses Exclusively on Private Property in the Office Campus District. Permits commercial uses, predominantly outdoors, consisting of multiple vendors such as outdoor antique markets, night markets, and similar multi-vendor open-air ventures in the Office Campus (OC) District. Specific standards for this use ensure that negative impacts to surrounding existing uses are mitigated.
Although a conceptual plan to establish an antique market was considered since added to the current IZO, no formal proposals have been submitted. Nonetheless, staff recommends maintaining this program to continue to provide opportunities for future outdoor markets.
• Temporary Use Permits. Allows Temporary Use Permits to be extended an additional 180 days (6-months) for a total of 12 months, with Community Development Director approval.
Outdoor Dining & Seating on Sidewalks IZO (10-28-25)
Design standards related to sidewalk dining barriers, enclosures, and fixtures would be relocated from SMMC Section 9.31.200 to the Administrative Guidelines established for Outdoor Dining and Seating on Sidewalks, which is a more appropriate location for design standards.
Personal Service: Massage Establishments Emergency Interim Zoning Ordinance 2781 (CCS)
This includes streamlining changes to massage establishments, specifically eliminating the discretionary Minor Use Permit (MUP), location restrictions, and facility requirements.
The changes help to streamline the review ancillary massage for businesses such as day spas or fitness facilities. The previously adopted EIZO expired on December 31, 2025.
Resource Recovery and Recycling (RRR) IZO (12-16-25)
Simplifies the thresholds for when trash enclosure upgrades and review are required and revises resource and recycling room dimension standards. The amended trash enclosure standards prioritize public health and safety as well as State environmental laws and require that bins be fully contained within an enclosure on private property with sufficient space for storage and staging, when the new proposed thresholds are triggered. While originally initiated as part of the Self-Certification Pilot Program, the revisions apply to all projects and are proposed to be permanently adopted.
Emergency Order Provisions for Permanent Adoption: Schools, Child Care, and Early Educational Facilities Displaced by Palisades Fire
Staff recommends formally adopting the zoning-related Emergency Orders provisions that are currently suspended for these facilities located in residential and non-residential districts as provided in the City’s Palisades Fire Emergency Order which is anticipated to sunset. Staff proposes to permanently authorize the following zoning relief currently provided by the EO:
▪ Residential Districts. Schools with existing Conditional Use Permits (CUP’s) in residential zones are permitted to expand operations in order to accommodate students from other campuses operated by the existing school displaced by the regional fires, without first amending their CUP.
▪ Non-Residential Districts. Schools, Child Care and Early Education Facilities that were displaced by the Regional Fires or expansions to existing schools to accommodate students displaced by the Regional Fires may operate within the City’s non-residential zones without obtaining a Conditional Use Permit.
Proposals would be reviewed administratively and require a Parking and Loading Operations Plan.