Policy Topic Staff Recommendation & Planning Commission Recommended Changes
Planning
Commission
Decision
Permanent Adoption of
Economic Recovery
Interim Zoning
Ordinances (IZO)
• Downtown Economic Recovery IZO 2825 (CCS)
• Simplify Outdoor Dining IZO Amendments (10/28/25)
• Personal Service (Massage) EIZO No.2781
• Resource, Recovery, Recycle (RRR) IZO (Self-Certification) • Palisades Emergency Order (Schools, Day Care, etc)
Yes
Expand Alcohol
Exemptions to
Remaining areas of
Downtown and SM Pier
Expand Alcohol Exemptions for same uses recently codified for the Promenade area to the entire Downtown area,
including the SM Pier.
Yes
Pawn Shops Allow downtown pawn shops to relocate within the Downtown area.
Yes
Simplifying Land Use
Review, Limitations,
and Development
Standards (Downtown&
Citywide))
Simplify Land Use Review:
• Downgrade CUP to MUP or Permitted By-Right
• Downgrade MUP to Permitted By-Right
Simplify Ground Floor Standards: Size/Linear Street Frontage • Eliminate tenant size and frontage restrictions
Additional PC Recommendations:
• Neighborhood Commercial (NC) Districts: Maintain
ground floor size & frontage limitations.
• Allow by-right for Grooming and Pet Shops & Banks
• Increase size threshold of banks to match boulevards
• Explore removing MUP requirement for re-tenanting
Yes
Changes to Common
Land Uses: Review and
Limitations (Downtown
& Citywide)
Restaurants & Food Halls
Restaurants:
• Greater than 5,000 SF: Downgrade from CUP to MUP.
• Neighborhood Commercial (NC):
o Eliminate 50-seat restriction for restaurants.
o NC Main Street: Eliminate 2-restaurants per block
restriction.
Food Halls:
• Greater than 5,000 SF: Downgrade from CUP to MUP
PC Recommendation:
Food Halls:
• Greater than 10,000 SF: Downgrade from CUP to MUP
Yes
New Brewery Definition and Related Uses:
• Adds clarity by creating brewery/distillery use
classification & related uses: brew pubs, taprooms, and restaurants with ancillary on-site brewing.
Yes
Bar Establishments:
• Downgrade from CUP to MUP
No
Retail Use:
• Small-scale retail would remain unchanged as permitted by-right across all commercial zoning districts.
• Medium-scale retail would be downgraded from a CUP to MUP along the Boulevards.
• Medium-scale retail would be downgraded from a CUP to permitted by right in the Downtown Core, Bergamot
Districts, and in the IC and OC districts.
PC Added Recommendation:
• Supportive of downgrading permit review as proposed.
• Medium-Scale: Reduce size threshold from 25,000 SF80,000 SF to 25,000SF-50,000 SF • Large-Scale: Reduce size threshold from > 80,000 SF to > 50,000 SF and require CUP for all large-scale.
Staff Response to PC Recommendation:
• Staff does not support this change.
• Proposed resizing minimizes the flexibility intended for Medium-scale retail.
• Reducing size thresholds potentially changes existing Medium-scale retail between 50k-80k SF into nonconforming status.
Yes
General Markets
• Increase by-right size threshold from 15,000 SF to 25,000 PC Recommendation:
• Increase by-right size threshold from 15,000 SF to 30,000 SF (NC maintain at 25k)
• Greater than 30k: downgrade from CUP to MUP
Yes
Ground Floor Office/Medical Office
• Eliminate street frontage limitations and change size threshold review from CUP to MUP
PC Recommendation:
• Supports proposed changes and expands by removing all limitations and allow uses by-right on the ground floor.
Yes
Personal Services, Physical Training
• Allow Physical Training as permitted by-right with no size restrictions.
Yes
Standards for Specific
Uses
Alcoholic Beverage Sales
• Downgrade all forms of alcohol permits from CUP to
MUP.
• Alcohol Exemption & Restaurants w/Entertainment
criteria updated consistent with Emergency Order
requirement suspensions by removing certain operating
restrictions: television limit, max 35% alcohol sales, bottle service, pub crawls, amusement games.
• Establish new Administrative Request process to remove certain requirements suspended by EO for existing
alcohol permit holders.
• Streamline AE administrative noticing procedures.
PC Added Recommendation (via policy discussion):
• Maintain restriction on nopub crawls.
• Expand Alcohol Exemptions to certain commercial uses to Citywide districts, not including bar establishments.
• Alternatively, establish new Taproom and allow Alcohol Exemption with 9pm closing.
Staff Response to PC Recommendation:
• Staff supports establishment of alternate Taproom/Wine Bar, however Council may want to consider a slightly later closing time such as 11pm.
Yes
Community Assembly
• Remove minimum parcel size threshold of 7,500 SF
• Add PLOP requirement for all proposals.
PC Added Recommendation:
• Additionally, remove current operating hours restriction.
Yes
Restaurants, Limited-Service & Take-Out Only
• Updates closing hours from 10pm to 12am.
Yes
Small-Scale Facility (Commercial Entertainment &
Recreation, Game Arcades):
• Eliminates outdated operational restrictions on game
arcades.
Yes
Use Classifications Alcoholic Beverage Manufacturing
• Establishes separate land use classification.
Yes
Eating and Drinking Establishments
• Reorganization into two separate categories.
Personal Services, Physical Training
• Eliminates maximum side threshold of 5,000 SF currently included in the definition, in conjunction with allowing byright in all districts.