Resolution No. 2022-07-xxxx
July 12, 2022
RESOLUTION NO. 2022-07-xxxx
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
SIGNAL HILL, CALIFORNIA, APPROVING GENERAL
PLAN AMENDMENT 22-02, AMENDING THE GENERAL
PLAN LAND USE ELEMENT AND THE GENERALIZED
LAND USE MAP BY RECLASSIFYING (1) AN
APPROXIMATE 8.6-ACRE SITE BETWEEN ORANGE
AVENUE AND GUNDRY AVENUE AND E. 27TH STREET
AND E. 28TH STREET (APNS: 7212-008-049, -051, AND
7212-010-010, -019, -020) FROM “4.2 GENERAL
INDUSTRIAL” AND “3.4 COMMERCIAL INDUSTRIAL” TO
“1.4 VERY HIGH DENSITY RESIDENTIAL”, (2) AN
APPROXIMATE 2-ACRE SITE AT THE NORTHWEST
CORNER OF E. WILLOW STREET AND WALNUT AVENUE
(APN: 7212-010-038) FROM “3.4 COMMERCIAL
INDUSTRIAL” TO “1.4 VERY HIGH DENSITY
RESIDENTIAL”, AND (3) THE WESTERLY PORTION OF
AN APPROXIMATE 7.8-ACRE SITE, BETWEEN ROSE
AVENUE AND CHERRY AVENUE AND E. BURNETT
STREET AND CRESCENT HEIGHTS STREET (APNS:
7214-005-010, -011, -900, -901, -902, -903, -904 AND 7214- 006-014, -015, -019, -020, -021) FROM “1.1 LOW DENSITY
RESIDENTIAL” TO “3.1 TOWN CENTER”; DELETING
“KEY LAND USE CHANGES 1 AND 2” FROM THE
GENERALIZED LAND USE MAP; ADDING “1.4 VERY
HIGH DENSITY RESIDENTIAL”; AMENDING SECTION VI
TO REVISE TABLE 8, AND AMENDING “3.1 TOWN
CENTER”
WHEREAS, California State law requires the City to adopt a General Plan with seven required elements, one of which is the Housing Element. The City’s Housing Element identifies Signal Hill’s housing needs and opportunities and establishes clear goals and objectives to inform future housing decisions; and WHEREAS, State law further requires the City’s Housing Element to be updated every eight years and also provides the Department of Housing and Community Development unique authority over the Housing Element, including determining whether the City has demonstrated sufficiently zoned capacity for housing to accommodate the Resolution No. 2022-07-xxxx
July 12, 2022
number of units identified in the Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) allocation; and
WHEREAS, it has been determined by the Southern California Association of Governments that the City of Signal Hill must designate appropriate zoning to accommodate its RHNA allocation of 517 residential units during this 6 th Cycle Housing
Element planning period of 2021-2029 (hereinafter, the “Housing Element Update” “HEU”); and
WHEREAS, the City has created a Housing Inventory List made up of four sites to accommodate the mandated RHNA allocation in the extremely low-, very low-, low-, moderate-, and above moderate-income categories; and WHEREAS, the City of Signal Hill adopted a comprehensive General Plan in March 2009, which contains a Land Use Element last updated in 2001; and WHEREAS, the City of Signal Hill last adopted the 5th Cycle Housing Element Update in 2014, which was certified by the Department of Housing and Community Development Division of Housing Policy Development on March 18, 2014; and
WHEREAS, the 2001 Land Use Element may be amended from time to time pursuant to Government Code Section 65350 et seq.; and WHEREAS, the 2001 Land Use Element contains a Generalized Land Use Map (Figure 3) that designates three of the four Housing Inventory List sites as follows:
an approximate 2-acre site at the northwest corner of Walnut Avenue and E. Willow Street (APN: 7212-010-038) (Exhibit A) as “3.4 Commercial Industrial” (hereinafter referred to as “Walnut Bluff”), an approximate 8.6-acre site (APNs: 7212-008-049, -051, and 7212- 010-010, -019, -020) (Exhibit B) as “4.2 General Industrial” and “3.4 Commercial Industrial” (hereinafter referred to as “Orange Bluff”), and an approximate 7.8-acre site Resolution No. 2022-07-xxxx
July 12, 2022
(hereinafter referred to as “Heritage Square”) with some parcels (APNs: 7214-005-010, - 011, -901, -902, -903, -904) (Exhibit C) designated as “1.1 Low Density Residential”, with the remaining parcels (APNs: 7214-005-900, 7214-006-014, -015, -019, -020, -021) designated as “3.1 Town Center”; and
WHEREAS, the Walnut Bluff, Orange Bluff, and Heritage Square sites (hereinafter, the “Housing Sites”) require a General Plan Amendment (GPA 22-02) to change Walnut Bluff and Orange Bluff to “1.4 Very High Density Residential”, and a portion of the Heritage Square site to “3.1 Town Center” to affirmatively further development of the Housing Sites as intended in the Housing Element Update and to amend associated text, Tables, and Figures; and
WHEREAS, concurrent with the subject General Plan Amendment, the Community Development Director has initiated four Zoning Ordinance Amendments (ZOA 22-01, 22-02, 22-03, and 22-04) and a General Plan Amendment (GPA 22-01) to adopt the Housing Element Update to maintain consistency between the General Plan and the Zoning designations and to conform to the Housing Element Update. ZOA 22-01 will add Chapter 20.26 entitled “Heritage Square Central Business District Specific Plan (SP-23)”, ZOA 22-02 will add Chapter 20.46 entitled “Town Center Northwest Specific Plan (SP-24)”, ZOA 22-03 will add Subparts “VII. Area Seven (Walnut Bluff)” and “VIII.
Area Eight (Orange Bluff)” to Chapter 20.41, “SP-7 Special Purpose Housing Specific Plan”, and ZOA 22-04 will modify the Official Plan Lines Map to remove the traffic study area designation for the Orange Bluff site; and
WHEREAS, pursuant to California Government Code Section 65350, “Preparation, Adoption, and Amendment of the General Plan”, and Signal Hill Municipal Code (SHMC) Chapter 20.86, “Amendments”, the subject General Plan Amendment is properly a matter for Planning Commission review and recommendation for City Council approval for enactment into an ordinance; and
Resolution No. 2022-07-xxxx
July 12, 2022
WHEREAS, the City’s Housing Element Update is considered a “project” pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), and GPA 22-01 implements the Housing Element Update (together, the “Project”); and WHEREAS, the City prepared an Initial Study/Draft Environmental Impact Report (“DEIR”) (SCH 2021050296) that analyzed the proposed Project’s environmental impacts in compliance with the provisions of CEQA; and
WHEREAS, the DEIR was made available to the public for review and comment for 45 days between September 30, 2021, and November 15, 2021, during which one comment was received and addressed in the Recirculated Draft EIR (“RDEIR”); and
WHEREAS, due to a change in the DEIR of the building heights of the proposed Orange Bluff site, the DEIR was revised and RDEIR was recirculated for public review and comment for 45 days between Friday, January 28, 2022, and Monday, March 14, 2022 at 5:00 pm. During the public review period, the City received no comments and thereafter prepared a Final EIR (“FEIR”); and
WHEREAS, the “EIR” consists of the FEIR and its attachments and appendices, as well as the DEIR and its attachments and appendices, and the RDEIR and its attachments and appendices (as modified by the FEIR); and WHEREAS, on June 21, 2022, the Planning Commission held a duly noticed public hearing and all interested parties were given an opportunity to be heard regarding the proposed GPA 22-01, 22-02, ZOA 22-01, 22-02, 22-03, 22-04 and its potential environmental impacts, the EIR, and all evidence presented before and during the hearing and contained in the administrative record, and afforded members of the public an opportunity to comment on the proposed Project, the EIR, and the Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program relative to the Project; and Resolution No. 2022-07-xxxx
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WHEREAS, pursuant to Resolution No. 856-06-21, the Planning Commission has recommended that City Council certify the EIR and approve the Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program relative to the Project; and WHEREAS, on July 1, 2022, pursuant to SHMC Section 20.86.060, a notice of public hearing before the City Council regarding the subject general plan amendment was mailed to all property owners and residents within a 300-foot radius of the Housing Sites, was published in the Signal Tribune newspaper, was emailed or mailed by firstclass mail to any person who has filed a written request for notice, and was posted in accordance with Signal Hill Municipal Code Section 1.08.010; and WHEREAS, on July 12, 2022, the City Council conducted a duly noticed public hearing and all persons were given an opportunity to comment on the Project and its environmental findings, the EIR, and all evidence presented before and during the hearing and contained in the administrative record; and WHEREAS, all other legal prerequisites to the adoption of this Resolution have occurred.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the City Council of the City of Signal Hill, California, does hereby find as follows:
Section 1. Recitals. The facts set forth in the recitals in this Resolution are true and correct and incorporated by reference. The recitals constitute findings in this matter and, together with the staff report and other information contained in the record, are an adequate and appropriate evidentiary basis for actions taken in this Resolution.
Section 2. General Plan Consistency. Pursuant to SHMC Chapter 20.86, and based on the entire record before the City Council, including all written and oral evidence presented, the City Council hereby finds that GPA 22-02 is consistent with the General Plan because the proposed amendment is compatible with the following Goals and Policies of the Signal Hill General Plan:
LAND USE ELEMENT GOAL 1 – Manage growth to achieve a wellbalanced land use pattern that accommodates existing and future needs for housing, commercial, and industrial land, open space, and community facilities Resolution No. 2022-07-xxxx
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and services, while maintaining a healthy, diversified economy adequate to provide future City revenues.
Land Use Policy 1.2 – Provide opportunities for a variety of residential densities and housing styles.
Finding regarding Policy 1.2 – The land for the proposed Housing Sites are underutilized despite its prime location within an urban setting and surrounding developed properties.
Two sites will be developed solely with residential uses and two will be mixed-use commercial and residential. There are a variety of housing types including multi-family rental apartments, townhomes, and single-family ownership
dwellings. Therefore, by reclassifying Walnut Bluff and Orange Bluff to “1.4 Very High Density Residential” and portions of Heritage Square to “3.1 Town Center” in the Land Use Element, and given that the Town Center Northwest site proposed in the Housing Element Update is already
designated “3.1 Town Center”, GPA-22-02 will result in all of the sites on the Housing Sites Inventory List of the 6th Cycle Housing Element having the proper land use designations to meet the City’s RHNA allocation of 517 new housing units.
Land Use Policy 1.7 – Broaden the City's tax base by attracting commercial and industrial development to the City which will provide economic and employment benefits to the community while ensuring compatibility with other general plan goals and policies.
Finding regarding Policy 1.7 – The subject General Plan Amendment will enable the development of mixed-use
projects allowing a variety of commercial, retail, and service uses as well as residential dwellings. GPA 22-02 is intended to provide economic and employment benefits and an
increased tax base for the City.
LAND USE GOAL 4 – Ensure that future land use decisions are the result of sound and comprehensive planning.
Land Use Policy 4.4 – Encourage citizen participation in planning and the land use decision making process and development of land use programs and policies.
Finding regarding Policy 4.4 – The Housing Sites Inventory List was developed through an extensive community outreach effort, which included a survey, presentations to City Council, the Planning Commission, the Diversity Coalition Committee, the Sustainable City Committee, the local University of Health Sciences, residents, and management of the four affordable Resolution No. 2022-07-xxxx
July 12, 2022
housing facilities, stakeholder groups, local business owners, and to all residents via the water bill. The proposed
amendment to the general plan is subject to the
Administrative Site Plan and Design Review development
process.
Section 3. General Plan Amendment. The City Council approves GPA 22-02 amending the Generalized Land Use Map (Figure 3) of the 2001 Land Use Element of the General Plan and the Land Use designations of the subject properties as shown in Exhibit D attached hereto and incorporated herein by this reference, and as follows:
a. Reclassify Orange Bluff from “4.2 General Industrial” and “3.4 Commercial Industrial” to “1.4 Very High Density Residential”, reclassify Walnut Bluff from “3.4 Commercial Industrial” to “1.4 Very High Density Residential”, and reclassify the westerly portion of Heritage Square (APNs: 7214-005-010, -011, -901, -902, -903, - 904) from “1.1 Low Density Residential” to “3.1 Town Center”. b. Revise the Land Use Element to add text and update Table 8 (Exhibit E) in Section VI to include “1.4 Very High Density Residential” and remove Figure 4 as follows [deletions are stricken through and additions are underlined in red]:
1.4- Very High Density Residential (35-45 dwellings per acre) The Very High-Density Residential land use category provides opportunities for multifamily development including multi-story condominiums/townhomes and apartments. The Very High-Density Residential areas are located throughout the City’s Neighborhoods where opportunity exists to create affordable housing and special purpose housing to meet the needs of the City’s diverse population.
c. Revise Section 3.1- Town Center in the Land Use Element as follows [deletions are stricken through and additions are underlined in red]:
3.1 – Town Center
The Town Center land use category is the commercial core of the City generally located at the intersection of Cherry Avenue and E. Willow Street, and extending south along Cherry Avenue to E. Burnett Street. The Town Center category provides opportunity for commercial and residential mixed-use development, large-scale retail stores, offices, entertainment, and dinning, and services, as well as neighborhood shopping centers.
Vacant parcels include Town Center Northwest located at the northeast corner of Walnut Avenue and E. Willow Street, and a two acre site on the northwest corner, and the proposed Central Business District, commonly known as Heritage Square, bounded by Cherry and Gardena/Rose Avenues and Creston and 25th Crescent Heights Streets. New development in the Town Center is guided by mixed-use as well as the existing Town Center East and the Commercial Corridor Specific Plans and by the Willow/Spring/Cherry Landscape Overlay District. These plans and design guidelines promote orderly Resolution No. 2022-07-xxxx
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development, compatible land uses and cohesive design primarily through the site plan and design review procedure including site plan, architecture, landscape, and signage and site plan review. It is recommended that the City prepare a Heritage Square/Central Business District (CBD) Specific Plan for the Town Center area between Cherry Avenue west to Rose Avenue. Figure 4 displays the proposed boundaries of the proposed specific plan(s) for the Heritage Square/ Central Business District and also the Crescent Heights Historic District.
Both the The Heritage Square/Central Business District (CBD) and the Town Center Northwest Specific Plan (TCNW) are is envisioned as a moderate to high intensity mixeduse developments that may include the following land uses;: retail shops, entertainment, fitness center, eateries including fine dining and outdoor dining, services businesses, and professional or business offices. High density residential condominium flats or lofts may be part of the comprehensively designed CBD project and TCNW projects that provides part of the residential development project public amenities such as a town square, or plaza area, park, amphitheater, or public viewing area. In lieu of development of a museum facility, it is recommended that public and private spaces incorporate art, photographs and artifacts that portray Signal Hill's oil field history. Both the The CBD and TCNW should serve the community as a venue for socializing, shopping, dining, and recreating in a high quality, view-oriented urban environment. d. Replace “Figure 4 Historic/CBD” with the depiction of the conceptual site plan attached as Exhibit “F” to this Resolution.
e. Delete Key Land Use Changes 1 and 2 from the Generalized Land Use Map [stricken in red below], and renumber “3 – Change Atlantic/Spring zoning from CG & CO to CG & GI” and “4 – Change Cherry Avenue zoning from CR to R” as Key Land Uses Changes 1 and 2, respectively:
Section 4. CEQA. The City Council has certified the EIR, adopted the CEQA Findings of Fact, and adopted the Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program relative to the Project by adoption of Resolution No. ________, which is hereby incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.
Resolution No. 2022-07-xxxx
July 12, 2022
Section 5. Custodian of Records. The documents and materials that constitute the record of proceedings on which these findings are based are located at City Hall for the City of Signal Hill, located at 2175 Cherry Avenue, Signal Hill, CA 90755. The Community Development Director is the custodian of the record of proceedings.
Section6. Execution of Resolution. The Mayor of the Signal Hill City Council shall sign this Resolution and the City Clerk shall attest and certify to the passage and adoption thereof.
PASSED, APPROVED AND ADOPTED at a regular meeting of the City Council on this 12th day of July 2022.
____________________________________
KEIR JONES
MAYOR
ATTEST:
___________________________
CARMEN R. BROOKS
CITY CLERK
CITY OF SIGNAL HILL )
COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES ) ss.
STATE OF CALIFORNIA )
I, CARMEN R. BROOKS, City Clerk of the City of Signal Hill, California, do hereby certify that Resolution No. 2022-07-xxx was adopted at a regular meeting of City Council of the City of Signal Hill on the 12th day of July, 2022, by the following vote:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
ABSTAIN:
CARMEN R. BROOKS
CITY CLERK
Exhibit A
Legal Description – Walnut Bluff
Portion of lot 67, American Colony Tract, per map recorded in Book 19, Page 89 and 90 of Miscellaneous Records; County of Los Angeles, California, excepting therefrom all minerals, gas, oils, petroleum, etc.
7212-010-038
Exhibit B
Legal Description – Orange Bluff
W 600 ft of American Colony Tract, 4.55 ACS N 330 ft.
7212-008-049
American Colony Tract, N 140 ft of W 300 ft and S 190 ft of W 600 ft. 7212-008-051
Lots 1 and 2 of the Cook Track, being a subdivision of Farm Lot 67 of the American Colony Tract.
7212-010-010, -019, -020
Exhibit C
City of Signal Hill Property:
Exhibit D
Amended Generalized Land Use Map
Exhibit E
Table 8 Land Use Distribution
[Attached behind]
Area New Area & % Zoning Specific Plans/Use
1.1 Low Density Residential (<10
du/ac) 350 Acres RL SP-2 Hilltop Area
24% of City RLM-1 SP-5 California Crown
PD-2 SP-9 Bixby Ridge
SP-11 Crescent Heights
1.2 Medium Density Residential
(10-20 du/ac) 68 Acres RLM-2 SP-8 Signal Hill Village
5% of City CR Retail & Residential
1.3 High Density Residential (21-
35 du/ac) 84 Acres RH SP-2 Area B-1 of Hilltop
6% of City SP-7 Special Purpose Housing
1.4 Very High Density Residential (35-
45 du/ac) 12.23 RVH SP-7 Special Purpose Housing Area 6 (Zinnia) 1% RVH SP-7 Special Purpose Housing Area 7 (Walnut Bluff) RVH SP-7 Special Purpose Housing Area 8 (Orange Bluff)
3.1 Town Center 87 Acres CTC SP-1 Town Center
6% of City SP-3 Town Center West
SP-6 Commercial Corridor
SP-23 Heritage Square Central Business District
SP-24 Town Center Northwest
3.2 Commercial General 179 Acres CG SP-4 Auto Center Specific Plan 13% of City SP-6 Home Depot
SP-10 Pacific Coast Highway
3.3 Commercial Office 25 Acres CO
2% of City
3.4 Commercial Industrial 151 acres 148 CITY Light Industrial & Retail 11% of City 11%
4.1 Light Industrial 195 Acres 193 LI Light Industrial
14% of City 14%
4.2 General Industrial 192 Acres 184 GI General Industrial 14% of City 13%
PI Public Institutional 35 Acres PI School, Civic Center, City Yard, Public Buildings/Utiities 3% of City
OS Open Space 24 Acres OS Parks & Trails
2% of City
Totals: 1,390 Acres 2.17 Square Miles
Table 8
Exhibit E
Exhibit F
Conceptual Site Plan
[Attached behind]