ORDINANCE NO. 3921
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY
OF TORRANCE, CALIFORNIA, AMENDING TORRANCE
MUNICIPAL CODE CHAPTER 5, ARTICLE 3 OF DIVISION
9 BY AMENDING SECTION 95.3.20 PERTAINING TO THE
REGULATION OF CAR WASH FAC¡LITIES
WHEREAS, on December 7,2022, at the direction of the City Council an informational item was prepared for the Planning Commission regarding the development standards for car wash facilities that are established in the Torrance Municipal Code, and that included a local agency comparison of standards from which the Planning Commission may reference to formulate potentÍal modifications for the City Council to consider. The informational item did not propose amendments to the Torrance Municipal Code related to the issuance of new business licenses, use permits, building permits, or any other applicable permits or land use entitlements or approvals which pertain to carwash facilities. The Planning Commission considered the informationalitem and directed the Community Development Department to provide additional information to formulate potential amendments to the development standards. The Planning Commission specifically requested information regarding setbacks that range 250'to 500'from residential uses; and WHEREAS, on March 1,2023, the Planning Commission conducted a duly noticed public hearing regarding the development standards for car wash facilities. The Planning Commission discussed a potential amendment to the setback requirement, took public testimony, and directed the Community Development Department to provide additional information regarding the provisions for nonconforming uses and buildings; and
WHEREAS, on April 19,2023, the Planning Commission conducted a duly noticed public hearing regarding the development standards for car wash facilities. The Planning Commission considered a potential amendment to the setback requirement and a motion was made to prepare a draft Ordinance with a 100' setback requirement. The motion failed. A motion amendment was also made to include a 200' setback requirement. The motion amendment failed. A substitute motion was then made to accept and file the item and take no further action. The substitute motion passed by a vote of 3 to 2 with two Commissioners absent; and WHEREAS, on July 25, 2023, the City Council conducted a duly noticed public hearing and considered adoption of amendments to the Torrance Municipal Code pertaining to the regulation of car wash facilities; and
WHEREAS, the purpose of this Ordinance is to provide for the health, safety and welfare of City of Torrance citizens by ensuring objective development standards are established for car wash facilities that account for local field conditions and take into consideration the potential impacts, such as noise and vehicle traffic, that car wash facilities may have on the surrounding environment and community, and therefore include requirements for minimum lot area, setbacks, access and circulation, queuing of vehicles, parking, noise levels, and hours of operation, so as to mitigate the potential impacts; and
WHEREAS, the provisions of this Ordinance apply to the application and issuance of new business licenses, use permits, building permits, or any other applicable permits or land use entitlements or approvals which pertain to car wash facilities. Such will be subject to all provisions as set forth below, unless otherwise specified in this Ordinance, notwithstanding other existing zoning provisions and regulations of the City of Torrance; and WHEREAS, the City Council finds that this Ordinance is not subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to the following Sections 15061(bX3) and 15308 of the CEQA Guidelines, California Code of Regulations, Title 14, Chapter 3; and NOW, THEREFORE, the City Council of the City of Torrance does hereby ordain as follows SECTION 1
That Section 95.3.20 entitled "Car Wash Facilities" of Chapter 5, Article 3 of Division 9 entitled "Conditional Uses and Development Standards" of the Torrance Municipal Code is hereby amended to read in its entirety as follows:
"SECTION 95.3.20 CAR WASH FACILITIES
Car wash facilities are conditionally permitted on lots or parcels of land zoned for car wash uses, and within the C-3, C-4,C-5, M-1, M-2 zones, within the Transitional Commercial/lndustrial Sector of the D-T zone, and within the NT (North Torrance), PR (Promenade), and MP (Meadow Park) sub-districts of the HBCSP zone, subject to the development standards specified in this Section.
These development standards will also apply to existing car wash facilities at such time as those existing câr wash facilities may come before the City for expansion or remodeling or any other development requiring any permit from the City.
a) Minimum Lot Area. The minimum lot area for car wash facilities shall be 1 recorded lot or parcel of land not less than 20,000 square feet in area, except for self-service car wash facilities located on the premises of a service station. This requirement shall not apply to the expansion or remodeling of a preexisting car wash facility. b) Setbacks. No building or structure for a car wash facility shall be located within 20 feet of any property line nor within 100 feet from the property line of a residential use. Landscape areas at a width of 10 feet shall be provided adjacent to all street frontages. Outdoor equipment, power-driven equipment, steam-cleaning equipment, vacuums, blowers, and other noise emitting equipment shall not be located within 100 feet from the property line of a residential use. This requirement shall not apply to the expansion or remodeling of an existing car wash facility that was established or constructed prior to September 20,2016, when deemed necessary to remedy an existing nonconforming condition. c) Access and Circulation. No more than 2 driveways shall be permitted on any street. d) Queuing of Vehicles. Queuing lanes shall be provided to accommodate a minimum of 5 vehicles per lane. Areas designated for vacuuming and hand drying of vehicles shall be provided. No vehicle that will be or has been serviced may be parked on public streets, sidewalks, parkways, landscape, driveways, or alleys.
e) Parking. For each lot or parcel of land used for a car wash facility, there shall be provided 1 parking space for each 200 square feet of gross floor area, excluding the floor area within car wash tunnels dedicated for conveyor belt operations. 2 f) Noise. An acoustical analysis shall be prepared by a professional noise consultant which verifies noise emitting from the car wash use will comply with decibel levels as stated in Chapter 6 of Division 4. No outdoor loudspeakers, sound amplifying equipment, speakers, radios, paging, telephone bells, buzzers, and similar signaling devices shall be permitted. g) Hours of Operation. Hours of operation are limited to 7:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. daily." ' sEcTtoN 2
Any provisions of the Tonance Municipal Code or its appendices, or any other ordinances of the City inconsistent with this Ordinance to the extent of the inconsistencies and no further, are repealed.
SECTION 3
lf any section, subsection, sentence, clause, phrase or portion of this Ordinance is for any reason deemed or held to be invalid or unconstitutional by the decision of any court of competent jurisdiction, such decision will not affect the validity of the remaining portions of this Ordinance.
The City Council of the City of Torrance hereby declares that it would have adopted this Ordinance and each section, subsection, sentence, clause, phrase or portion thereof, irrespective of the fact that any one or more sections, subsections, sentences, clauses, phrases or other portions might subsequently be declared invalid or unconstitutional.
SECTION 4
Any person violating any of the provisions of this Ordinance will be guilty of an infraction, and upon conviction will be subject to a fine as provided for in Section 36900 of the Government Code.
SECTION 5
The City Council finds that this Ordinance is not subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to the following sections of the CEQA Guidelines, California Code of Regulations, Title 14, Chapter 3:
a) Section 15061(bX3) CEQA applies only to projects which have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. Where it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment, the activity is not subject to CEQA; and
b) Section 15308 actions taken by regulatory agencies, as authorized by state or local ordinance, to assure the maintenance, restoration, enhancement, or protection of the environment where the regulatory process involves procedures for protection of the environment are exempt from CEQA.
3 SECTION 6
This Ordinance shall take effect 30 days after the date of its adoption. Within 15 days following adoption, this Ordinance or a summary of this Ordinance if authorized by the City Council, will be published at least once in the Daily Breeze, a newspaper of general circulation, published and circulated in the City of Torrance.
|NTRODUCED and APPROVED this 25th day of July 2023.
ADOPTED and PASSED this 8th day of August 2023
George K. Chen
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
PATRICK Q. SULLIVAN, City Attorney
STATE OF CALIFORNIA
COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES
CITY OF TORRANCE
ATTEST:
by
T Strader, Assistant City Attorney Poirier,, City Clerk TORRANCE CITY COUNCIL ORDINANCE NO. 3921
SS
Griffiths, Kaji, Kalani, Mattucci, Sheikh and Mayor Chen None.
None.
None.
Lewis.
)
)
)
l, Rebecca Poirier, City Clerk of the City of Torrance, California, do hereby certify that the foregoing Ordinance was duly introduced and approved at a regular meeting of the City Council held on the 25th day of July 2023 and was duly adopted at a regular meeting of said Council held on the 8th of August 2023 by the following roll call vote:
AYES:
NOES:
RECUSE:
ABSTAIN:
ABSENT:
COUNCILMEMBERS
COUNCILMEMBERS
COUNCILMEMBERS
COUNCILMEMBERS
COUNCILMEMBERS
This ordinance was duly published in accordance with State law (GC 40806) Date
Poirier, MMC
City Clerk of the City of Torrance
4