Development plan update gets OK from H.B. Planning Commission

A document that will guide development decisions in Huntington Beach through 2040 was approved by the Planning Commission on Tuesday night.

In separate votes, the commission unanimously authorized the city’s general plan update and an associated environmental impact report.

The documents are scheduled to go before the City Council on Sept. 18.

The commission had been reviewing the general plan update for months in preparation for the hearing, submitting questions to city staff and requesting amendments to the document, which has been in the making since the City Council voted in 2013 to hire planning consulting firm Michael Baker International to assist.

Commissioners voted on a series of proposed amendments during the more than five-hour meeting Tuesday. Items included various rewordings and deletions and a recommendation from Commissioner Dan Kalmick to explore the feasibility of short-term rentals. Commissioners approved Kalmick’s request.

California cities are required to have general plans and update them at regular intervals. Huntington Beach’s general plan hasn’t been comprehensively updated since 1996, according to a city staff report.

Commission Chairwoman Connie Mandic said after the meeting that the updated general plan improves on the last one, including making necessary changes to areas dealing with technology. It also streamlines the contents of the last general plan, she said.

The accompanying EIR looks at potential adverse environmental effects as part of the plan implementation. It delves into air quality, biological and cultural resources and noise, among other issues.

About 20 people attended the meeting, but only a few expressed concerns with the documents.

Resident Tony Bisson was worried that the update may not have necessary forethought, saying the city will face growth issues in the future that need planning, such as problems associated with self-driving cars.

Adam Wood, representing the Building Industry Assn., said he was concerned that the anticipated capacity of residential units in the city has declined since the last general plan and that the region needs new housing. The BIA is a nonprofit that represents companies associated with the Southern California homebuilding industry.

The 1996 general plan’s forecast build-out through 2040 was for 86,499 residential units. The updated general plan projects 85,403 units through 2040, according to a presentation at the meeting.

The update also includes a new land-use designation — research and technology — to help fuel job and economic growth, the report says.

The designation would allow for industrial and commercial uses that aren’t accommodated in the current commercial or industrial areas.

benjamin.brazil@latimes.com

Twitter:@benbrazilpilot