PLANNING COMMISSION WRAP-UP

WHAT HAPPENED:

The planning commission voted unanimously to form a subcommittee to

study proposed changes to developmentfees.

WHAT IT MEANS:

The subcommittee will be made up of two or three planning

commissioners, city staff, three builders, a member of Huntington Beach

Tomorrow and one Realtor. The committee will return to the planning

commission with its findings at the planning commission meeting April 9.

The group is charged with studying staff’s proposal that the

development fees charged by the Huntington Beach Zoning and Subdivision

Ordinance be raised. They call these fees park in-lieu fees.

Planning commissioners, Downtown developers, residents and members

from the building industry are against this hike in fees. These fees pay

for developing new or rehabilitating existing neighborhood or community

parks and recreational facilities. They do not pay for park maintenance.

The ordinance currently sets a per-acre fee based on 60% of the

citywide average land value for residential low-density property.

Staff suggests that the fee be based on an appraisers estimate of the

real land value. It would require developers to pay an additional 20% for

any off-site improvements such as curbs, gutters, sidewalks and traffic

signals.

Developers and residents said the availability of affordable housing

in Huntington Beach could be jeopardized if the new fees were to go into

effect.

Vote: 6-0

IN FAVOR/AGAINST

WHAT HAPPENED:

The Planning Commission unanimously approved an amendment to the

Zoning and Subdivision Ordinance to allow public use on commercial land

of two or more acres, which will allow greater use of the property

without the necessity of rezoning.

The item will be forwarded to the City Council for adoption at a later

date.

WHAT IT MEANS:

The zoning code currently requires public and semipublic organizations

such as hospitals, schools and churches to be zoned as such if it is

located on a site of two or more acres.

This amendment would change that, allowing the city to preserve some

of its commercially zoned areas.

According to staff, property owners have complained about the current

requirement, because it allows a limited number of uses in comparison to

commercial, industrial and residential areas. The proposed amendment

would permit the hospital complex at Beach Boulevard and Newman Avenue to

remain in a commercial zone and not require a zoning map amendment to

public-semipublic use.

Vote: 6-0

IN FAVOR/AGAINST

WHAT HAPPENED:

The Planning Commission approved the 13.8-acre Huntington Beach

Hospital complex on Beach Boulevard to be rezoned for commercial office

use on eight separate parcels from its current public use designation.

The item will be forwarded to the City Council for adoption at a later

date.

WHAT IT MEANS:

The property is owned by the Center for Special Surgery Inc.,

Greenglass Associates, LLC and the Huntington Intercommunity Hospital.

Staff felt a commercial designation was appropriate for the hospital

and medical complex because it has frontage along Beach Boulevard, the

city’s primary commercial corridor.

The new designation would allow the hospital to proceed with plans to

construct convalescent facilities at the site, which requires a

conditional-use permit approved by the planning commission.

Vote: 6-0

IN FAVOR/AGAINST

NEXT MEETING

When: 5:15 p.m., Feb. 26 Where: Room B-8, City Council chambers, 2000 Main St.