The Redondo Beach Planning Commission unanimously recommended that the City Council adopt an ordinance adding a definition of "permitted by right" ("P") to the municipal code and the coastal implementing ordinance to make the city's zoning definitions explicitly consistent with state practice and a recent technical assistance letter from the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD).

Planning Manager Sean Scully told the commission HCD certified the city's housing element in 2022 but, in a recent technical assistance letter, asked the city to adopt an explicit definition of "permitted by right" that mirrors state law. "The definition says if it's permitted by right, the development is required to be approved ministerially, which we do, if it meets predefined objective standards," Scully said. He further explained that developments that qualify as permitted by right would not require discretionary entitlements such as conditional use permits or planned-unit developments and are treated as ministerial for CEQA purposes where statute exempts ministerial actions.

The proposed amendments would modify Title 10, Chapter 2, Section 10-2.402 (Definitions) and Title 10, Chapter 5, Section 10-5.402 (Coastal land use plan implementation definitions). Staff told commissioners the language formalizes existing practice for administrative design-review projects and applies to housing projects identified as "P" in the land-use table, including certain administrative procedures for projects with a 20% affordable component. Scully said the city had routed the draft language to HCD and expected follow-up comments before the City Council hearing.

Commissioners asked whether the definition would apply to the coastal zone and whether it would create conflicts with neighboring cities; staff said the same definition would be placed in the coastal zoning ordinance and that the item will be forwarded to the California Coastal Commission for review once adopted by council. Several commissioners described the amendment as a straightforward technical clarification; no public commenters opposed the change. Chair Wayne Craig called for a roll-call recommendation to City Council; Commissioners Light, Boswell, Young, Gattis, Conroy, Hazeltine and Chair Craig voted aye.

The commission's recommendation asks City Council to adopt the CEQA exemption declaration and ordinances amending the cited municipal-code definitions. If council adopts the ordinance, staff noted the coastal-parallel amendment will also be submitted to the Coastal Commission for its review and certification before becoming effective in the coastal zone.