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Council hears timeline for citywide land‑use work; EIR and zoning updates to guide mixed‑use districts
Summary
Staff described a citywide approach to intensification and reported that an EIR for proposed general‑plan amendments is underway; the council signaled interest in conditionally advancing area‑specific plans after citywide policy work is complete.
City officials told the Westminster City Council on April 28 that they are proceeding with a citywide approach to possible land‑use intensification and that Environmental Impact Report (EIR) work has begun that will influence any district‑level specific plans.
Assistant City Manager Adolfo (last name not specified) and Interim Community Development Director Sherry Vanarduceen explained that the city completed an economic development study identifying opportunity areas and is now moving to implement broader zoning and general‑plan implementation strategies. “We have actually started the EIR process for that intensification because that is the lengthiest part of the process,” Adolfo said; consultants’ proposals had just been received and staff planned to bring a recommendation for consultant selection and a project schedule in early June.
Council and staff discussed whether to proceed immediately with a district‑level specific plan for the downtown mixed‑use area (referred to in prior work as District 2) or to wait until the citywide EIR and zoning updates are further along. Sherry said city planners and consultants can present options that explain the tradeoffs of different tools: a full specific plan, a mixed‑use zone, or an overlay zone. The facilitator and staff recommended that council consider policy options after receiving the citywide implementation work and EIR schedule; the group agreed that a single‑area specific plan should not be launched until council sees the citywide context and costs.
Staff also described ancillary implementation steps: a bus tour for council to view successful mixed‑use projects in Orange County and Southern California, proposed updates to the zoning phase 2 study and corridor intensification work, and a planned scope of work for any recommended District 2 detailed plan. Interim Director Vanarduceen said she could bring a detailed update in June that would include schedule, staffing and cost estimates.
The council did not take formal land‑use decisions at the workshop. Staff said they will return in June with RFP review results for the EIR and a recommended timeline for the general‑plan amendment process; if council later decides to pursue a district specific plan, staff recommended first reviewing the policy tools and funding implications.
No new land‑use entitlements were approved at the workshop; the discussion was positioned as a policy and implementation briefing.
