Planning commission forwards industrial‑zoning use changes to council, removes self‑storage from M‑zones

The Westminster Planning Commission voted unanimously to forward amendments to Section 17.23 (Industrial Zoning Districts) of the Westminster Municipal Code to the City Council, clarifying permitted and conditional uses in industrial zones and removing self‑storage from the industrial use tables.

Ken Fichtelman, principal planner, said staff reviewed code uses and proposed changes intended to protect industrial land for employment‑generating uses and to clarify that certain food and beverage production — including breweries, wineries and distilleries with tasting rooms — are allowed. "We allow for food production, which we're also clarifying means beverages through this code update," Fichtelman said. He added staff removed some retail uses from industrial zones and recommended removing self‑storage from the code because existing self‑storage facilities do not generate significant taxable rent or employment relative to improved industrial uses.

Under the proposed amendment, RV storage would be removed from the M‑2 zone but retained in M‑1. Fichtelman said the change is intended to prevent proliferation of low‑employment storage uses in limited industrial land while preserving options where appropriate.

Resident Terry Raines urged clearer formatting and documentation for the use tables and posed detailed questions about the allowed uses, placement of emergency shelters and other items; he referenced Government Code Section 65583 in the context of emergency‑shelter siting. Raines also asked whether self‑storage would be banned citywide or only removed from industrial zones and requested staff include a zoning map with future presentations. "Place the legend at the top of the chart," he said, and urged staff to make the table clearer for public review.

Commission discussion focused on balancing quick updates to prevent unwanted uses from being built by right with larger code reforms that could trigger California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) review. Fichtelman said staff limited changes to avoid triggering CEQA and to act quickly where sites were already under inquiry. Commissioners asked that staff consider adding a zoning map to future presentations; staff noted a full code rewrite and a master use table are in progress and formatting concerns will be addressed in that larger effort.

Commissioner Wolbert moved and Commissioner Anderson seconded a recommendation to City Council to adopt the zoning code amendment via Resolution 25‑014; the motion passed 4‑0. The amendment was described in the staff report as not a CEQA project. The council will take the item up at a future date.