El Segundo council introduces code changes to align single‑family rules with state law; tree mandate draws council debate

El Segundo City Council introduced an ordinance May 6 to amend the city zoning code so standards for urban lot splits match the rules that apply to single‑family (R‑1) lots, city planning staff said.

Planning director Paul Samaris told the council the changes respond to a state law, Senate Bill 450, that bars cities from imposing subjective or more restrictive standards on urban lot splits than on other development in the same zone. "The bill prohibits subjective standards for urban lot splits that do not apply uniformly within the underlying zone," Samaris said, and the draft ordinance takes a number of existing urban‑lot‑split rules and either applies R‑1 standards uniformly or relaxes overly restrictive local rules.

The recommendation would alter a range of development rules: building height (preserving R‑1 pitched‑roof height allowances rather than a flat 26‑foot cap for splits); front yard setbacks (22 feet minimum in current R‑1); permitted front‑yard encroachments; side yard setbacks (keeping the R‑1 percentage formula but capping the minimum at 4 feet for urban lot splits, per state limit); floor‑area rules (retain a 60% FAR cap for wider lots and remove unit‑size maximums that applied only to urban lot splits); garage stepbacks; building separation (matching the R‑1 3‑foot requirement); driveway widths; alley access; and landscaping. Samaris said the planning commission recommended applying the R‑1 rules in most cases and removing some urban‑split‑only mandates.

Council attention focused most on a planning commission recommendation that would require planting at least one tree in the front yard for new primary dwelling construction. "It says specifically a 24‑inch box," Samaris said when asked about the size. Several council members questioned whether the city should mandate a 24‑inch‑box tree in front yards for all R‑1 properties going forward. One councilmember said the original urban‑lot‑split standard had required two 24‑inch box trees but that extending a tree mandate citywide might be an unnecessary restriction on homeowners. Another councilmember argued the tree requirement had been intended to help new denser development better blend into neighborhood character.

Public comment at the hearing was limited; no written communications were received, and staff recommended the council waive first reading and schedule a second reading. The city attorney read the ordinance title, and the council moved to introduce the ordinance for first reading; the ordinance was introduced and will return for a second reading and vote at the May 20 meeting.

What happens next: the ordinance is scheduled for the second reading May 20; if adopted the municipal code (El Segundo Municipal Code Title 15, Chapter 4) will be revised to remove or modify urban‑split‑specific standards that are inconsistent with Senate Bill 450. Council discussion left the tree requirement unresolved, and members said it can be revisited before final adoption.