Bellflower council adopts zoning overlays and TOD expansion to implement housing element

The Bellflower City Council on Monday unanimously approved a General Plan amendment, zone changes and ordinance amendments that add a housing opportunity overlay zone and expand the city’s Transit Oriented Development specific plan to help the city meet its state-required housing targets.

The vote implements changes tied to the city’s 2022 housing element, which was certified by the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). Planning staff and the city’s housing consultant told the council the package establishes the regulatory framework for future housing projects but does not itself authorize construction.

“The housing element implementation program is a multi‑phased project,” planning consultant Patty Nahill told the council, noting the current action updates the General Plan text and map, creates an overlay to allow higher residential densities in identified opportunity areas, and revises the TOD specific plan. “No development is authorized with this effort that you’re taking this evening. This is merely establishing the framework for future development to develop under,” she said.

Under the approved changes, the city will add 12 opportunity areas to a mixed‑use designation and create an overlay with several density tiers. Staff described the maximum densities in the overlay as ranging by location: about 30 units per acre, 40 units per acre and up to 100 units per acre in the highest‑capacity planning areas. The package also clarifies that “mixed use” may include residential, commercial, industrial or any combination of those uses.

Councilmembers pressed staff to emphasize that property owners retain the underlying zoning and are not forced to redevelop; the overlay merely creates a new option for owners or future developers. Planning staff said projects that seek to use the overlay would be subject to objective development standards and that some housing projects may be permitted by right if they meet those standards. Other projects—like subdivisions—would still require discretionary review and hearings.

Staff emphasized state law and RHNA context throughout the hearing. Elizabeth (city planning staff) reminded the council the Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) for Bellflower is 3,735 units, and that the housing element work is intended to show the city has adequate capacity and objective standards to accommodate that number. During Q&A staff cited the RHNA breakdown discussed in the staff materials: large needs for above‑moderate and very low income units were noted in the packet (above‑moderate: 1,679 units; very low: 1,015 units).

Council adopted Resolution No. 2059 and introduced Ordinance No. 1442, and a related zoning text amendment (ZOTA 25‑012) and zone change (ZZC 25‑012). The motion to adopt the resolution and introduce the ordinance was made by Mayor Pro Tem Sonny Santanez and seconded by Councilmember Victor Sanchez. Roll call was unanimous: Mayor Pro Tem Sonny Santanez—aye; Councilmember Dan Coops—aye; Councilmember Morse—aye; Councilmember Victor Sanchez—aye; Mayor Dutton—aye.

City staff and the consultant told the council follow‑up work will be required: additional municipal code amendments and more detailed design standards will come back for review before developers can build under the new overlay. Staff also noted a small correction in the council packet: a referenced CEQA item should read “Notice of Determination,” not “Notice of Exemption.”

Why it matters: the actions formalize where higher‑density housing can be built and set objective standards intended to allow the city to count potential capacity toward its RHNA obligations. But they do not authorize any specific project; property owners retain current rights and projects must still meet code, building, fire and other legal requirements before construction.

The council directed staff to prepare the follow‑up municipal‑code amendments and to notify property owners in the newly mapped areas, and the city indicated additional hearings and code changes will follow quickly to implement the details laid out in the overlay.