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Planning commission refines El Camino Real retail nodes, sends map and follow-up study request to council
Summary
The commission recommended edits to the draft El Camino Real retail node map, consolidating central nodes and approving several node additions, removed the North Ventura CAP node and asked council to direct staff to study whether retail-protection rules should also apply to smaller housing-element sites within nodes.
The Planning and Transportation Commission recommended a revised retail-node map for South El Camino Real on May 28 and forwarded its decisions to the City Council with one additional study request.
Staff presentation and commission direction Miss Armer (City planning staff) told the commission the item implements a housing-element program (Program 3.4.c) and the South El Camino Real design guidelines. Staff recommended a single revised map with a set of specific adjustments and asked the commission to work through each suggested node and provide direction to council. "Staff's recommendation tonight is that PTC recommend to council, that council adopt a resolution to modify the existing retail node map," Armer said.
Commission action and votes The commission addressed individual nodes and, by a series of motions, recommended the map changes to the council. Key motions recorded and outcomes were: - Adopt the "bike-to-school" node as shown (motion carried, 7–0). - Adopt the "triangle" node as shown (motion carried, 7–0). - Remove the North Ventura coordinated area plan node from the retail-node map (motion carried, 7–0). - Consolidate the three-part central node (labels a, b, c) into a single central node and include the revised central area as drawn (motion carried, 7–0).
Study request to council Following discussion about how the retail preservation ordinance interacts with the city's housing-element site designations, the commission voted unanimously (7–0) to recommend that the City Council consider directing staff to study whether the retail preservation ordinance should also apply to housing-element opportunity sites that are located inside retail nodes but not designated for lower-income housing in the housing element. Commissioners said the idea is to prompt council review of the trade-off between small infill housing sites and preserving ground-floor retail in key retail nodes.
Why it matters: housing element and retail protection Commissioners and staff discussed state law direction that sites projected for lower-income housing in a jurisdiction's housing-element inventory are entitled to residential capacity and that the city's prior decision to treat all inventory sites uniformly meant many El Camino parcels were exempt from retail-preservation rules. The study request asks council to consider whether smaller opportunity sites inside nodes (those not allocated for lower-income units) could be treated differently to preserve retail frontage in key locations while still accommodating larger affordable-housing sites elsewhere.
Other points - Staff provided additional mapping showing existing land uses and zoning behind the node areas and said the recommended edits were intended to preserve corners and cohesive retail stretches while removing other interim areas from the retail-preservation overlay. - The commission discussed the existing administrative "escape" in the retail preservation ordinance that allows property owners to apply for exemptions if retail is not viable or there is economic hardship; commissioners requested that the staff report to council summarize that process.
Outcome and next steps The commission voted on the recommended map edits and approved the set of node changes as described above; staff will prepare a resolution and map for City Council consideration. The commission also asked council to consider directing staff to study the narrower question about applying retail preservation to certain housing-element sites within nodes.
Quotes - Miss Armer (staff): "Staff's recommendation tonight is that PTC recommend to council, that council adopt a resolution to modify the existing retail node map." - Vice chair Chang (commission): "If we're really thinking about where would retail most likely succeed, that's probably a spot [corner]."
Ending: The commission sent the refined map and a request for a staff study to council; staff will prepare the resolution and maps for council consideration.
