Staff outlines Westside annexation and North Lancaster Industrial specific plan; draft EIR released for public review in April

City staff on March 17 delivered an informational presentation to the Lancaster City Planning Commission about a proposed Westside annexation of roughly 7,153 acres (about 11 square miles) from unincorporated Los Angeles County into Lancaster City, and a North Lancaster Industrial Specific Plan that would cover a subset of about 1,860 acres inside the annexation area. No action was taken; staff framed the session as an overview and said formal hearings will follow.

The annexation would require approvals by Lancaster City and the Los Angeles County Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO). As presented by staff, the proposal includes a general plan amendment, pre-zoning to align zoning with the proposed land-use map, adoption of a specific plan for the 1,860-acre area, and certification of a final Environmental Impact Report with a possible statement of overriding considerations. The city proposes six zoning classifications across the annexation area, including rural residential (2.5-acre minimum lots), mixed-use employment, light industrial, mobile-home park (to match the existing Leisure Lakes mobile home park), public (sanitation district property), and a specific-plan designation.

Staff said the proposed zoning for the annexation area would allow up to 15,594,480 square feet of industrial and commercial uses under the mapped zones outside the specific-plan acreage, and noted a projected 1,837 residential units in rural-residential areas (calculated from one dwelling per 2.5-acre parcel). The North Lancaster Industrial Specific Plan itself would allow up to 38,500,000 square feet of industrial and commercial development based on a 0.5 floor-area ratio consistent with city code; staff noted permitted uses would include manufacturing and assembly, general industrial, alternative energy and battery storage (including solar and hydrogen), warehouse and logistics, institutional and commercial uses, and emergency shelters, while prohibiting hazardous materials facilities, vehicle-dismantling yards and salvage yards.

Staff outlined an aggressive schedule: the city council authorized filing of the annexation application and staff filed the application in August 2024; the notice of preparation for the EIR was released Sept. 3, 2024, and a scoping meeting held Sept. 26, 2024. Staff plans to release the draft EIR and draft specific plan for a 45-day public review period beginning April 4, 2025, with the public review period running April 4–May 19. Notices will be mailed to property owners and residents within the annexation area and those within 1,500 feet, plus relevant agencies. Tentative hearings before the planning commission are scheduled for July 21, 2025, with city council hearings anticipated in August and September; if approvals proceed on the current timeline, staff said the annexation could take effect Jan. 1, 2026, allowing the city to meet the Board of Equalization filing deadline.

Staff also said portions of Planning Area 6 already have county approvals for roughly 2,000,000 square feet of distribution uses and that an electrical substation (Southern California Edison) is likely to be sited somewhere within the specific-plan area to meet projected power needs. During the presentation, residents at an earlier scoping meeting asked whether annexation meant the city would buy or take property and whether owners could still develop their land; staff said those questions and other comments from the scoping meeting will be included in future project noticing and responses in the draft and final EIR.

Commissioners had no questions at the close of the presentation. Staff emphasized the item was informational only and will return for formal public hearings after the draft EIR and specific plan are released.