Bellflower council approves four‑story self‑storage project with $2.5 million one‑time city payment

Bellflower — The Bellflower City Council voted Nov. 10 to approve a development agreement allowing a four‑story, climate‑controlled self‑storage facility on a long‑vacant parcel near the 91 Freeway and to accept a one‑time payment of $2,500,000 to the city in lieu of ongoing annual payments tied to the transient‑occupancy tax (TOT) revenue the city had expected from a previously proposed hotel.

The ordinance (No. 1451) and development agreement (file No. 1118) authorize a 152,300‑square‑foot facility with an interior corridor design, approximately 1,100 storage units (final unit count subject to plan‑check), about 12 dedicated parking spaces plus 11 shared spaces under a 2022 shared‑parking agreement, roughly 3,000 sq. ft. of landscaping, exterior lighting, and security measures. Planning staff recommended opening the public hearing, receiving evidence and testimony, and introducing the ordinance; the council then debated the project at length before voting to approve the development agreement.

Why it mattered: The developer proposed the storage project as an alternative to a 69‑room hotel previously entitled for the site. To compensate for the city’s lost potential TOT from the hotel, the development agreement offers a “menu” of mitigation payment options: an annual $170,000 payment phased in over three years, two lump‑sum options calculated as a net present value ($2,125,000 at different trigger points), or a one‑time payment of…