Redondo Beach commission backs narrower commercial driveway standards, forwards recommendation to council

The Redondo Beach Public Works, Safety and Sustainability Commission voted 5–1–1 on Jan. 26 to recommend that the City Council adopt revised commercial driveway-width standards intended to support pedestrian-oriented redevelopment along corridors such as Artesia Boulevard.

Staff presented a proposal to set a baseline minimum of 12 feet for one-way commercial driveways, a 20-foot minimum and 24-foot maximum for two-way driveways, and to add administrative flexibility allowing the city engineer to approve exceptions based on objective design factors. Traffic engineer Ryan Lucie told commissioners that the changes would align Redondo Beach with nearby cities and free up street frontage for sidewalks, trees and on-street parking.

The proposal is part of implementation of the Artesia Aviation Corridor Area Plan (ACAP), planners said. Sean Scully, planning manager, told the commission that council direction has included increasing allowable floor area ratios and reducing on-site parking requirements in some areas; the driveway standards are intended to help convert car-oriented frontage to pedestrian-friendly development.

Public commenters generally supported narrower driveways for pedestrian safety and to encourage retail activity. "A crucial step to encourage more people on foot on Artesia must be to calm the traffic," said Jim Miller during public comment. Theresa Mitchell, who said she helped raise the issue during earlier parking-reform discussions, urged even smaller minimums and limits on the number of curb cuts: "I would suggest maybe reducing the minimum farther to 10 foot," she said.

Not all speakers agreed. Benjamin De France and others warned that narrowing driveways can create turning difficulties for larger vehicles and complicate emergency egress. "Because vehicles are getting bigger ... I don't think reducing the driveway size is probably the best thing to do," De France said. Commissioner Nafisi, who cast the single No vote, said she was not supportive of lowering the one-way minimum to 12 feet because of concerns about larger vehicles and enforcement: "Cars are getting larger ... it's too narrow," she said.

Staff cited benchmarking from neighboring jurisdictions: Santa Monica has a 12-foot one-way minimum and a 20-foot two-way baseline with caps and exceptions; Culver City ties widths to parking counts; Torrance has a 30‑foot maximum and no minimum; Manhattan Beach uses a 12-foot one-way standard for smaller commercial lots. Lucie said the city would use vehicle-turning templates and the proposed objective factors—number of on-site spaces, lot geometry, sight distance, horizontal/vertical slopes and proposed land use—when evaluating exceptions.

Commissioners debated whether the code change should use words such as "required" or "suggested" for the baseline numbers. Multiple commissioners asked staff to work with the city attorney to draft code language that preserves needed clarity while allowing engineering discretion for unusual sites or heavy-truck uses. Public Works staff member Sandy Wenjeet urged maintaining clear standards but giving the city engineer discretion where wide driveways are necessary for safety or loading.

After deliberations, Commissioner Bajaj moved to advance staff's recommendation to the City Council; another commissioner seconded. The roll-call vote recorded Commissioners Simpson, Bajaj, Anderson, Bealey and Sowell voting Aye; Commissioner Nafisi No; Chairperson Arata abstaining. The motion passed 5–1–1. Staff will return to council with draft ordinance language after consultation with the city attorney.

Next steps: the commission’s recommendation will be transmitted to the Redondo Beach City Council for consideration and ordinance drafting; staff said any final code change will include specific exception criteria and vehicle-turning templates as part of the development-review process.