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Planning commission recommends allowing mini‑warehouses in two mixed‑use TOD areas
Summary
The commission voted 4–0 to recommend a zoning code amendment that would permit mini‑warehouse uses as a conditional use in two small mixed‑use transit‑oriented development (MUTOD) areas, with design, screening, operating‑agreement and retail component requirements; the City Council will consider the ordinance.
The Santa Fe Springs City Planning Commission on Dec. 22 recommended that the City Council adopt a zoning code amendment to allow mini‑warehouses (self‑storage) in two mixed‑use transit‑oriented development areas of the city.
Planner Laurel Reimer told the commission the text amendment would add mini‑warehouses as a conditional use in the MUTOD uses table and would add a MUTOD subsection to Section 155.637. The MUTOD subsection would limit mini‑warehouses to parcels abutting heavy rail, require a minimum of three stories, require a ground‑floor commercial or retail frontage to maintain a pedestrian orientation, and demand adherence to MUTOD design standards (setbacks, façade articulation and varied rooflines). Reimer also said the amendment would add screening requirements for ancillary truck‑rental parking and require operators to enter into an operating agreement with the city.
Reimer said staff found the amendment consistent with the general plan and exempt from CEQA as a text change with no specific project. "We want to make sure that even if these uses are located in the MUTOD, it still has to meet all of the design requirements of that zone," Reimer said.
Commissioners discussed design controls and the requirement that any future mini‑warehouse project still obtain conditional use and development plan approvals. The Planning Commission voted to adopt Resolution No. 310‑2025 recommending that the City Council approve the text amendment; the vote was 4–0. Reimer said the item will go before City Council for final approval.
Next step: City Council public hearings on the ordinance and possible adoption of the zoning text amendment.
