City officials on Tuesday moved to advance a package of zoning and design changes aimed at jump-starting redevelopment along the Artesia-Aviation Corridor.

Staff members led by Mark Weiner, director of community development, presented draft amendments to implement the ACAP plan. The proposal would raise the allowable floor area ratio in the corridor to 1.5, allow up to three stories instead of two, and increase the maximum structure height from 30 feet to 45 feet. To reduce perceived bulk, the draft requires a five-foot second-floor setback along primary frontages and modifies corner-lot setbacks; it would also eliminate a 10% usable public-open-space requirement used by some developers to maximize buildable area.

The draft includes new design standards intended to protect pedestrian character: a minimum 12-foot first-floor ceiling height, prescriptive ground-floor transparency (about 70–75 percent glazing along storefronts), requirements for higher-quality facade materials and pedestrian-oriented lighting. Staff also proposed rooftop-dining rules that would set hours and limits on amplified music, address alcohol service, require screening and setbacks from adjacent residential zones, and allow certain rooftop structures (a separate ten-foot rooftop allowance was described for enclosed rooftop elements and service elevators).

"This is an introductory discussion on the draft code amendments," Weiner said, noting the changes reflect prior council direction and work done for the general-plan update. He told the council staff plans to return Jan. 20 for further land-use discussion and expects code adoption and a call for the election on March 3 if the council chooses to put development-standard changes to voters for the June ballot.

Councilmembers questioned how the 45-foot limit and the additional 10-foot rooftop allowance would operate in practice, and pressed staff to address privacy, edge treatments and potential impacts on adjacent backyards. Planning staff said the 10-foot allowance for rooftop amenities would be separate from the 45-foot building height and that an Administrative Use Permit (AUP) would allow tailored conditions, public noticing and appeal rights while offering a more streamlined approval path than a Conditional Use Permit.

After public comment and council debate about whether rooftop dining should be limited to the ACAP or allowed citywide, the council gave staff direction to pursue the AUP approach and to evaluate whether a citywide rooftop-dining policy can be included without delaying voter action. Council voted to receive and file the report and continue the land-use-element discussion to Jan. 20.

Next steps outlined by staff include planning-commission review in February, a March 3 meeting to consider adoption of the land-use element and the zoning ordinance changes that would effectuate the ACAP standards, and a decision whether to call the measure for the June ballot. If the council requires more time, staff said the action could be deferred to the November election.

The council emphasized it could reduce the envelope later if outcomes warranted: any voter-approved increase in development potential could be tightened administratively in the future, staff said.