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Commission approves first reading to allow more ground‑floor offices and personal services downtown
Summary
The Hollywood City Commission unanimously approved on first reading a text amendment to allow additional ground‑floor uses in the Retail Core (RC) and Young Circle (YC) districts, while adding targeted restrictions (for example limiting massage parlors adjacent to major streets and reinforcing illuminated storefront standards).
At first reading the commission voted 7–0 to amend two downtown zoning districts to permit more ground‑floor personal services and offices in the RC (Historic Retail Core) and YC (Young Circle) districts.
Andrea Winget, Director of Development Services, said the Downtown CRA board directed staff to open ground‑floor uses to ease leasing and attract businesses to the downtown core. The amendment allows offices and most personal services on the ground floor but includes targeted exceptions and footnotes — notably a restriction on massage establishments adjacent to Hollywood Boulevard in one version of the draft. Staff also proposed language to reinforce illuminated storefronts to maintain evening activation.
Commissioners debated two practical points: whether dry cleaners should be limited to drop‑off/pick‑up only (intended to limit on‑site chemical operations) and whether the massage restriction should be broader than just Hollywood Boulevard. Mayor Josh Levy and several members said they preferred removing a strict “drop‑off only” restriction on dry cleaners so the marketplace could determine viable business models, while Commissioner Schuham and others urged caution about on‑site dry‑cleaning chemicals near sensitive uses.
The commission asked staff to return at second reading with refined language on massage‑parlor adjacency (an amendment on the floor sought to expand the prohibition to any roadway in the zone) and to consider uniform lighting standards citywide. The ordinance passed first reading unanimously and will return for a second reading with the discussed clarifications.
What’s next: staff will return with draft changes for second reading addressing the massage adjacency and dry‑cleaning language.
