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Montebello council approves rezoning measures with amendments to boost community protections and engagement
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Summary
After hours of public comment about the Montebello Country Club green space, the council voted to introduce zoning ordinances to meet state housing requirements, add recorded covenants for two memorial sites, terminate the golf-course RFP and adopt amendments restoring a lower site‑plan review threshold and directing staff to study park-fee allocations.
The Montebello City Council voted to introduce a package of zoning ordinances aimed at bringing the city’s housing element into compliance with state law while adding protections for sensitive parkland and requiring expanded community outreach.
Residents filled the public hearing to urge opposing views: some speakers warned that failing to rezone would expose the city to the state’s "builder's remedy," while others demanded protections to prevent housing on the Montebello Country Club green space and asserted deed covenants tied to Bicknell Park.
Why it matters: Council members said compliance with the state Department of Housing and Community Development is the only practical shield against developers seeking to build by right under state law. Councilmember Peralta said, “This specific item in terms of rezoning, it's not to actually build housing,” stressing that rezoning itself does not authorize construction. Council staff and several members said the ordinance package would also terminate the outstanding RFP for the golf-course site and require a new community‑visioning process.
What the council did: On the motion floor the council approved an amendment offered by a councilmember to (1) restore site‑plan review thresholds in the zoning code from 10 units back down to 5 units, and (2) direct staff to return with a proposal for allocating parkland fees toward historically underserved neighborhoods. Planning staff indicated the site‑plan threshold change could be incorporated in the ordinance and that a separate municipal‑code amendment would be required for park‑fee changes. The motion passed in a roll‑call vote with four ayes and one no.
Public concerns and staff response: Multiple speakers requested a development moratorium, the recording of legal covenants to protect the Armenian Genocide Martyrs Monument and the Montebello Scout Hut, and stronger guarantees that green space would be preserved. City staff and council members repeatedly said the proposed actions are intended to create a framework for community input and to place legally recorded protections on two named sites. As council staff summarized, the covenants are legal instruments that would be recorded on title for those two sites.
Next steps: Council introduced four ordinances and related resolutions; the item will return for second reading with the agreed amendments incorporated where feasible. Staff will prepare revised ordinance language, an analysis for park‑fee allocation, and a detailed community‑visioning plan that will expand notices for nearby residents beyond typical distances.
Vote at a glance: The motion to approve the package with the amendments passed by roll call (4–1). The council also approved consent calendar items later in the meeting, including a $60,000 design allocation for fire‑hydrant improvements.
