Planning commission reviews land use element update, backs objective design standards for multifamily projects

The Bell Gardens Planning Commission on May 26 received a staff report and consultant presentation on a focused update to the city's land use element and on crafting objective design standards for multifamily and mixed-use projects.

Consultant Genevie Sher of MIG said the project is grant-funded and intended to align the land use element with recent updates such as the housing element, climate action plan and the Transit-Oriented Communities (TOC) specific plan. She said outreach has reached over 400 residents and businesses and the project is on a compressed schedule because REAP 2.0 grant funds must be spent this year.

"Objective design standards are those that are quantifiable and measurable," Sher said, adding that such standards "take out the ambiguity from the development standard itself" and can reduce back-and-forth between applicants and staff.

Why it matters: Commissioners were told the standards would provide predictable, measurable rules (for example façade modulation, transparency, balcony dimensions or specific material standards) so staff and applicants share a common rubric for design review. The consultants said the standards would apply only to multifamily and mixed-use housing, not to single-family or stand-alone commercial or industrial uses.

During discussion commissioners pressed on aesthetic and equity issues. One commissioner asked whether the code would mandate a particular historical or cultural style (for example Spanish tile roofs). Sher replied that the consultants generally do not recommend prescribing a single architectural style; instead the code can require measurable elements that allow different stylistic expressions while preserving "neighborhood fit." She said the team has reviewed local precedents and will translate desirable visual features into objective, quantifiable standards.

Commissioners also asked about modular and prefabricated construction as a cost-saving approach. Sher said modular methods are being used in other jurisdictions and noted "modular construction is definitely something we're hearing from developers," adding that the city's current code allows modular construction but typically requires a conditional use permit (CUP); the consultants said they would preserve or clarify that allowance in draft code text.

Parking and overlays drew sustained attention. Staff and consultants noted existing overlays such as a parking buffer and historic preservation overlay can constrain development; they asked the commission for input on whether and where to revise overlays. On state law and parking limits, the consultants explained that within roughly a half-mile of the TOC core (near Florence and Garfield) state rules restrict the city's ability to require parking, though there are narrow thresholds under which a locality can make findings to require parking.

The presentation also identified near-term schedule milestones: draft land use and code language for public review in August/September, with City Council hearings targeted by December.

The commission voted to receive and file the staff report. The consultants will return with draft language and an implementation toolkit that will include specific objective standards and code edits for the commission's review.