Lomita : Lot Frontage Law Enacted
The City Council has voted to amend the zoning ordinance to set minimum lot frontages.
The amendment specifies that residential lots must have at least 50 feet of frontage, or 40 feet on a cul-de-sac.
City Planner Yolanta Schwartz assured the council that the change is in accordance with regulations in other South Bay cities. Torrance, Hawthorne and Gardena all have a 50-foot minimum, she said, and some cities require more frontage. She was not sure how many Lomita lots might be affected.
Councilman Charles Belba opposed the amendment, maintaining that it is too restrictive and will discourage development of narrow lots. Belba said several beach cities have narrower lot requirements.
“Those requirements were set years ago,” replied Councilman Pete Rossick. “If Manhattan (Beach) and Hermosa (Beach) had it to do over again, they wouldn’t.”
Belba then requested that wording be added to the amendment specifying that the 50-foot requirement was subject to the variance procedure and that exceptions could be granted by the Planning Commission or the City Council.
While other council members agreed, Rossick protested. “The council is trying to emasculate the ordinance,” he said.
The council voted 4 to 1, with Mayor Hal Hall opposed, to adopt the amendment with Belba’s addition.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
