Lomita Revises Measure to Spur Commercial Development on PCH

After a three-hour public hearing, the Lomita City Council has revised a controversial ordinance designed to spark more intense commercial development on a mile-long stretch of Pacific Coast Highway.

Council members asked the city attorney Monday to draft language clarifying that existing commercial lots would not be subject to proposed new minimum standards for commercial properties along the heavily traveled highway.

Before the council takes action on the ordinance, another public hearing will be held July 17.

To encourage larger developments, the ordinance would require that all new commercial lots on the highway in Lomita must be at least 10,000 square feet and at least 100 feet wide.

But owners of commercial lots half that size have expressed concern that their property would be affected by the ordinance.

‘A Lot of Concern’

“It was obvious there was a lot of concern about this section,” senior planner Richard Kawasaki said.

In response, the council members asked that the ordinance be revised to clarify that existing commercial lots that are 5,000 square feet and 50 feet wide are conforming properties. Lots smaller than that are already designated as nonconforming.

The proposed ordinance has sharply divided Lomita.

Opponents warn that larger commercial developments will change the small-town character of the community, force out existing businesses and generate more traffic.

Mark Hays of Citizens for a Better Lomita opposed any ordinance that allows more intense development and threatened to mount a referendum against the measure if it is adopted. Hays also suggested that he may wage a recall campaign against council members “if the City Council continues to completely ignore the interests of the people.”

Studies Urged

He said the city should not proceed with a zoning change without a full-fledged traffic study and possibly an environmental impact report.

Supporters argue that it will lead to quality development projects, more retail businesses and services and a larger and more stable tax base.

Bud Zinsmeister, manager of the Lomita Chamber of Commerce, called the ordinance “a real good starting place. . . . It’s going to be better for the business community, better for the citizens, better for the community to get better control of what goes on Pacific Coast Highway.”

Zinsmeister noted that many motorists on the highway between Wilmington and Redondo Beach pass through Lomita without stopping. He said the city is trying to create “a zone where people will feel more like stopping and shopping.”

A moratorium was imposed on most new development along the highway while the ordinance is being considered. Some residents called on the council to extend the moratorium beyond its October expiration date to allow time for a study on the potential impact of more intense commercial development on nearby neighborhoods.

Uses ‘Not Compatible’

Kawasaki said the city wants to see under-used properties recycled into larger and more stable developments. He said that Lomita has quite a few land uses, such as auto repair shops, that are “not really compatible with a major street” like Pacific Coast Highway.

Council members are also concerned about the tackiness and haphazard development along the highway in the adjacent Harbor City area of Los Angeles, Kawasaki said.

After a public hearing attended by an overflow crowd, the Lomita Planning Commission last month approved the ordinance to tighten development standards and require larger lot sizes.

The ordinance would establish a new commercial-retail zone along the highway to provide for “intensive retail activities and limited service establishments.”

Retail Businesses

The measure suggests that appropriate businesses would include an array of retail businesses, bakeries, banks and financial institutions, art galleries, florists, markets, jewelry and furniture stores, bookshops, restaurants and cafes.

It would restrict a variety of businesses, including small motels, auto repair shops, liquor stores, gas stations, car washes and massage parlors. Liquor stores and markets that sell liquor would have to be 1,500 feet apart.