LOS ALAMITOS : Industrial Area Zone Changes OKd

The City Council has approved a new zoning ordinance that includes a ban on churches, dance studios, fraternal organizations and martial arts schools in industrial areas. The new ordinance also places restrictions on child care centers in those areas.

The ordinance, passed unanimously this week, was designed to make sure that neighboring businesses remain compatible and that industrial areas remain safe, City Manager Robert C. Dunek said. Seven businesses or organizations now in operation will be affected by the new ordinance, and all will be allowed to retain their sites, city officials said. But some business owners said the ordinance will still have an impact.

Dale and Sharon Williamson, the owners of the Kidnastics gymnastics instruction studio, believe they will lose negotiating power when their lease comes up for renewal. They also predicted that the remaining businesses and organizations would eventually dwindle to just one or two because they won’t be able to afford the higher rents outside industrial areas.

“The seven of us will not be around forever,” Sharon Williamson said. “ . . . I feel that we have to look at these businesses as valuable parts of the community.”

But Councilman Anthony R. Selvaggi said that allowing special privileges to the seven businesses could undermine the new code. “Every time we make a change in our zoning code, some business is affected,” he said.

The council asked staff members to try to come up with ways to assist the businesses and organizations when they renegotiate their leases.

The ordinance also limits child care centers to those housed within an industrial business. It also requires that employees of the business be the primary users of the child care facility. Under the old code, day care centers were allowed as separate facilities to serve any number of businesses in an industrial center.

In addition, the ordinance calls for placing limits on the use of real estate signs in public rights of way. Real estate agents will be working with city officials to draft the new restrictions, which could include setting limits on height and the length of time a sign can be posted.