Site map of a proposed Walnut Avenue industrial park in Signal Hill that the Signal Hill Planning Commission considered at its Jan. 16 meeting
Commissioners also heard from City staff about a homeless-population count scheduled for Jan. 24, as well as new state legislation reforming the 1982 Housing Accountability Act to help assure affordable housing.
Industrial park
The commission held a preliminary public workshop considering plans for a new industrial park on Walnut Avenue between Hill and 20th streets on the north and south sides, and Gundry and Gaviota avenues on the west and east.
According to Senior Planner Colleen Doan, Xebec Realty, in partnership with owners RE Solutions, is working with staff to develop plans for nine light-industrial buildings and parking spaces on eight acres of vacant property there that was previously occupied by a refinery.
The buildings are designed to be 31 to 34 feet in height, which is less than the maximum allowed by zoning, according to Doan, and units will average between 5,000 and 10,000 square feet in size.
Doan said that staff was trying to ensure that the buildings would be aesthetically pleasing to the surrounding community.
“Staff continues to work with the applicant’s architect to improve visual aesthetics and reduce the overall mass of the buildings through variation of roof height, building frontages, window size and orientation, building articulation and variations in color and materials,” she said.
Doan added that appearance is especially important considering the site’s elevation and because surrounding properties have residential, industrial and educational uses.
“The unique thing about all these different uses [!] is that, because of the visibility, because of the interface between the project and these varied uses, [!] the design of the buildings is even more important than it would be for a typical industrial development,” Doan said.
Steve Christie, development manager at Xebec Realty, told commissioners his company would seek small-business tenants on a rent-to-own basis, such as interior-design firms and furniture warehousers, but units may be employed for “nonconforming” uses such as dance studios, churches and storage for boats and motorcycles.
“We think there’s a pent-up demand for [this size unit] in the marketplace right now,” Christie said.
He added that Xebec hopes to secure permits by late 2018 and complete construction by the end of 2019.
The property is part of Signal Hill’s oil refining legacy, Doan said, and was last occupied by Chemoil Refining from 1922 to 1994 (and another refinery before that), but has been vacant since 1997.
She added that the vacant property underwent a two-year cleanup process beginning in 2013 and part of the current development process includes determining if the soil and groundwater meet environmental safety guidelines.
Though only two people attended two community meetings offered about this industrial park so far, Commissioner Jane Fallon said the response is generally positive.
“I’ve talked to a couple of residents,” she said. “They’re really excited about improvements to the area.”
However, two property owners attending this week’s commission meeting raised concerns about the industrial park’s appearance and traffic safety.
Jeremy Johnson, who identified himself as a property owner on Gaviota Avenue, said he is concerned about the “stark” façades of the backs of buildings that would face his residential street.
“I’d like to see a little bit more variation in architecture,” he said.
Another property owner on Gaviota raised the question of why such a development project was even necessary, given his reading of the last forecast by the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation.
Both property owners and Vice Chair Victor Parker also expressed concern about additional traffic, such as delivery trucks, especially given the site’s proximity to Signal Hill Elementary School.
After hearing all the testimony, the commission agreed that Xebec should continue working with City staff to complete necessary action items such as a traffic analysis and refining design plans prior to a second public workshop on the project.
“Staff is supportive of this project in general,” Doan said. “However, there’s still a lot of analysis to be completed and full review of the final plans.”
Homeless count
Staff reminded the commission of the annual Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count event scheduled on Jan. 24, from 7:30pm to 10pm.
Ryan Agbayani, assistant planner with Community Development, said that his department would host the event and provide coordination and training of volunteers. The police department will provide drivers and unmarked vehicles.
He added that 14 volunteers are already in place, which is the maximum allowed, but asked that commissioners remain on standby in case they are needed to fill in that night, to which they agreed.
Housing legislation
Finally, in order to inform commissioners of possible planning changes ahead, staff conducted the second in a series of presentations on new state legislation signed into law last September designed to promote affordable housing.
“California is currently suffering from a housing crisis,” Agbayani said. “The majority of renters spend more than 30-percent of their income [!] on rent. Needless to say, California’s home ownership rates are at the lowest points since the 1940s.”
One of the new laws, SB 167, reforms and clarifies parts of the 1982 Housing Accountability Act (HAA), he said, making it harder for local governments to skirt its original intent.
“In the current law, local agencies must make specific findings when denying a proposed housing development that is objectively compliant with zoning and General Plan standards,” he said. “It puts more burden on the cities to justify their denials to a greater extent.”
During new business, Parker expressed appreciation to staff on behalf of the commission for their informative work.
“Thank you, Staff,” he said, “for the series of director’s reports that we’ve had, and continue to have, to give us a high-level overview of some of the new laws [!] that impact our city and impact our vision.”
The next meeting of the Signal Hill Planning Commission will take place Tuesday, Feb. 20, at 7pm in the council chamber at 2175 Cherry Ave.