Westminster City Council
SUBJECT
Title
Public Hearing - First Reading of Case No. 2025-0113, A Request to Amend Section 17.230 Industrial Zoning Districts of the Westminster Municipal Code.
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publichearing
• Staff Report
• Mayor and City Council Questions for Staff
• Public Comments
• Mayor and Council Member Discussion
• Council Action
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From: Sheri VanderDussen, Interim Community Development Director
Requested by: Administration
Prepared by: Ken Fichtelman, Principal Planner
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RECOMMENDED ACTION
Recommendation
Consider Planning Commission’s recommendation and introduce for first reading an Ordinance entitled, “AN ORDINANCE OF THE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF WESTMINSTER, CALIFORNIA, APPROVING A ZONING TEXT AMENDMENT (CASE NO. 2025-0113) AMENDING TITLE 17 OF THE WESTMINSTER MUNICIPAL CODE, CHAPTER 17.230 - INDUSTRIAL ZONING DISTRICTS,” read by title only and waive further reading.
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BACKGROUND
Chapter 17.230 of the Westminster Municipal Code (WMC), entitled, “Industrial Zoning Districts” regulates the uses and development standards for industrial zoning districts within the City. Staff have recently received several inquiries regarding uses in the City’s industrial zones which are either not a listed use within the WMC or should, per Staff’s experience, not be permitted within industrial zones.
On May 7, 2025, the Planning Commission voted 5-0 to initiate the amendment through Resolution of Intention No. 25-011.
On July 2, 2025, the Planning Commission voted 4-0 to adopt Resolution No. 25-014, recommending approval of this zoning code amendment to the City Council (Attachment 2).
ANALYSIS
Staff are proposing to amend §17.230.010 with respect to the permitted and conditional uses in the M1 and M2 zones. After careful review of the uses found in Table 2-6, staff and the Commission have determined that multiple uses should be added to the table for clarity or prohibited within industrial zones.
It is important to note that any of the uses which are being added to Table 2-6 could currently be permitted under other uses currently found in the table. For instance, food production uses are currently allowed and new uses which are proposed provide additional clarity about food production uses. These changes will allow residents and prospective businesses to easily determine that such uses are permitted.
Uses Added
The proposed amendment will further define uses which involve food and/or beverage production. Food manufacturing is currently allowed as permitted use. Beverage production and commercial kitchens and bakeries are proposed as permitted uses as they are similar to food production. Additionally, breweries, wineries and distilleries are proposed as permitted uses, with an Administrative Use Permit required for the addition of an onsite tasting room. This approach is consistent with the existing provisions of the zoning code, which allow for food production use by right and the sale of alcoholic beverages with either an Administrative Use Permit (AUP) or a Conditional Use Permit (CUP).
Uses Removed
Recognizing that Westminster has a limited number of industrial properties within the City and a limited capacity to expand the industrial districts, the proposed amendment will preserve industrial properties and uses by removing uses which are better suited for other zones, or which provide little benefit for the City. The removal of a number of commercial uses as permitted uses from the M1 and M2 zones is proposed, such as full-service restaurants, grocery stores, general retail stores, and check cashing establishments, as these uses are better suited for commercial zones. The removal of self-storage facilities from both the M1 and M2 zones and recreational vehicle storage facilities from the M2 zone as permitted uses is also proposed. Both of these uses take up substantial amounts of space and provide very little back to the City in terms of sales tax or property tax revenues or employment opportunities. Staff recommends prohibiting these uses to preserve the properties for industrial uses that provide an economic benefit for the City. The amendment will also require all wireless installations to be screened, where the existing code allows for unscreened installations with a CUP.
The proposed revisions to the zoning code are shown in strikeout/underline text in the attached ordinance (Attachment 1). Section 17.230, as it currently reads, is included as Attachment 3.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The proposed project has been reviewed for compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The proposed Zoning Code Amendment is not a project per Public Resources Code § 21065 and CEQA Guidelines section 15378 as it will not cause either a direct physical change in the environment or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment. Moreover, even if this ordinance were to constitute a “project” this ordinance would be categorically exempt from CEQA pursuant to CEQA Guidelines 15061(b)(3) because merely changing a limited number of potentially permissible types of uses will not change the total amount of the use of the property, but only the particular potentially permissible types of use; it can therefore be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that this ordinance may have a significant effect on the environment. The uses being added to Table 2-6 “Permitted Uses and Permit Requirements for Industrial Zoning Districts” would otherwise be allowed through other Land Use classifications. Any uses which are being added to the table are only providing clarity surrounding uses that are already allowed within industrial zoning districts.
FISCAL IMPACT
The proposed amendment will not have a direct fiscal impact on the City.
LEGAL REVIEW
The City Attorney’s Office has reviewed as to form.
CONCLUSION
The proposed zoning code amendment clarifies permitted uses within Industrial zones and will limit uses which either are better suited for commercial zones or do not benefit the City or its residents. The proposed amendment will preserve industrial zoned properties within City limits for industrial uses which provide employment for residents and tax benefits for the City.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Proposed Draft Ordinance
2. Planning Commission Resolution No. 25-014
3. WMC Section 17.230 Industrial Zoning Districts
REVIEWED BY
Erin Backs, Finance Director
City Attorney’s Office
Christine Cordon, City Manager