Westminster City Council
SUBJECT
Title
Continued from the March 25, 2026 Meeting: Public Hearing - Case No. 2026-0010 - A Citywide Zoning and General Plan Update Consisting of a General Plan Text Amendment, General Plan Land Use Map Amendment, Zoning Text Amendment, Zoning Map Amendment, Pursuant to an Addendum to the General Plan Final Environmental Impact Report.
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publichearing
• Staff Report
• Comments or Presentation from Applicant (If Applicable)
• Comments from Appellant (If Applicable)
• Mayor and City Council Questions for Staff
• Public Comments
• Mayor and Council Member Discussion
• Council Action
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From: Steven Mendoza, Interim Community Development Director
Requested by: Administration
Prepared by: Stephanie Tomaino, Contract Principal Planner
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RECOMMENDED ACTION
Recommendation
The Planning Commission recommends that the Mayor and City Council:
A. Consider and adopt a Resolution entitled, “A RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF WESTMINSTER, CALIFORNIA, APPROVING AN AMENDMENT TO THE LAND USE ELEMENT OF THE WESTMINSTER GENERAL PLAN, INCLUDING AN UPDATE TO THE LAND USE MAP FOR THE CITY OF WESTMINSTER, CALIFORINA PURSUANT TO AN ADDENDUM TO THE CITY OF WESTMINSTER GENERAL PLAN FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT”; and
B. Consider 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. 2026-0010) AMENDING CHAPTER 17 OF THE WESTMINSTER MUNICIPAL CODE BY REPEALING AND READOPTING CHAPTER 17.260 RELATING TO MIXED USES AND ADDING RELATED DEFINITIONS, REVISING VARIOUS SECTIONS OF TITLE 17 TO ELIMINATE REFERENCES TO OUTDATED OVERLAY REFERENCES, AMENDING THE HOUSING OVERLAY ZONE TO BE CONSISTENT WITH STATE LAW, MAKING CHANGES TO BRING THE MAKE THE ZONING CODE CONSISTENT WITH THE GENERAL PLAN, AND REVISING THE REGULATIONS RELATING TO DRIVE THROUGH FACILITIES AND AMENDING THE ZONING MAP OF THE CITY OF WESTMINSTER, CALIFORINA, PURSUANT TO AN ADDENDUM TO THE CITY OF WESTMINSTER GENERAL PLAN FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT (WESTMINSTER MUNICIPAL CODE CHAPTER 17.260, SECTIONS 17.10.005, 17.200.010, 17.240.030, 17.250.010, 17.250.015, 17.250, 020, 17.250.035, 17.300.010, 17.400,050, 17.520.010 AND 17.700.010),” read by title only and waive further reading.
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BACKGROUND
On March 10, 2026, the Planning Commission held a public hearing to consider Case No. 2026-0010, consisting of amendments to the General Plan Land Use Element and corresponding land use map, Title 17 of the Westminster Municipal Code (Zoning), and the zoning map. Following the close of the public hearing, the Planning Commission voted 3-0, with one commissioner absent, to recommend that the City Council approve the proposed Project with one modification.
Specifically, the Planning Commission recommended that the Civic Center area -- generally bounded by Westminster Boulevard, All American Way, 13th Street, and Jackson Street -- be redesignated from Mixed Use Civic Center to Public/Semi-Public and rezoned from MU40 to P/SP. The Planning Commission staff report and attachments from the March 10, 2026 public hearing are provided as Attachment 3.D for City Council reference.
On March 25, 2026, the City Council held a public hearing to consider the Project. The City Council considered the Planning Commission’s recommendation, staff’s presentation, and public testimony. During the hearing, the City Council generally expressed support for the Project and the Planning Commission’s recommendation regarding the Civic Center area. Following the public hearing, the City Council voted to continue the public hearing to the next regular meeting to allow staff time to revise the draft Resolution, Ordinance, and related exhibits to reflect the Planning Commission’s recommended modification, with the caveat that the housing overlay sites would not be modified. The March 25, 2026 City Council staff report and attachments are provided as Attachment 3 for reference.
Since the March 25, 2026 City Council meeting, staff has revised the draft City Council Resolution and Ordinance to reflect the Planning Commission’s recommendation regarding the Civic Center area, with the exception for the housing overlay sites. The revised Resolution and Ordinance are attached to this report as Attachment 1 and Attachment 2, respectively.
The Addendum and environmental analysis conducted for the Project were not revised because the Planning Commission’s recommended modification to redesignate and rezone the Civic Center area would reduce, rather than increase, the Project’s overall development potential. Compared to the Project analyzed in the Addendum, the modification would result in 203 fewer potential housing units and 265,865 fewer square feet of non-residential development. As a result, the modified Project remains within the development assumptions analyzed in the Addendum, and the analysis and conclusions of the Addendum remain valid. A memo from the City’s environmental consultant, De Novo Planning Group, is provided as Attachment 4.
Following the March 25, 2026 City Council meeting, the City received an additional public comment letter (Attachment 5) from counsel representing the owner of 13720 Beach Boulevard, 8041 21st Street, and 8051 21st Street. The letter requests that the City Council reconsider the proposed mixed-use designation for those parcels, exclude them from the proposed General Plan and zoning amendments, expressly permit auto-oriented uses such as a car wash, and/or confirm that a pending car wash application should continue to be processed under the regulations in effect when the application was deemed complete. Staff does not recommend modifying the Project in response. The subject parcels are part of the proposed Category B mixed-use expansion area, which is intended to expand mixed-use opportunities along targeted corridors, increase housing opportunity in appropriate locations, and avoid continued underutilization of commercially designated parcels in areas identified for reinvestment. Excluding these parcels from the Project or amending the Ordinance to preserve new auto-oriented uses on the site would be inconsistent with the objectives of the Citywide Zoning and General Plan Update and prior City Council direction to implement recommendations of the Mixed-Use Economic Analysis.
Except for the revised Resolution and Ordinance attached to this report as Attachments 1 and 2 respectively, the previously distributed staff reports, environmental documentation, and related attachments remain part of the record and are attached for ease of reference.
FISCAL IMPACT
This action is legislative in nature; no immediate fiscal impact would result from adoption of the proposed amendments. Future fiscal effects would depend on market conditions, property owner interest, and the nature of any redevelopment that may occur over time, but the proposed amendments are intended to support reinvestment in targeted mixed-use areas and may increase assessed property values, development-related revenues, and park impact fees, while mixed-use projects that retain commercial space may continue to support sales tax generation and local business activity.
LEGAL REVIEW
The City Attorney’s Office has reviewed as to form.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Draft City Council Resolution with Exhibits A-I
2. Draft City Council Ordinance with Exhibits A-K
3. March 25, 2026: City Council Staff Report and Attachments
4. CEQA Addendum Memo
5. Public Comment Letter
REVIEWED BY
Erin Backs, Finance Director
City Attorney’s Office
Christine Cordon, City Manager