Item 28 - Extension of Moratorium on the Approv., Commenc., Establish., Reloc., or Expans. of Indus. Uses

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Transit Zoning Code Urgency Interim Ordinance (Moratorium) April 16, 2024 Page 2 4 1 8 7 enforcement complaints stemming from the irreconcilable land use conflicts within the Specific Development No. 84 zoning district (commonly referred to as the “Transit Zoning Code” or “TZC”). Specifically, in the Logan and Lacy neighborhoods, and surrounding areas, the City’s Code Enforcement Division has investigated over 33 commercial and industrial properties in the past nine months and currently has 17 active open cases that have been issued Notice of Violations and administrative citations for the following types of violations: illegal storage, land use, zoning, property and landscape maintenance, unpermitted work, business license, and certificate of occupancy. The close proximity of active open industrial cases during a short period is creating a public nuisance that is straining City resources and that is harming public health, safety, and general welfare of the TZC’s existing and new residential neighborhoods. If adopted, the urgency ordinance would establish a 45-day moratorium on the approval, commencement, establishment, modification, relocation, or expansion of industrial uses in the TZC while City staff researches appropriate regulations and determines whether an extension pursuant to the Government Code is necessary. The urgency ordinance shall have no further force and effect 45-days from the date of its adoption, unless, after a report on the first 45 days and a public hearing, the City Council members, again by four/fifths (4/5) vote, extend this ordinance for an initial extension period of ten (10) months and fifteen (15) days. DISCUSSION Background Specific Development No. 84 (the Transit Zoning Code) The Specific Development No. 84 zoning district, also known as the Transit Zoning Code (“TZC”), is located in the central urban core of the City and comprises over 100 blocks and 450 acres. The TZC includes the Civic Center, Downtown, and the Logan and Lacy neighborhoods, which are among the City’s most historic in age and in established residential communities. As shown in Exhibit 2, the TZC is generally bounded by First Street, Flower Street, Civic Center Drive, Grand Avenue, and the Santa Ana (I-5) Freeway. Prior to the implementation of the TZC, the area consisted of a wide range of civic, commercial, industrial, and residential land uses under a variegated amalgamation of zoning districts and their regulations. In June 2010, the City Council adopted Ordinance No. NS-2804, adopting various entitlements approving the creation of the TZC. The TZC established a transit- supportive, pedestrian-oriented development framework to support the addition of new transit infrastructure; preserve and reinforce the existing character and pedestrian nature of the City by strengthening urban form through improved development and