Laguna Beach City Zoning Code
CHAPTER 25
21 CH-M COMMERCIAL HOTEL-MOTEL ZONE
§ 25.21.001 Intent and purpose.
This zone is intended to primarily serve the needs of visitors to the community. The principal use is hotel-motel operations with supporting commercial and service uses. This zone is particularly intended to be applied to areas that are suitable for hotels and motels, but which may not be suitable for more diversified, general commercial uses.
(Ord. 1150 § 1, 1988)
§ 25.21.002 Uses permitted.
Buildings, structures and land shall be used, and buildings and structures shall hereafter be erected, designed, structurally altered or enlarged only for the following purposes, conducted entirely within an enclosed building:
(A)
Hotels and motels without kitchen facilities (with the exception of one manager's apartment), excluding those devoted to new time-share uses, limited to one room or suite for each six hundred square feet of land area.
(Ord. 1150 § 1, 1988)
§ 25.21.004 Uses permitted subject to conditional use permit.
The following uses may be permitted subject to the granting of a conditional use permit as provided in Section 25.05.030, with the exception that the sale or dispensing of alcoholic beverages for off-premises consumption shall be prohibited within two hundred yards of Main Beach:
(A)
Hotels and motels with kitchen facilities and/or ancillary commercial retail uses, excluding those devoted to new time-share uses, limited to one room or suite for each six hundred square feet of land area. No added residential density shall be allowed. The conditional use permit shall formally establish the number of units permitted to have kitchen facilities and the permitted type and extent of kitchen facilities. The following ancillary uses may be permitted in conjunction with and incidental and subordinate to the primary hotel-motel use:
(1)
Commercial retail sales businesses, including retail specialty food businesses;
(2)
Personal service shops (barber/beauty, etc.);
(3)
Recreational facilities;
(4)
Conference facilities;
(5)
Residential uses, subject to the following standards:
(6)
Such other uses as the planning commission may deem, after public hearing, to be similar to and not more obnoxious or detrimental to the welfare of the neighborhood in which it is located than any use listed above.
(B)
Cafés, restaurants and lounges, when conducted in conjunction with and incidental to a primary hotel-motel use, with the serving of alcoholic beverages and/or dancing or entertainment permitted only as authorized under the conditional use permit. Outdoor seating areas and/or take-out window service (not necessarily within an enclosed building) in conjunction with an adjacent indoor café, restaurant or lounge may also be permitted.
(Ord. 1150 § 1, 1988)
§ 25.21.005 Uses permitted subject to an administrative use permit.
§ 25.21.006 Property development standards.
The following property development standards shall apply to all land and structures in this zone:
(A)
Lot Area and Dimensions Standards. No requirements;
(B)
Design Review. All buildings, structures and improvements are subject to design review as provided in Section 25.05.030;
(C)
Yard Area, Building Setback, Open Space and Coverage Standards.
(2)
Front Yards. A front yard open space equal to five feet times the lot frontage shall be provided and maintained on each lot. Said open space shall be used for landscaping, pedestrian access or similar pedestrian facilities, accessible to the general public. Said open space may be used for open-air seating areas to serve adjacent interior restaurant uses. Walls not higher than four feet may be erected within said open space, as approved by design review. The dimension parallel to the front lot line must exceed the dimension perpendicular to the front lot line.
(3)
Side Yards. No requirement, unless the side lot line abuts a different zone, in which case the side yard shall be at least equal to the minimum required for that zone.
(4)
Rear Yards. No requirement, unless the rear lot line abuts a different zone, in which case the rear yard shall be at least equal to the minimum required for that zone. See additional rear yard requirements in Sections 25.50.004(D) and 25.50.008(E) of this title.
(5)
Open Space Requirements.
(a)
Open space shall equal twenty-five percent of the nonresidential gross floor area, exclusive of parking and driveways, which area may be used for landscaping, pedestrian access or similar pedestrian facilities, accessible to the general public.
(b)
Additional open space shall be provided for residential uses equaling a minimum of forty percent of the total gross living areas.
(D)
Building Height Standards. The following building height limits represent the maximum heights permitted and may be reduced as determined appropriate by the design review authority.
(1)
The height of any building shall not exceed the applicable height limits shown below measured vertically to any point along the applicable reference line that creates a horizontal plane longitudinally over the entire lot:
Rear Lot Line Above Street (slope in percent) | Height Permitted Above Rear Lot Line (at every point along the rear lot line) |
|---|---|
0 to 5 | 22 ft. |
5+ to 10 | 17 ft. |
Over 10 | 12 ft. |
Through Lot (slope in percent) | Height Permitted Above Upper Curb or Street Elevation |
|---|---|
0 to 5 | 30 ft. |
5+ to 10 | 25 ft. |
Over 10 | 20 ft. |
Rear Lot Line Below Street (slope in percent) | Height Permitted Above Upper Curb or Street Elevation |
|---|---|
0 to 5 | 30 ft. |
5+ to 10 | 25 ft. |
Over 10 | 20 ft. |
(2)
The height of any building (per the building height definition in Municipal Code Section 25.08.016) shall not exceed thirty-six feet, including parking garage floor level with access ramps located outside the structure's ground floor footprint. The thirty-six-foot height limit includes roof chimneys, vents, mechanical equipment, mechanical enclosure, elevator shafts, stairways and other such structural elements required for the operation of the building. Per the building height definition, subterranean floors are exempt from the height measurement limit.
(3)
The provisions of Section 25.50.004(D) pertaining to additional building setbacks shall apply to the front and rear setbacks.
(E)
Parking Garage Setbacks, Entrances and Standards. Parking lots and any portion of a parking garage structure built at or above natural or finish grade elevation, whichever is lower, shall adhere to the yard setbacks specified in this zone. Parking garage floor levels built below natural or finish grade elevation, whichever is lower, may be built to the property lines provided a landscape/hardscape plan is provided and approved by the design review authority addressing the above grade areas within the required above grade setbacks. Subterranean parking garage levels shall be designed to accommodate the growth of street trees. Notwithstanding the above language, no subterranean parking garage level(s) shall be allowed within the required bluff top setback area.
Parking garage accessways or entrances shall be designed to diminish their impacts by minimizing their size and architecturally integrating amenities, such as gates, landscaping and special paving, and their placement shall maximize pedestrian safety.
See the provisions of Chapter 25.52 for additional parking requirements.
(H)
Trash and Outdoor Storage Areas. Areas for trash or outdoor storage shall be provided for each use, and such areas shall be enclosed and architecturally screened in such a manner as to conceal all trash or stored material from public view.
(I)
Landscaping. Landscaping shall be provided subject to design review approval.
(Ord. 1150 § 1, 1988; Ord. 1187 § 3(4), 1989; Ord. 1489 § 4, 2008; Ord. 1524 § 5, 2010)
§ 25.21.008 Performance standards.
Hotels and motels are presently located in close proximity to both commercial and residential areas and will frequently share a functional and/or visual relationship with these areas. It is therefore necessary for special attention to be placed on the compatible design and orientation of development in the commercial hotel-motel zone. The standards are general in nature and are to be applied on a site-specific basis. They are intended to serve as a guide for achieving proper design and to supplement other design criteria used by the design review board.
(A)
New development shall be designed to be compatible with adjacent zones. This shall involve preservation of the character and integrity of the adjacent areas and maintaining an appropriate visual and functional interrelationship between residential and commercial uses. Potentially intrusive design elements such as traffic circulation and light and glare shall be designed to avoid interference with the residential environment.
(B)
The height, scale, mass and bulk of buildings shall not be overbearing in relation to nearby residential structures. Height, scale, mass and bulk shall also be a function of their proximity to residential structures, with buildings in close proximity made to adhere to a similar scale of development. Potential view impediments shall also be considered.
(C)
Architectural styles and features shall be compatible with and complimentary to nearby residential structures to the extent commercial and residential structures share a visual relationship.
(D)
Landscaping shall be utilized and designed to help make commercial development more compatible with nearby residential areas to the extent practicable.
(E)
Commercial signage shall be designed so as not to interfere with residential areas. This shall involve the lighting, location, orientation and size of signs.
(Ord. 1150 § 1, 1988)