Laguna Hills, CA Zoning Ordinance

§ 9-32.010 Purpose and intent.

The purpose and intent of this district is to provide community uses and services meeting the needs of the general public, residents, visitors, and employees within Laguna Hills.

(Prior code § 9-19.010; Ord. 98-8 § 2 (part))

§ 9-32.020 Permitted uses.

Uses permitted within the district are reflected in Table 9-32.020. While permitting a variety of uses, this district is not a mixed use district as referred to in Chapter 9-30 of this title. The district serves to principally encourage development of a variety of educational, cultural and historic institutional uses. Uses in the table are permitted subject to the permit criteria referenced. Any use not included shall be considered prohibited.

Table 9-32.020 COMMUNITY/PRIVATE INSTITUTION USES
Uses	Permitted	Accessory	Reference
Administrative office		P
Animals/pets	♦		See Chapter 9-56
Athletic field	S
Church/temple	S
College	S
Commercial recreation	C
Communication facility	♦		See Chapter 9-58
Community care facility	♦		See Chapter 9-64
Community center	S
Construction office	T
Day care center	♦		See Chapter 9-64
Drainage facility		P
Dwelling unit, multiple-family	C
Fire/police station	C
Fraternal organization	P
Fraternity/sorority house	C
Funeral home/mortuary/crematory	C
Game court		♦	See Chapter 9-70
Government facility	C
Gymnasium	S
Health club	C
Heliport	C
Hospital	C
Library, public	S
Maintenance facility		P
Museum	S
Office/business/medical/headquarters/ professional	S
Outdoor event	T
Park, public/private	S
Performing arts center	S
Recycling event/facility	♦		See Chapter 9-82
Restaurant	S
School, commercial	C
School, private	C
School, public	C
Senior center	C
Supportive housing	♦		See Chapter 9-64
Swim club	C
Tennis club	C
Transitional housing	♦		See Chapter 9-64
Waste management facility	♦		See Chapter 9-82

Note: Use is permitted subject to issuance of:

C = Conditional use permit (CUP)

S = Site development permit (SDP)

T = Temporary use permit (TUP)

P = Permitted

♦ = Special requirements

(Prior code § 9-19.020; Ord. 98-8 § 2 (part); Ord. 2002-1 Exh. A § 4; Ord. 2011-4 § 1 (Exh. A (part)); Ord. 2012-5 § 14)

§ 9-32.030 Applicable areas.

The regulations and standards contained in this section shall apply to all properties designated as community/private institution on the city zoning map.

(Prior code § 9-19.030; Ord. 98-8 § 2 (part))

§ 9-32.040 Development standards.

The standards in Table 9-32.040 shall apply to developments within the community/private institution district.

Table 9-32.040 COMMUNITY/PRIVATE INSTITUTION DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS
Item	Governmental	Commercial	Institutional	Residential—HD
Minimum lot size	1 acre	10,000 sq. ft.	10,000 sq. ft.	⁽¹⁾
Minimum lot width	not specified	not specified	not specified	⁽¹⁾
Minimum lot depth	100 ft.	not specified	not specified	⁽¹⁾
Maximum lot coverage	40%	40%	55%	⁽¹⁾
Maximum density	.50 FAR	.40 FAR	1.0 FAR	⁽²⁾
Maximum building height	50 ft.	25 ft.	50 ft.	⁽¹⁾
Minimum setback—front	25 ft.	25 ft.	25 ft.	⁽¹⁾
Minimum setback—side	20 ft.	20 ft.	20 ft.	⁽¹⁾
Minimum setback—rear	20 ft.	20 ft.	20 ft.	⁽¹⁾
Minimum open space	N/A	25%	15%	N/A
Minimum landscape area	25%	20%	15%	N/A
Minimum building separation
Main→Main	20 ft.	10 ft.	20 ft.	N/A
Main→Accessory	2.5 ft.	2.5 ft.	2.5 ft.
Accessory→ Accessory	2.5 ft.	2.5 ft.	2.5 ft.
Parking	See Chapter 9-44	See Chapter 9-44	See Chapter 9-44	⁽³⁾
Preferred location of use by floor	1 – 3	1st floor only	all floors	Above ground floor in multi-floor buildings
Signage	See Chapter 9-42	See Chapter 9-42	See Chapter 9-42	See Chapter 9-42

Notes:
⁽¹⁾	HD residential development occurs in concert with one of the other authorized uses only, not freestanding, and is subject to the development standards or restrictions of the use unless stated otherwise in the table.
⁽²⁾	Maximum density of HD residential units shall not exceed 1 DU/2,500 sq. ft. of floor area of the use developed in concert with.
⁽³⁾	HD residential parking should meet requirements of Chapter 9-44 for the specific form of housing to be developed.

(Prior code § 9-19.040; Ord. 98-8 § 2 (part); Ord. 2018-8 § 4)

§ 9-32.050 Outdoor storage.

Outdoor storage for governmental uses shall be permitted as an accessory use, subject to the following provisions:

A minor site development permit is required for outdoor storage as an accessory use.

A dimensioned site plan shall be submitted to the Community Development Director for review and approval, which demonstrates compliance with parking, landscaping, and other related code requirements.

Outdoor storage of materials shall be enclosed by three walls and a roof open to the interior of the property. Outdoor storage of equipment shall be covered but may remain open on all four sides. Equipment shall include but not be limited to:

Emergency water trailers;

Emergency fuel trailers;

Hose-to-hose trailers;

Backhoe(s) and trailer(s);

Portable generators and pumps;

Emergency response trailers;

Confined space entry trailers;

Traffic control equipment;

Dump trucks.

Drying beds used to dry soil recovered from pipeline repairs are not required to be covered.

Outdoor storage is prohibited in the front setback.

Outdoor storage, and screening for outdoor storage, is prohibited in required parking stalls.

Items stored or stacked shall not be higher than six feet.

The Community Development Director shall have the authority to review and approve minor exceptions or alternatives consistent with the intent of this section.

(Ord. 2018-8 § 5)

§ 9-32.060 Fences, walls and hedges.

For governmental uses, fences, walls and hedges shall not exceed eight feet in height. Such fencing may be chain link in areas outside of the main entrance to the property.

(Ord. 2018-8 § 6)