search icon

Palos Verdes Estates
City Zoning Code

CHAPTER 18

72 SPECIAL DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS

§ 18.72.010 Emergency shelters.

This section sets forth standards for the establishment and operation of emergency shelter facilities.
A. 
Permit and Operational Requirements. The approval and operation of an emergency shelter shall be subject to the following requirements:
1. 
Site Plan Permit Required. Emergency shelters may be established and operated in the commercial zone subject to nondiscretionary approval of a site plan permit in compliance with Chapter 17.22 PVEMC;
2. 
Management and Operations Plan. An application for a permit to establish and operate an emergency shelter shall be accompanied by a management and operations plan, which shall establish hours of operation, staffing levels, maximum length of stay, size and location of exterior and interior on-site waiting and intake areas, and security procedures.
B. 
Development Standards. In addition to other standards set forth in commercial zone, emergency shelters shall conform to the following standards:
1. 
Maximum of fifteen beds.
2. 
Minimum separation of three hundred feet between emergency shelters.
3. 
Facility Requirements.
a. 
Each occupant shall be provided a minimum of fifty square feet of personal living space, not including space for common areas.
b. 
Bathing facilities shall be provided in quantity and location as required by the California Plumbing Code (Title 24 Part 5), and shall comply with the accessibility requirements of the California Building Code (Title 24 Part 2).
c. 
Shelters must provide a storage area for refuse and recyclables that is enclosed by a six-foot-high landscape screen, solid wall, or fence, which is accessible to collection vehicles on one side. The storage area must be large enough to accommodate the number of bins that are required to provide the facility with sufficient service so as to avoid the overflow of material outside of the bins provided.
d. 
The shelter may provide one or more of the following specific facilities and services on site, including but not limited to:
i. 
Commercial kitchen facilities designed and operated in compliance with the California Retail Food Code;
ii. 
Dining area;
iii. 
Laundry room;
iv. 
Recreation room;
v. 
Support services (e.g. training, counseling, etc.); and
vi. 
Child care facilities.
C. 
On-Site Waiting and Intake Areas. A minimum of five percent of the total square footage of a shelter shall be designated for indoor on-site waiting and intake areas. In addition, an exterior waiting area shall be provided, the minimum size of which is equal to or larger than the minimum interior waiting and intake area.
1. 
Staging for drop-off, intake and pick-up should take place inside the building, at a rear or side entrance, or inner courtyard.
2. 
Shelter plans shall show the size and location of any proposed waiting or occupant intake areas, interior and exterior.
D. 
Off-Street Parking. Off-street parking shall be provided at the rate of one space per four beds, plus one space for each staff person on duty.
(Ord. 709 § 10, 2014)

§ 18.72.020 Single room occupancy (SRO) housing.

SRO housing shall conform to the following standards:
A. 
Occupancy shall be limited to maximum two persons per unit. Minimum unit sizes (not including toilet compartment) shall be:
1. 
One person: one hundred fifty square feet.
2. 
Two persons: one hundred seventy-five square feet.
B. 
Each SRO unit shall be provided with the following minimum amenities:
1. 
Kitchen sink with garbage disposal.
2. 
A toilet and sink located in a separate room within the unit that is a minimum twenty square feet.
3. 
One closet per person.
4. 
Telephone and cable TV hookups.
C. 
If full bathrooms are not provided in each unit, shared showers shall be provided on each floor at a ratio of one per seven occupants or fraction thereof on the same floor, with doors lockable from the inside.
D. 
If full kitchens are not provided in each unit, shared kitchen facilities shall be provided on each floor consisting of a range, sink with garbage disposal, and refrigerator.
E. 
If laundry facilities are not provided in each unit, common laundry facilities shall be provided, with one washer and one dryer on the premises for every twenty-five units.
F. 
Elevators shall be required for SROs of two or more stories.
G. 
On-site management shall be provided at all times.
H. 
Off-street parking shall be provided at the rate of one-half space per unit, plus one space for each employee on duty.
(Ord. 709 § 10, 2014)

§ 18.72.030 Objective design standards for multifamily and mixed-use development.

A. 
Adoption of Objective Design Standards. The objective design standards set forth in a separate document dated February 2025 and adopted by Ordinance No. 766 provide objective design standards for the review of new multifamily residential and mixed-use developments that qualify for streamlined, ministerial planning review pursuant to state law (Government Code § 65913.4) and/or regulations of the city of Palos Verdes Estates. A copy of these standards will be kept on file with the community development department planning division.
(Ord. 763 § 2, 2024; Ord. 766 § 2, 2025)