City of La Canada Flintridge, CA Chapter 11.14 CPD COMMUNITY PLANNED DEVELOPMENT ZONE

§ 11.14.010 Purpose.

The purpose of the community planned development zone is to achieve the following:

A. To protect properties designated as residential in the general plan which are adjacent to properties designated as commercial from noise, unsightliness and other nonresidential environmental impacts associated with commercial operation;

B. To provide appropriately located areas for office use, retail stores, service establishments and wholesale businesses offering commodities and services required by residents of the city and its surrounding market area;

C. To encourage office and related uses to concentrate for the convenience of the public and for a more beneficial relationship with each other;

D. To minimize traffic congestion and to avoid overloading of utilities by preventing construction of buildings of excessive size in relation to the amount of land around them;

E. To promote high standards of site planning, architecture and landscape design for office and general commercial developments within the city;

F. To provide more opportunities for design flexibility than otherwise occur under conventional commercial zoning regulations;

G. To provide specific zoning and performance development standards needed for the orderly transition of residential land uses within the commercial general plan designation.

(Ord. 241 § 2, 1995)

§ 11.14.020 Uses permitted, conditionally permitted and prohibited.

The following uses shall be permitted in the CPD zone where the symbol "P" appears, and shall be permitted subject to a conditional use permit where the "CUP" symbol appears. All other uses are prohibited; provided, however, that the director of community development may determine that any use not listed is comparable to a listed use and to be treated in a similar manner. Such determination shall be final and conclusive. A list of all comparable use determinations shall be kept on file in the planning department.

Table 1. Permitted Uses
Use		Permit Required
A.	Retail Sales
1.	Alcoholic beverage sales, whether for consumption on-or off-site and whether alone or in conjunction with other uses	CUP
2.	Antique shops (genuine antiques only)	P
3.	Appliance store, household	P
4.	Art galleries	P
5.	Art supply stores	P
6.	Automobile sales, new vehicles only, including incidental repair/washing	CUP
7.	Automobile supply stores	P
8.	Bakery shops, including baking only when incidental to retail sales from premises	P
9.	Bicycle shops, including rental	P
10.	Book stores	P
11.	Ceramic shops; manufacturing incidental to retail sales from premises, up to 8 cubic feet kiln volume	P
12.	Clothing stores	P
13.	Confectionery or candy stores; candy making only when incidental to retail sales from premises	P
14.	Delicatessens	P
15.	Department stores	P
16.	Dress shops	P
17.	Drug stores	P
18.	Florist shops	P
19.	Furniture stores	P
20.	Furrier shops	P
21.	Gift shops	P
22.	Glass/mirror sales, including automobile glass installation only when conducted within an enclosed building	P
23.	Grocery stores	P
24.	Hardware stores	P
25.	Health food stores	P
26.	Hobby supply stores	P
27.	Ice cream shops	P
28.	Jewelry stores	P
29.	Leather goods stores	P
30.	Liquor stores	CUP
31.	Meat markets, excluding slaughtering	P
32.	Millinery shops	P
33.	Music stores	P
34.	Notions or novelty stores	P
35.	Nurseries, including growing of plant stock	P
36.	Office machines and equipment sales	P
37.	Paint and wallpaper stores	P
38.	Pet supply stores, excluding sale of pets other than tropical fish or goldfish	P
39.	Pet sales, other	CUP
40.	Photographic equipment and supply stores	P
41.	Radio and television stores	P
42.	Shoe stores	P
43.	Shopping centers consisting of a minimum of 10,000 square feet of gross leasable floor area for 2 or more occupants	CUP
44.	Silver shops	P
45.	Sporting goods stores	P
46.	Stationery stores	P
47.	Tobacco shops	P
48.	Toy stores	P
49.	Yarn and yardage stores	P
B.	Services
1.	Automobile service	CUP:
	a. Repair activities shall be within enclosed building only, and shall not include body work, paint or upholstery
	b. Smog control certification; service stations
2.	Bakery goods distributors	P
3.	Banks, savings and loans, credit unions, and finance companies	P
4.	Barber shops	P
5.	Bars and cocktail lounges	CUP
6.	Beauty shops	P
7.	Blueprint shops	P
8.	Book binderies	P
9.	Communications equipment buildings and antennas	CUP
10.	Community centers	CUP
11.	Day care for children (special home or day nursery)	CUP
12.	Dental clinics, including laboratories in conjunction therewith	P
13.	Dry cleaners	CUP
14.	Electrical shops	P
15.	Film laboratories	P
16.	Fortunetelling, psychic readings, palmistry, astrology, numerology, tarot card reading and similar uses	CUP
17.	Frozen food lockers	P
18.	Health clubs or centers, gymnasiums, aerobics studios	CUP
19.	Hospital equipment and supply rentals	P
20.	Hotel, motel	CUP
21.	Interior decorating studios	P
22.	Laboratories, research and testing	P
23.	Locksmith shops	P
24.	Lodge halls	CUP
25.	Massage establishments2	CUP
26.	Medical clinics, including laboratories in conjunction therewith	P
27.	Mortuaries (excluding crematoriums)	CUP
28.	Offices, business or professional	CUP
29.	Parking lots and parking structures	CUP
30.	Pet grooming, excluding boarding	CUP
31.	Photocopying/duplicating services	P
32.	Photoengravers and lithographers	P
33.	Photography studios	P
34.	Plumbing shops	P
35.	Pool service and supply	P
36.	Printers or publishers	P
37.	Public utility service centers	P
38.	Recreational vehicle repairs	CUP
39.	Religious facilities	CUP
40.	Rental business (e.g., party equipment, costumes), excluding tool or vehicle rental	P
41.	Rental of tools, including power equipment but excluding heavy machinery or trucks exceeding 2 tons capacity, within enclosed structure	CUP
42.	Repair shops for household goods	P
43.	Restaurants and other eating establishments, including food take-out, but excluding sale of alcoholic beverages	P
44.	Restaurants with outside eating facilities	CUP
45.	Reupholsterers, furniture	P
46.	Schools through grade 12, accredited, including appurtenant facilities, which offer instruction required by the State Education Code	CUP
47.	Schools, business/professional, including the arts, grooming, manual training, shop work	CUP
48.	Shoe repair shops	P
49.	Tailor shops	P
50.	Veterinary clinics, small animal including incidental boarding	CUP
51.	Watch repair shops	P
C.	Recreation and Amusement
1.	Parks and playgrounds with all appurtenant facilities customarily found in conjunction therewith	P
2.	Recreation clubs, including tennis, polo, swimming and similar recreational activities, together with appurtenant clubhouse	CUP
3.	Swimming pools	CUP
4.	Tennis, volleyball, badminton, lawn bowling and similar courts	CUP
5.	Theaters and other auditoriums	CUP
D.	Accessory Uses
1.	Accessory buildings and structures	P
2.	Storage, temporary of materials and construction equipment used in construction or maintenance for a period not to exceed one year	CUP
E.	Residential Uses
1.	Rooming and boarding houses	CUP
2.	Single room occupancy facilities as defined in Section 11.18.050	CUP
F.	Public/Semi-Public Uses
1.	Air pollution sampling stations	P
2.	Electric transmission substations and generating plants, including microwave facilities used in conjunction therewith	CUP
3.	Emergency shelters necessary to meet the needs of the city's homeless population, as required by state law	P1
4.	Additional emergency shelters beyond those necessary to meet the needs of the city's homeless population, as required by state law	CUP
5.	Fire stations	CUP
6.	Gas metering and control (public utility)	CUP
7.	Hospitals	CUP
8.	Institutions for aged persons, private	CUP
9.	Institutions for children, private	CUP
10.	Library	CUP
11.	Microwave station	CUP
12.	Post office	CUP
13.	Publicly owned uses necessary to the maintenance of the general public health, convenience, or general welfare	CUP

Notes:
1	Emergency shelters are subject to Chapters 11.18 and 11.20.
2	Massage establishments and massage as an accessory use are subject to LCFMC Chapter 6.40.

(Ord. 241 § 2, 1995; Ord. 264 § 1.1, 1996; Ord. 269 § 2, 1996; Ord. 271, 1996; Ord. 417 § 1, 2013; Ord. 419 §§ 36, 37, 2014; Ord. 428 § 1, 2014; Ord. 453 § 3, 2016; Ord. 485 § 2, 2019; Ord. 513-U § 10, 2023; Ord. 515 § 9, 2023)

§ 11.14.030 Development standards.

The following standards shall apply to all development in the community planned development zone:

A. Building Envelope—Building Height.

1. Basic Standard. No building shall exceed:

a. Thirty-five feet: to highest point on the building; and

b. Twenty-eight feet: to the top of the building wall; both as measured from the nearest adjacent finish grade, except that fill exceeding three feet shall be counted as part of the building height.

This method of measurement avoids a penalty for buildings which step with the terrain.

2. Exceptions to the Basic Height Standard. Architectural extensions of up to 50 feet in height are allowed for an area of up to ten percent of a building's floor area, provided that the horizontal dimension of each individual extension does not exceed 20% of the corresponding building dimension.

3. Angle-Plane Limit. Any project abutting a single-family residential zone shall comply with R-1 building bulk limits along the common boundary.

B. Building Design. Commercial and institutional projects are subject to design review, and also subject to design guidelines which supplement this chapter.

1. A project is not limited to a particular style, provided that the project is consistent with the provisions of this chapter.

2. Franchise chain stores or other similar uses which utilize fixed or standard building designs shall provide modified designs as necessary to conform to the standards and guidelines set forth in this chapter.

3. Glazing and Display.

a. No storage areas or mechanical equipment shall be located within three feet of the windows unless screened.

b. High-intensity lighting, such as neon perimeter strips, is not allowed.

4. Exterior Building Lighting. Exterior lighting mounted upon the building shall be subject to design review, and shall be of minimal intensity, except where oriented toward outdoor areas as security lighting.

C. Open Space and Landscaping,

1. Lot Coverage. Building area shall not comprise more than 50% of the lot area. For the purposes of this section, building area includes all enclosed roofed areas, and all parking areas with a roof four feet or more above natural grade.

2. Minimum Lot Area. Minimum area for newly created lots shall be 2,500 square feet. Individual condominium parcels shall not be deemed lots for the purposes of this requirement.

3. Required Open Space Area.

a. Basic Standards.

i. West Gateway/Downtown (east of Commonwealth): ten percent of lot area minimum.

ii. Old Town/Downtown (west of Commonwealth): five percent of lot area minimum.

Open-air roofed areas may be counted as open space area. Required setbacks, required landscaping areas within parking lots, and areas used for parking and/or vehicular access shall not be counted toward required open space.

Lots under 5,000 square feet in area are not required to meet the open space area standard.

b. Bonus Open Space Area. Areas may be counted at 125% of their actual area if they are:

i. Visible from the primary frontage street;

ii. Within 100 feet of the primary frontage street; and

iii. No more than 50% of the lot frontage.

Eligible areas include:

i.	Pedestrian plazas;

ii.	Courts; and

iii.	Supporting landscaped areas outside of required setbacks.

4. Setbacks. Setback areas shall be completely dedicated to landscaping and pedestrian areas, except for the minimum necessary driving aisles.

a. Front and Exterior Side Minimum Setbacks.

i. West Gateway/Downtown (east of Commonwealth): 15 feet average; at no point less than five feet.

ii. Old Town/Downtown (west of Commonwealth): five feet average.

For each two feet of building height exceeding 15 feet, one additional foot of setback shall be provided. No more than 60 feet of wall length above the height of 15 feet is allowed within 40 feet of a front or exterior side property line.

b. Rear and Interior Side Setbacks.

i. Adjacent to commercial zone: five feet minimum at rear; no minimum at side.

ii. Adjacent to residential zone: setbacks per R-1 standards.

5. Parking Area Landscaping.

a. Parking areas shall be screened with berms, shrubs and/or landscaped walls, and shall utilize downslope grading where possible for screening effect.

b. Interior parking lot landscaping areas (minimum):

i. One planter at each end of each parking aisle;

ii. One additional planter area for each ten parking spaces.

Except as required for vehicular movement, planter lengths shall equal the adjacent parking space lengths. Each planter shall average at least five feet in inside width.

c. Interior Parking Lot Landscaping Materials.

At least one tree shall be provided per each prescribed planter. Where clustering is allowed as an alternative planter configuration, the number of trees shall correspond to that of the standard configuration. At least 25% of the trees shall be of 24 inch box size or greater at planting, and no tree of less than 15 gallon size shall contribute to the requirement.

At least 75% of the required trees shall be of species having a mature canopy index of at least 500. The canopy index is the product of the canopy width multiplied by the tree height (in feet).

All remaining areas not used for a functional aspect of the parking area shall be landscaped. Where deemed appropriate in design review, clustered landscaping areas within the parking lot may be substituted for the prescribed planters.

6. Equipment and Utilities. Equipment and utilities for such buildings shall meet the following standards:

a. Ground-oriented building service equipment shall not be visible from the public right-of-way and shall be located for easily accessible service and screened to minimize noise to neighboring properties.

b. Roof-mounted equipment shall be screened from public view from adjacent public thoroughfares by integral roof and/or parapet components, and properly located and screened to minimize noise.

c. Exterior wall-mounted equipment and utility meters shall be concealed by the project design to the extent possible, and not visible from the public right-of-way.

d. Utility service lines shall comply with the underground utilities ordinance.

e. Refuse Areas. Each development shall provide at least one screened refuse area, at least ten square feet in area per 1,000 square feet of building area, as follows:

i. All refuse storage areas must be accessible for pickup, and shall be situated at the rear or side of the building, out of public view.

ii. Each storage area and the access to it shall be smooth, level concrete, and provided with a water line, drain, and self-closing gate.

iii. Each refuse storage area shall be screened by plantings and a minimum six-foot high wall constructed of decorative block or other nonflammable material complementary to the project.

iv. The requirement for the refuse area or its placement may be modified or waived by the design review board or planning commission if it is determined that site conditions present an undue hardship.

7. Lighting.

a. Exterior lighting devices for parking and pedestrian walkways shill provide for safety and security, without excessive lighting and glare.

b. Accent lighting of buildings and landscaping is encouraged.

8. Irrigation and Maintenance.

a. An automatic timed underground irrigation system shall be provided for all planter areas.

b. All planters shall be permanently maintained with proper care, weeding, pruning, irrigation and plant replacement as needed to comply with approved landscaping plans.

9. Walls.

a. No wall within a required street-facing setback area shall exceed three feet six inches in height. Walls of less than two feet in height, allowing for seating, are encouraged.

b. Where a project abuts a residential zone, a six-foot high screening wall, of solid concrete, brick or stone, is required. The wall shall be of finished appearance on both sides, and shall have any length exceeding 25 feet broken up through landscaping, substantial reveals or pilasters, and/or other means. The wall shall be stepped down to a height not to exceed 42 inches when it is located within the extension of the residential front or side street yard setback area(s). The planning commission may modify or waive wall requirements after notification and an opportunity to be heard has been given to affected property owners of the proposed modification or waiver.

10. Outside Merchandise Displays. Outdoor merchandise displays are subject to approval by the director of community development, based on submittal of a written description of the proposed display, a site plan, and a schedule. Guidelines for outdoor displays are:

a. The display should be less than 20 square feet in area per business;

b. Any adjacent sidewalk should retain at least four feet in width; and

c. No packaged goods should be displayed.

Larger displays are necessary and acceptable for nursery goods, Christmas tree sales and vehicle sales.

D. Parking.

1. The minimum number of parking spaces to be provided and permanently maintained shall be as follows:

a. General commercial (retail sales and service, except as set forth more specifically herein): one parking space per 250 square feet of gross floor area.

b. Professional or business office: one parking space per 250 square feet of gross floor area.

c. Residential: one parking space per bedroom for each unit, provided, however, there shall not be less than two parking spaces per unit plus one additional space per each two units or fraction thereof for guest use.

d. Amusement, drinking, eating or entertainment establishments: one parking space per 100 square feet of gross floor area.

e. Schools and Churches.

i. Every building used in whole or in part for an elementary school, public or private, having no grade above the 8th, shall have within 500 feet thereof one parking space for each classroom.

ii. Every building used in whole or in part for a school for grades 9 through 12 shall have one parking space for each classroom, plus one additional parking space for each 50 pupils.

iii. Every building used in whole or in part for the gathering together of persons for deliberation or worship; or used as a school auditorium of a school in which any pupil is in a grade higher than the 8th, shall have within 500 feet thereof one automobile parking space for each five fixed seats, and one automobile parking space for each 35 square feet of the usable floor area of such auditorium where seats are not fixed, in the largest auditorium used for public assembly.

f. Conditional Uses and Uses Not Specified. For any conditionally permitted use, or where parking requirements for any use are not specified, parking shall be provided in an amount which the director of community development finds adequate to prevent traffic congestion and excessive on-street parking. Wherever practical, such determination shall be based upon the requirements of the most comparable use specified in this section.

g. Shared parking shall be allowed if sufficient parking is provided during the peak parking demand period as demonstrated by meeting all the following requirements:

i. Peak Parking Displacement.

(A) Differing Peak Demand Periods—On-Site. Shared on-site parking between land uses with different periods of peak parking demand will be allowed for all uses that can document that the existing or anticipated land use(s) will have different periods of peak parking demand and the shared parking arrangement can accommodate the parking demand for both uses.

(B) Differing Peak Demand Periods—Off-Site. Shared off-site parking between land uses with different periods of peak parking demand will be allowed for all uses that can document that the existing or anticipated land use(s) will have different periods of peak parking demand and the shared parking arrangement can accommodate the parking demand without double-counting (double-booking) the parking on the off-site parking lot.

ii. Distance to Off-Site Parking. Off-site parking shall be within 1,200 feet. Further distance may be allowed if there is documentation that a shuttle bus service or valet parking service will be provided.

iii. Signage. Signage to direct vehicles to the shared parking facility (for non-valet parking), and pedestrians from the parking facility to each use shall be installed.

iv. Barrier-Free Access. Pedestrian accessways from the parking facility to each use shall be free of physical barriers such as walls and significant vegetation.

v. Parking Plan. A parking assignment and/or management plan (including graphics) shall be created. This plan shall specify which spaces are available to users of which establishments, or whether spaces are unassigned. It will also detail any permit, time limit or other restrictions to ensure that spaces are available for the intended users.

vi. Guaranteed Access. Shared driveway access for all users of the parking facility shall be guaranteed. This will help to ensure that shared parking limits the number of curb cuts.

vii. TMA. Participation by the property owners in any future transportation management association or similar organization shall be required.

viii. Signed Agreement. A signed agreement between the applicant, the property owners and the city to share their parking shall be reviewed and approved by the city and recorded against the participating properties. The agreement shall obligate the subject parking spaces to their respective uses and users. This agreement will impact other future uses on the respective properties and may limit uses that might otherwise wish to locate on the participating properties. The agreement shall be approved by the city. The agreement shall be based on the model agreement in Appendix C of the Comprehensive Parking Strategy Final Report.

h. Adjustments to Parking Quantities. For any permitted or conditionally permitted use, or for any use where parking requirements are not specified, a conditional use permit may be applied for to address adjustments to parking quantity. Parking shall be provided in an amount which the planning commission finds adequate to prevent traffic congestion and excessive on-street parking.

2. Drive-through service lanes shall be a minimum ten feet wide and 160 feet in length (eight car lengths), measured from the service window back toward the point of ingress. The entire length of the designated drive-through service lane shall not encroach upon parking spaces, back-up and maneuvering areas, or driveways essential for proper on-site traffic circulation.

3. Parking facilities shall be designed as follows:

a. A site plan shall be submitted to the director of community development for review and approval prior to the establishment of any required parking facility. Such plan shall contain a detailed parking arrangement, accurately dimensioned, showing individual parking spaces, driveways, maneuvering aisles, and turnaround areas, and indicating adequate ingress and egress.

b. Parking spaces shall be not less than nine feet in width and 20 feet in depth, except that parking spaces with side(s) abutting a fence, wall, or other similar obstruction higher than eight inches above parking lot grade shall be a minimum of 11 feet in width. Up to three feet of the required parking space length may overhang a planter or walkway, subject to design review approval. The table and charts set forth in Exhibit A to this section, shall be referred to in the development of parking lot site plans.

(Ord. 241 § 2, 1995; Ord. 280 § 2, 1997; Ord. 411 §§ 1—4, 2013)

§ 11.14.040 Supplementary regulations.

All development within the CPD zone is subject to any applicable supplementary design standards and guidelines, and design review requirements, as separately adopted by the city council.

(Ord. 418 § 1, 2013; Ord. 429 § 1, 2014; Ord. 439 § 1, 2015)