The purpose of this article is to provide locational/developmental/operational standards for Single Room Occupancy (SROs) facilities.
(§ 1, Ord. 666-NS, eff. September 15, 2001)
Single room occupancy (SRO) facilities, allowable only in the SRO Overlay District and within specified Districts in the Huntington Park Downtown Specific Plan (DTSP) subject to a Development Permit, shall be located/developed/operated in the following manner:
1.
The parcel upon which the single room occupancy facility is to be established shall conform to all standards of the R-H and the Huntington Park Downtown Specific Plan (DTSP) zoning districts, as applicable;
2.
SROs shall not be located within 250 feet of a parcel which has a school for children, adult bookstore or theater, bar or liquor store;
3.
SROs shall be located within one-quarter mile of a bus stop or transit station;
4.
SROs shall not exceed a maximum density of 70 units per gross acre in the DTSP or 400 units per gross acre in the SRO Overlay District;
5.
Off-street parking shall be provided in compliance with Chapter 3, General Regulations, Article 8, Off-Street Parking Standards;
6.
Secured bicycle or motorcycle spaces shall be provided at a minimum ratio of one space for each 10 tenants;
7.
A permanent, continuously available temporary parking/loading area shall be provided adjacent to the main entrance;
8.
Exterior common areas and/or open courtyards should be provided throughout the project. These areas should be designed to provide passive open space with tables, chairs, planters or small garden spaces to make these areas useful and functional for the tenants. Exterior common areas, including parking areas, shall be illuminated with a minimum of two footcandles by low pressure sodium lighting from dusk to dawn. The exterior lighting shall be stationary and directed away from adjacent properties and public rights-of-way;
9.
Each SRO unit shall be provided with the following minimum amenities:
A.
Adequate heating and air conditioning. (Window air conditioning units are not permitted.) Air conditioning units may be installed for each SRO unit as long as they are flush with the exterior wall surface,
B.
Kitchen sink with garbage disposal,
C.
Counter top measuring a minimum of 12 inches deep and 24 inches wide,
D.
Space and proper wiring for a microwave and small refrigerator. (These appliances shall be available from the operator for rent by the residents.),
E.
Pre-wired for telephone and cable television,
F.
Toilet and sink in a separate room (minimum of 20 square feet without shower and 40 square feet with shower),
G.
One bed (minimum standard twin size),
H.
One closet (minimum six square feet),
I.
One storage/desk arrangement with chair,
J.
Intercom system, and
K.
Lockable door, which is a minimum of 36 inches wide, opens inward and has a reprogrammable key card access from a secured enclosed interior hallway or common area;
10.
The maximum occupancy for each unit is one tenant and the minimum unit size (not including the toilet compartment) shall be 150 square feet;
11.
Elevators shall be required on new SROs that are three stories or more in height;
12.
A full common kitchen facility shall be provided on each floor, if complete kitchens are not provided in each unit. Complete kitchens shall include a range/stove, sink with garbage disposal and refrigerator. Tenant-provided cooking appliances or facilities shall be prohibited in each SRO unit, unless approved in writing by the management staff;
13.
If complete bathrooms are not provided in each unit, shared showers shall be provided at a minimum ratio of one for each seven tenants or fraction thereof on the same floor with interior lockable doors. These shall be directly accessible from indoor common areas or indoor hallways;
14.
SRO facilities shall provide for a minimum of one handicapped-accessible unit for every 25 units or fraction thereof for up to 100 units and one handicapped-accessible unit for every 40 units or fraction thereof for the number of units over 100;
15.
At least one janitor closet and trash chute shall be provided on each floor;
16.
Common laundry facilities shall be provided with a minimum of one washer and one dryer for every 25 units or fraction thereof for up to 100 units and one washer and one dryer for every 50 units or fraction thereof for the number of units over 100. Keyed access for "tenants only" shall be provided. Defensible space concepts shall be employed in the design and location of the laundry facility areas;
17.
Furnished and secured common indoor space shall be provided at the following minimum ratios:
A.
Four and one-half square feet for each 150 to 159 square feet unit,
B.
Four square feet for each 160 to 169 square feet unit,
C.
Three and one-half square feet for each 170 to 179 square feet unit,
D.
Three square feet for each 180 and up square feet unit;
Common indoor space means all useable interior common areas not used for circulation or service facilities. Common indoor space includes, but is not limited to, lobby, recreation room or reading room;
18.
Ingress and egress shall be strictly limited and monitored by the use of a front desk area which has a full view of the entry/lobby area, is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and has an operational outdoor entry intercom system with intercoms in each unit and common areas. Entrance into the hallways of common areas where individual units are located shall be regulated by the front desk clerk through the use of "buzz-in" doors. Each tenant and guest shall be cleared by the front desk clerk before entry is permitted. The required secondary egress areas shall also be alarmed and monitored. A notice shall be posted in the indoor lobby area regarding contact procedures to investigate code compliance problems. At least one pay telephone, a drinking fountain, restrooms and individual mailboxes shall be provided in the lobby/front desk area;
19.
An adequately sized supply room shall be provided with adequate security control;
20.
SROs of any size shall be required to have fully automatic fire sprinkler systems with a central monitoring system, alarm and fire annunciator in compliance with County Fire Department standards. A manual fire alarm system shall also be installed;
21.
All provisions of the Uniform Building Code and Uniform Fire Code relating to hotels shall be followed. However, reasonable equivalent alternatives to Building and Fire Code requirements may be utilized, if approval is first obtained from the City Building Official and County Fire Chief on a case-by-case, item-by-item basis;
22.
Interior hallways shall be brightly lit with at least one footcandle of lighting on the floor surface;
23.
All lighting fixtures shall be vandal and graffiti resistant. All ground-floor exteriors and common areas, including hallways, elevators and shower facilities, should be made graffiti resistant through the use of special paint, texturing, carpeting or other means approved by the Police Department;
24.
A Management Plan shall be submitted for review and approval or approval with modifications as part of the development permit process. This Plan shall be comprehensive and shall contain provisions recommended by the Director and adopted by the review authority. Failure of the property owner to comply with the Management Plan shall be grounds for revocation of the Development Permit in compliance with Chapter 2, Article 11;
25.
Security provisions shall be provided in the following manner:
A.
Video cameras equipped with infrared detectors shall be strategically placed in all public areas, including hallways, elevator entrances, lobby areas, garage areas, laundry areas, profit centers and other common areas and monitored for internal security. The monitoring station shall be at or adjacent to the front desk. In order to provide for adequate monitoring, the location and configuration of monitors is subject to approval by the Police Department,
B.
Individual tenant's entry doors shall be equipped with interior locks and key card entrance systems that shall be reprogrammable,
C.
Common shower area doors accessible through hallways shall be equipped with interior locks with access by a management master key. An emergency call button or pull cord shall be provided in the shower area,
D.
Front entry areas shall allow for adequate visual access into the front entry/desk/lobby area by police from patrol cars,
E.
Each tenant's room and all common areas shall have operable windows, except for the first floor which may be fixed, if a reasonable equivalent alternative is approved by the City Building Official and County Fire Chief,
F.
Adequate measures shall be taken to provide for vehicle parking security, including limited secured access by electronic wrought iron security gates and fencing or alternative materials compatible with the architectural style, night lighting and video camera monitoring. Override devices for gates shall be provided for the Police and Fire Departments,
G.
If management fails to operate the facility in a safe and secure manner or violations of conditions of approval are found, then a private security guard may be required to be provided on a 24-hour-a-day basis. The security guard shall be fully uniformed, bonded, P.O.S.T. certified and licensed by the State to bear firearms,
H.
Valid photo identification shall be required as a condition of tenant registration. A valid photo identification is a State-issued driver's license, a military identification card, an official State identification card or a Police Department registration card. Management shall post in the lobby/registration area signs declaring that photo identification is required for every tenant and that the registration information will be presented to the Police Department upon demand, and
I.
Management is to keep and maintain complete and accurate tenant registration cards in duplicate, including photocopies of required photo identification. Registration information shall include the name of the tenant, unit number, rental rate, vehicle type and vehicle license number. The duplicate copies of the registration cards shall be taken to the Police Department weekly. Registration information shall be provided to the Police Department upon demand;
26.
A condition of approval of a SRO facility shall be compliance with Chapter 1 of Title 3 of the Municipal Code (Business License Regulations). A SRO facility with excessive drug or prostitution arrests or other officers deemed public safety concerns may be brought before the Chief of Police for review, with notice of that review meeting being sent to the SRO facility owner. If the Chief of Police determines that excessive drug or prostitution arrests or other officers deemed public safety concerns are occurring at the SRO facility, the operators permit may be revoked. Further operation of the SRO facility shall not occur without first applying and obtaining approval for a new operators permit;
27.
Compliance inspections by the City may be made on an annual basis and the costs of the inspections shall be paid by the SRO facility operator. Any violation(s) of the conditions of approval, Municipal Code, or State, or Federal laws or regulations pertaining to SRO facilities, as they exist at the time of the inspection, shall be corrected within the time period(s) specified in the notice of violation. If the Director makes a finding that the corrections have not been made within the specified time period(s), the Development Permit and Operators Permit for the SRO facility may be revoked in compliance with Chapter 2, Article 11 of this Code; and
28.
The maximum number of SRO units to be brought into service within the City after the effective date of this Code, shall be the number that accommodates 500 tenants. Prior to any proposed amendments to these SRO standards or to an increase in the maximum number of SRO units-in-service, the Department shall present a report to the Council with the following information:
(§ 1, Ord. 666-NS, eff. September 15, 2001, § 1, Ord. 828-NS, eff. September 4, 2008; Ord. 2025-02, eff. September 3, 2025)
All single room occupancy facilities shall be subject to the applicable regulations of this Code, including provisions located in the following Articles:
1. | Article 10 of Chapter 4 | Development Permits |
2. | Article 8 of Chapter 4 | Minor Conditional Use Permits |
3. | Article 11 of Chapter 4 | Conditional Use Permits |
4. | Article 7 of Chapter 4 | Minor Variances |
5. | Article 9 of Chapter 4 | Variances |
(§ 1, Ord. 666-NS, eff. September 15, 2001)