General Plan/Coastal Land Use Plan Update

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Key Issues Report Contents

Introduction . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . . .. . .. . .. . . 3

General Plan Update Process . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . . 5

How Can You Part icipate? . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . 6

Key Issues Structure . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . . 7

Small Beach Town Character . . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . 8

Vibrant Economy .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . . 12

Healthy Environment & Lifestyles .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. 16

Efforts to Address Key Issues . . .. . .. . .. .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . . .. . .. . 19

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Introduction General Plan/Coastal Land Use Plan Update

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With many important decisions ahead for Hermosa Beach, the General Plan/Coastal Land Use Plan Update is an opportunity to ensure the policies that will guide the city’s future are designed to reflect local conditions and achieve the community vision.

The City last adopted a General Plan and Coastal Land Use Plan in the early 1980’s. While conditions and issues affecting the city have changed, and the community’s vision has evolved, the policies and action plans to guide the city’s growth and development have not been comprehensively updated.

The community’s desire to advance sustainability, enhance economic vitality, and preserve the eclectic beach character, were reinforced through the Community Dialogue process. The community engaged in setting the vision and defining the unique qualities for Hermosa Beach over the course of several months in 2013 and 2014. The Community Dialogue process culminated in the creation of a Decision-Making tool to enhance the transparency and effectiveness of decisions made by Council and City leaders.

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In 2013 and early 2014, Hermosa Beach was awarded grants by the California Strategic Growth Council and the California Coastal Commission to comprehensively update the City’s General Plan and Coastal Land Use Plan, resulting in a Local Coastal Program. These grants were awarded based on the City’s priority objective to transform these plans into the City’s “Comprehensive Blueprint for Sustainability and a Low Carbon Future”. The integrated plan will be developed under a broad sustainability framework that aims to:

• Link environmental performance with economic vitality;

• Enhance coastal protection and sea level rise best practices;

• Leverage collaborative partnerships; and

• Advance implementation of sustainability and greenhouse gas reduction legislation (AB 32 and SB 375).

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Once updated and adopted by the City Council, the integrated Plan will form the City’s overarching framework, with subsequent plans, programs, and activities designed to carry out the community’s vision, goals and policies.

The City’s goals for the General Plan/Coastal Land Use Plan Update include:

• Address economic and demographic changes.

• Create updated policies for land use, community design, transportation, infrastructure, quality of life, economic vitality, and other key topics.

• Create a framework and road map for sustainability and carbon neutrality as defined by Hermosa Beach.

• Engage our community members in achieving our vision for the city’s future.

• Make the Plan a relevant and easy to use document on a day-to-day basis.

• Serve as a model for other California cities.

• Meet the requirements of State law for these mandated planning documents.

The updated Plan will guide how the city should develop and change, and where funds and resources for infrastructure, services and programs should be directed.

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Exis ting Conditions and Key Issues

The assessment of existing conditions and identification of the key issues facing the community are designed to provide an on-the-

ground understanding of activities in the city today. By reviewing historic trends and changes or comparing community attributes

to other similar communities in the region, a sense of what makes Hermosa Beach unique or different begin to emerge. The

quantitative and qualitative information collected through the existing conditions analysis is then synthesized into a set of issues

and opportunities to be addressed.

Visioning

The visioning process is designed to identify principles or priorities

for the city’s future. Community input on their ideas or ideals for

the future of Hermosa Beach is solicited through a series of

workshops, stakeholder interviews, and technical working group

meetings to craft a vision statement and guiding principles. The

crafted vision and guiding principles, are supported by the existing

conditions analysis, and lead the policies and technical elements of

the General Plan and Coastal Land Use Plan updates.

Alternatives

After the guiding vision is established, alternatives are considered

and evaluated. The alternatives analysis looks at the fiscal,

physical, and environmental aspects of the proposed changes

needed to meet the community vision and evaluates whether there

are alternative scenarios in which the community vision can be met.

Draft Plan

The Draft Plan is the resulting collection of policies needed to

achieve the community vision. The General Plan policies are a

culmination of the existing conditions, vision, and alternatives

analysis. The Draft Plan is evaluated and reviewed before being

adopted by the City’s decision-makers.

Environmental Review

The General Plan Update and Coastal Land Use Plans are subject to environmental

review under the California Environmental Quality Act to assess whether any adverse

environmental impacts may occur through implementation of the General Plan or Coastal Land Use Plan. This

assessment provides full disclosure to the community and can better inform decision makers on the potentially adverse

environmental impacts of the General Plan Update.

General Plan Update Process The General Plan/Coastal Land Use Plan Update process includes a series of defined phases or steps to

ensure the adopted Plan addresses the community needs, goals, and vision in a comprehensive and

integrated manner. The process for the Hermosa Beach General Plan Update includes these major steps.

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How can you participate? Community involvement is

needed at key points

throughout the process to

ensure the creation of a

General/Coastal Land Use

Plan that reflect the values of

the community and is

supported by the City and

stakeholders.

Opportunities to provide your

input throughout the process

include:

• educational forums

• a website

• community meetings

• workshops

• environmental process

• public hearings

Technical and community

working groups will review

early products, followed by

broad community input and

policy board direction

throughout the process.

You can contact City staff at

any time for more information

or with questions at:

310-318-0242.

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The key issues identified to date cover a wide array of topics, concerns, and challenges facing the community. These issues to

be addressed as part of the General Plan update generally fall into one of three categories: small beach town character,

vibrant economy, and healthy environment and lifestyles, which collectively create the sustainability framework for the General

Plan/Coastal Land Use Plan update.

Small Beach Town Character

Vibrant Economy

Healthy Environment &

Lifestyles

Key Issues Structure

The key issues were identified through an analysis of existing conditions, interviews with community stakeholders, discussions

with the General Plan Working Group, meetings with the technical working groups, and a series of community workshops. This

Key Issues Report has been crafted to serve as a discussion tool for the Visioning and Alternatives analysis, and to inform the

General Plan/Coastal Land Use Plan policy recommendations.

Each topic identified in this report includes an issue statement, a brief description of the issue, how it may affect Hermosa

Beach, and potential policy or program options for addressing the issue within the integrated General Plan/Coastal Land Use

Plan. Additionally, the plans, programs, or General Plan element relevant to each issue are identified to provide information on

existing policies and programs, and indicate the plan or element where new policies may be included.

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Changing Demographics A change in housing types and commercial services may be needed to meet the needs of the community’s shifting demographics.

Between 2000 and 2010, there was a negligible increase in the number of households, but a 5.1 percent increase in population. This corresponds to a 5 percent increase in average household size, with 2.04 people per household (2.42 for owner-occupied households). The median household income, $104,000 in 2012, also continues to increase. The increase in average household size may be related to the growing number of families living in Hermosa Beach or increased housing costs which result in larger non-family households to defray costs. Recent and continued changes in city demographics are an important consideration to ensure the services, land uses, and amenities are meeting the changing needs of Hermosa Beach residents, as well as visitors.

Land Use Mix There is a desire to offer more retail, office and service uses to support greater economic diversity of the community.

With over 10,000 housing units covering roughly 81 percent of land in the City, commercial, office and service uses are limited to key corridors and nodes within the city. Prioritization of retail services and office uses over residential uses within key commercial corridors or industrial neighborhoods of Hermosa Beach will be important to providing a balance of uses to serve the residential and visitor community.

Lack of Available Land With limited vacant land, Hermosa Beach has limited room to accommodate new development and must look to infill projects, underutilized land or redevelopment if new development is to occur.

Of the vacant land in the city, the majority of parcels are currently zoned for residential uses, placing greater pressure on underutilized commercial land to redevelop or densify. While redevelopment of underutilized spaces is a viable option, consideration of context and community character need to be considered so that new uses and development area consistent with the existing or preferred urban form of the city.

Development Pressure and Constraints Both regulatory and market conditions place pressure, as well as constraints, on new or additional development in Hermosa Beach.

Both residential and commercial development in Hermosa Beach can be constrained by parcel sizes, parking requirements, high land values, and a limited supply of vacant land. These constraints can make it more difficult, time-consuming, or costly to invest in or develop new uses in Hermosa Beach compared to nearby communities.

Key Issues Report

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Small Beach Town

Character

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Residential Type and Neighborhood Character New structures tend to be larger single-family units or high-end condominiums in neighborhoods traditionally filled with smaller beach cottages.

With the limited amount of vacant land, most new housing units involve demolition and/or renovation of existing structures. The new structures are often built to maximize the use of space, resulting in larger, taller structures that are often not oriented toward the street. Without a concerted effort by the City to ensure context sensitive designs are incorporated into new structures in existing neighborhoods, the character of the street or block can and in many areas has changed dramatically.

Pacific Coast Highway Corridor Revitalization The city’s primary corridor and entry point, Pacific Coast Highway, could be less focused on the automobile and more people friendly.

The PCH/Aviation corridor in Hermosa Beach serves as the primary entry point into Hermosa Beach, though like many aging corridors, it lacks features that make the street safe and enjoyable for all users. Existing challenges include: an auto-oriented focus; lack of pedestrian or bike safety, lack of green space, street trees, and medians; limited cohesive design or identity; and position as barrier between east and west Hermosa; as well as Caltrans ownership. The revitalization of the PCH/Aviation corridor will enhance the economic activity of both businesses along the streets and the City as a whole.

A conceptual Master Plan for the PCH/Aviation corridor focusing on aesthetics was approved by the City Council in 2014. The Master Plan proposes to increase pedestrian safety and amenities, adding new crosswalks and enhancing existing crosswalks and street trees along the corridor. The Master Plan also identifies preliminary concepts to develop new gateways or monuments and directional signage to bring better identity to Hermosa Beach.

However, the plan does not address existing and future land uses and their relationship to the corridor.

Pedestrian-Friendly Environment Pedestrian safety and accessibility can be improved throughout the community through small-scale safety improvements and amenities.

The city’s grid street system, walk streets, and Greenbelt trail provide a great foundation for creating an enjoyable pedestrian environment. Wide rights-of-way along the main commercial corridors (80+ feet) matched with limited streetscape improvements (benches, sidewalks, public art, etc.) can deter pedestrian activity along the corridors, thereby reducing potential economic activity. Commercial areas that are more walkable would encourage shoppers to park and walk, increasing activity and the potential for sales and attracting new business. The renovation of Pier Plaza to exclude vehicle traffic and streetscape improvements along Pier Avenue are successful examples of streetscape improvements to enhance the pedestrian atmosphere.

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Beach visitors represent a large customer base (over 900,000 beach visitors in 2010). Thus it is important to attract people going to the beach and using The Strand and encourage them to walk or bike up Pier Avenue. Streetscape improvements can improve curb appeal and walkability, increasing foot traffic in commercial areas.

Parking Demand Limited parking and few alternative transportation options challenge the City’s ability to provide parking for residents and visitors in downtown and near the beach.

The commercial downtown has limited parking supply to adequately meet the needs of shoppers and beachgoers. Street parking in these areas is regulated by parking meters and one-hour time limits.

Even with public parking north and south of Pier Plaza and metered parking along Hermosa Avenue, residents and weekend visitors can fill up spots quickly, limiting public beach access, and deterring visitors from spending time and money in Hermosa Beach. However, there is a concern that more parking will bring more visitors to the beach, events and downtown generally. The Downtown Core Revitalization Plan proposes a comprehensive approach to parking supply, adding more spaces along Hermosa Avenue and structured parking to support economic development while adding visitor parking at the Civic Center or Community Center.

School Capacity Recent growth in school-aged population has now exceeded the physical capacity of the City’s two public schools.

With recent changes in the city’s demographic composition, Hermosa Valley and Hermosa View enrollments have grown from 671 and 395, respectively in the 2005-2006 school year, to 939 and 469 students during the 2012-2013 school year.

With more than 1,400 students enrolled and physical capacity (at state acceptable levels) to hold just 1,000 students, Hermosa Beach City School District (HBCSD) has added portable classroom buildings and is using multi-purpose rooms for temporary classrooms, leading to fewer shared spaces. To address these issues, HBCSD prepared a Long Range Facilities Master Plan to evaluate alternatives to provide additional classroom and recreational/support facility space at each campus, including reopening the North School campus, currently leased to other parties. The HBCSD has placed a bond measure on the November 4th ballot to address the needs of the local student population through new construction, modernization and renovation projects at the District’s schools, including re-opening North School at the southwest corner of Valley Park.

The City’s role in school capacity planning is to ensure that development standards and other land use patterns do not constrain the District’s ability to meet the growing capacity needs of the community and to support expansion of shared use facilities such as fields and playgrounds to meet the community’s recreational and physical activity needs.

Key Issues Report

Key Issues Report

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Small Beach Town

Character

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Visual Obstructions Power lines, telephone poles, streetlights, and traffic signals along streets and obstruct views of the Pacific Ocean and other scenic vistas.

Views of the Pacific Ocean and the surrounding Santa Monica Mountains and Palos Verdes Peninsula are valuable scenic qualities in Hermosa Beach. The community has taken steps to protect these qualities by adopting height limitations, however, overhead lines, telephone poles, and other infrastructure can obstruct or diminish these scenic vistas.

At this time, areas of the community wishing to remove overhead power lines can do so by establishing and paying into a lighting or underground utility district. These districts currently cover Hermosa Avenue, Pier Avenue, Myrtle Avenue, Loma Drive, Beach Drive, and Bayview Drive.

Zoning Code and Development Standards Development standards such as height or density limits, while designed to protect community character, can constrain development potential at key locations in the city.

Development standards for both residential and commercial development in Hermosa Beach can simultaneously protect the community character and limit new investment opportunities by prescribing height, intensity, and use requirements that reduce the financial viability of a project. Striking a careful balance between protecting community character and scale and overregulating new uses will be considered in the General Plan update.

Historic Resources Historic and potentially historic resources need to be identified, designated and protected as key landmarks of the community’s history.

While a large segment of Hermosa Beach buildings are over 50 years in age, only a limited number have been identified as historic or potentially historic resources. The City’s existing Historic Resources Preservation Ordinance provides protection to identified resources only under limited conditions. This has left some potentially historic resources undocumented, threatened by new development or modification, or subject to inconsistent application of historic resource evaluations. As part of this General Plan Update process, the City conducted a survey, which preliminarily identified close to 30 additional sites as historic or potentially historic resources. The General Plan will identify additional opportunities to protect, preserve, and enhance the community’s historic resources.

Coastal Access The coast is a statewide resource and adequate coastal access and resource protection is required as part of the California Coastal Act.

The California Coastal Act relies on local governments to ensure access, visitor services, and recreational opportunities are available to all Californians and the State’s visitors. With almost half of the city located within the Coastal Zone, Hermosa Beach must prepare and implement a Local Coastal Program (LCP) that protects the coastal resource and

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Economic Diversity There is a desire to diversify the city’s economic base beyond the tourism industry and make the local tax base more resilient to economic fluctuations.

The combination of beach access and dominance of coastal-dependent or coastal-supportive establishments in Hermosa Beach results in a local economy that is heavily reliant on the tourism industry. Within the downtown area, the concentration of bars and nighttime uses have taken up space for office, retail, and other daytime uses needed to support a more diverse local economy.

Additionally, residents are primarily employed in the professional, scientific, and management industries, while the majority of jobs available in the City are in the arts, accommodation, and food service industries.

This mismatch of local employment opportunity, in combination with a lack of tenant diversity in the downtown area, leaves the local economy more susceptible to economic downturns.

Employment Patterns There is a mismatch in employment industries between employees and residents, creating high commute rates in and out of the city.

The largest employment sector measured by number of workers in Hermosa Beach is the accommodation and food service industry, accounting for 31% of all jobs in 2011. However, only four percent of Hermosa Beach residents work in this industry. Contrarily, there are 1,026 financial, information, and professional jobs in the city, but over 4,700 residents employed in this sector. The mismatch leads high numbers of residents leaving the community for work each day (95%), which results in a disconnect in the local economy, traffic congestion, and less free time to spend with family, all of which are important quality of life indicators for the community. Without sufficient office space and job opportunities to match the skill set of residents, many will continue to commute to other places for work.

Higher Housing Costs High housing costs can make Hermosa Beach an unaffordable place to live for many, especially those employed in the city.

The lack of available vacant land, and high land and development costs drive up housing costs in Hermosa Beach. In 2013, DataQuick reported a median sales price of homes in Hermosa Beach of $1.4 million. The high cost of housing limits the ability of many young professionals, seniors, and service workers to live in Hermosa Beach without spending a disproportionate share of their income on housing.

Balanced Visitor and Resident Uses and Needs Visitors and residents have different and sometimes competing needs for local services and uses.

With a changing residential population and a tourism-based economy, the market needs and demands of residents and visitors can sometimes be in

Key Issues Report

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Vibrant Economy

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conflict with one another. Given the limited amount of commercial land and space available and high land costs, this effect may be magnified in Hermosa Beach. As a regional coastal destination, the City is also obligated to ensure that access to the coast and visitor-serving uses are maximized in the Coastal Zone.

In addition to increased lodging options, additional retail and commercial uses that can serve residents and visitors alike would increase local tax revenues and decrease resident and visitor spending outside of the community.

Downtown Evolution As a primary commercial area of the community, the downtown core requires special attention to ensure future uses balance economic development, beach access, and community character goals.

In 2013, the City initiated a process to identify opportunities to increase the economic vitality of the downtown, focusing on how City assets, including the civic center property and parking lots, could be leveraged in conjunction with redevelopment of key privately held sites for increased economic vitality. The Downtown Core Revitalization Strategy identifies commercial tenanting, continued streetscape and Pier Plaza improvements, hotel development, parking, and zoning changes as key strategies to revitalize downtown.

Implementation of the strategies will help to make positive changes in and around downtown, transforming the area into more a family-friendly atmosphere, and a more economically balanced business district.

Entertainment and Nightlife While a vibrant economic draw for the city, drinking establishments and nightlife activities result in alcohol-related nuisances and crime, requiring additional public safety resources.

With a number of nightclubs and bars downtown, Hermosa Beach has established a reputation as a party town and attracts visitors from all over the region to spend time at many of the community’s beachfront establishments. While there are benefits to this vibrant nightlife, it can create a place that is not welcoming to many segments of the community, and poses noise and character concerns that are incompatible with the changing demographics and nearby residential areas and result in an increased need for public safety resources to handle the higher rate of alcohol-related nuisances and crime.

Lodging Demands Additional opportunities to provide visitor lodging, including low and moderate-cost options, are needed to support the volume of visitors to Hermosa Beach.

The provision of a variety of lodging options to ensure Californians and visitors of all income levels can enjoy the California coast is a top priority of the Coastal Act and California Coastal Commission.

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Within the Coastal Zone area of Hermosa Beach, there are currently three small-scale hotels, Grandview Inn, Beach House Hotel, Sea Sprite Motel, and one hostel, Surf City Hostel, some of which are moderately priced. Additional moderately priced lodging options can be found just outside of the Coastal Zone with Hotel Hermosa, Hampton Inn, Quality Inn, and a Holiday Inn Express all located along PCH or Aviation Boulevard. In the South Bay region, hotel occupancy rates have hovered around 75% since 2011.

Proposed hotel projects in the downtown have the potential to provide additional lodging opportunities within the Coastal Zone while concurrently increasing sales tax and transient occupancy tax revenues. While there are several moderately priced hotels in Hermosa Beach, additional lodging options are scarce in the City. Vacation rentals are not allowed in the city outside commercial zones, although they exist and can pose neighborhood compatibility issues (VRBO, airbnb, etc.).

Retail Leakage The retail competition among beach cities leads to residents and visitors leaving Hermosa Beach to spend money outside of the community.

There are over 5 million square feet of competitive retail space within 10 miles of Hermosa Beach, in downtown, open air, and enclosed mall format. The two main competitive destinations are the downtown districts, or other areas of Manhattan Beach and Redondo Beach. The retail rents and vacancy rates in Manhattan Beach have out-performed Hermosa Beach, with downtown rents of $6.74/sq. ft./month and an overall retail vacancy rate of 1.5 percent, compared to $4.27/sq. ft./month and 3.2 percent in downtown Hermosa Beach.

As reported in the Downtown Core Revitalization Strategy, the downtown is also less competitive in terms of ‘livability and walkability,’ than surrounding regional competitors. The absence of a pedestrian friendly public realm and spaces and destinations for a diversity of people with safe pedestrian walkways, outdoor seating and attractions, reduces foot-traffic and appeal of the downtown and Pier Plaza for daytime residents and visitors.

When businesses compare location options, rents and vacancies are key factors. Higher rents and lower vacancy rates in Manhattan Beach, illustrate the appeal for new business, as developers perceive a potential for greater return on their investment.

Beach and Event Programming The number of programmed or organized events at the beach and in the downtown can limit public access and enjoyment.

As a key part of the Southern California beach culture, there are a number of social and recreational events that occur on the beach or Pier Plaza throughout the year. These events range from volleyball tournaments, parades, summer concerts, surf festivals, beach clean up days, and street fairs. These events can draw several thousand visitors, with recent events like the Discovery Channel’s FinFest attracting an estimated 15,000

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Vibrant Economy

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attendees, the annual St. Patrick’s Day parade attracting 30,000 spectators, and the Fiesta Hermosa events on Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends attracting 150,000 visitors over the course of the three-day weekend.

While these events are a major economic driver, and attract many visitors to the community, they can also constrain parking capacity, divert public safety resources, and crowd local restaurants and services, which may limit the use and general enjoyment of the beach by members of the public and residents.

Oil Drilling The March 2015 ballot measure regarding whether to lift the citywide ban on oil drilling for a proposed oil drilling and production project has the potential to affect the City’s fiscal resources in years to come.

As a result of a Settlement Agreement, the electorate will vote on whether to lift the ban on oil drilling and allow an oil drilling and production project at the City Maintenance Yard. There are concerns in the community of the potential environmental, health impacts and fiscal impacts that may result.

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Carbon Neutrality Achievement of the City’s carbon neutrality goals will require careful thought creative solutions and persistence.

In March of 2010, the Hermosa Beach City Council established a goal to become carbon neutral staring with municipal operations. The City has continued efforts to define what carbon neutrality means for Hermosa Beach and a timeline and road map. The programs and policies necessary to achieving carbon neutrality in Hermosa Beach will need a strong commitment from City leadership and the community, which generated 134,253 metric tons of carbon dioxide (equivalent) in 2007. The largest generators are transportation and building electrical demand. With few successful examples to model its efforts on, Hermosa Beach will need to be a local and regional leader by identifying, funding, and implementing creative solutions and possibly advanced technologies.

The General Plan Update can assist this process by embedding the vision, goal, policies and actions to achieve carbon neutrality throughout the Plan, influencing how the city develops and redevelops, and how people live, work and play, in a way that is acceptable to the Hermosa Beach community.

Natural Hazards Tsunamis, earthquakes, and natural hazards must be evaluated to ensure the built environment and vulnerable populations of Hermosa Beach are adequately protected.

As noted in the City’s Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan, there are several public, quasi-public, or private facilities located in Hermosa Beach and nearby Torrance that are critical to health and safety of Hermosa Beach. These facilities include hospitals, water towers, pump stations, public safety facilities, the community center, supermarkets, local shopping district, schools, and areas with vulnerable populations such as assisted living facilities, and a motor home park. Of the critical or essential facilities in Hermosa, all are susceptible to damage from earthquakes and windstorms, and six of these facilities are in the downtown area and are susceptible to flooding or tsunamis.

Though environmental hazards such as flooding, tsunamis, and earthquakes cannot be prevented from occurring, the City can ensure risks to buildings, infrastructure, and residents are minimized through land use siting, building standards, preparation courses, and emergency response protocols.

Climate Change Sea level rise and climate change must be carefully considered for their potential effect on the built environment and vulnerable populations.

Climate scientists anticipate average temperatures to increase between 3.2o F and 5.6o F, sea levels to rise as much as 65 inches, and precipitation to decrease approximately 20 percent over the next century. The combination of these changes may result in more severe drought conditions, number of days of extreme heat, and more severe weather, sea level rise, higher storm surges, increased flooding, increased air pollution, reduced water supplies,

Key Issues Report

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Healthy Environment & Lifestyles

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and other conditions, all of which can affect infrastructure systems, public and private property, and the local population. Current state planning documents indicate the low-lying areas of the downtown will become most vulnerable to storm surges and flooding. Especially vulnerable populations may be at higher risk to the detrimental health effects or reduced ability to take action to cope or adapt.

The effects of climate change have the potential to increase the severity of hazards and number of facilities susceptible to damage. New natural hazard event threats, such as extreme heat or precipitation events that have not been previously considered in emergency operations planning in Hermosa Beach may occur. The resiliency of the city’s population, infrastructure and economy are important considerations. While these effects may seem long-term, planning and incrementally adapting land use patterns, infrastructure and the built environment may provide the most options and the most efficient course of action.

Auto Reliance Vehicle Trip Reduction While considered a walkable community, the high rate of employment inflow/outflow and lack of transit options results in high vehicle trip rates.

The dependence on other communities to meet the employment and retail service needs of Hermosa Beach residents results in more frequent and longer trips and a higher rate of auto-dependence. Per capita, Hermosa Beach residents drive 72.6 miles per day (higher than the LA County average, though lower than nearby cities) and approximately 80 percent of residents commute to work in single-occupant vehicles. The limited transit system coverage and frequency also contribute to higher rates of auto travel. With residents traveling further for retail services or as part of daily commuting, the potential for traffic congestion, accidents, and vehicle emissions increase.

Alternative Modes of Transportation Walking and biking rates and use of local or regional transit and neighborhood vehicles are limited by user perception of convenience and safety and a need for infrastructure to support alternative modes.

Convenient and safe routes are needed within Hermosa Beach to facilitate higher rates of biking and walking. The city not only has a high rate of pedestrian and bicycle collisions along primary arterials, but users’ perception of unsafe conditions due to high speeds and volumes of vehicles can also inhibit biking or walking. Infrastructure and educational efforts provided by the City, school district, organizations, or regional entities can help to increase walking and biking rates.

The use of electric bike, Segway’s, neighborhood vehicles and similar vehicles to get around locally would benefit from slow speed lanes. Alternative fuel vehicles require infrastructure planning to ensure quick and available refueling capabilities. Beach Cities Transit, LADOT Commuter Express, and LA County Metro provide transit service in Hermosa Beach. These operators provide fixed-route services with 30 to 60 minute headways during peak periods. Improvement of both motorized and non-

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motorized transportation mode options are needed in Hermosa Beach in order to meet community character and sustainability goals to decrease auto reliance.

Public Health and Physical Activity An increasing rate of children and adults are vulnerable or suffer from preventable causes of chronic illness.

The Beach Cities Health District statistics on public health and physical activity show that obesity is affecting a higher rate of children, and that nearly 40 percent of adults do not meet federal guidelines for daily physical activity. Stress, sun exposure and older child bearing age are also elevated health concerns in the city. The trend toward an older population also has health consequences. Infrastructure improvements, land use pattern, the built environment and program offerings play a role in encouraging residents to be more physically active and lead healthier lives.

Parks and Open Space The demand for parks and open space, specifically sports fields, has increased in recent years.

While the City provides a high rate of parks/open space per resident (5.7 acres), more than half of the 112 acres is the beach, and park space across the city is not evenly distributed among neighborhoods, especially those east of PCH. The public facilities designed to serve the community include buildings like the Community Center and Clark Building, as well as parks and trails like the Hermosa Valley Greenbelt and The Strand. Available meeting or gathering space capacity ranges from 20 people to 500 people, however adequate space is often lacking.

Though the City has maximized the efficient use of limited available space, the public facilities and parks do not meet the recreational or programming needs or desires of the community, particularly the needs for recreational programming and activities such as a swimming pool, track, or sports fields. The largest barrier to full implementation of the Parks and Recreation Master Plan is a lack of physical and fiscal resources.

Infrastructure Many of the city’s aging infrastructure systems do not meet current design specifications or public health and safety standards and regulations.

As health and safety standards associated with stormwater discharge, and water and air quality, have evolved over time, infrastructure system designs and operations in Hermosa Beach have not kept pace. Upgrades to these infrastructure systems are costly and often happen on an as-needed repair basis rather than as a comprehensive upgrade. The Community Dialogue Financial/Fiscal Report identified key systems that need replacement or major upgrades, including the sewer system, storm drain system, police, fire and city hall, park and community building, with an estimated cost exceeding $100 million. The City Council’s Strategic Plan has started to systematically address each of these. These affect property values, economic vitality, and health.

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Efforts to Address Key Issues While many of the key issues identified and discussed as part of this report are not new, the City and regional agencies have developed various plans and programs aimed at addressing these key issues. To date, these plans and programs have been implemented to varying degrees. The plans and programs relevant to each of the key issues are identified in the matrix below. The General Plan will serve as a unifying document, identify approaches and solutions that can be implemented to address, resolve, or mitigate many of the key issues that face Hermosa Beach now and in the years to come.

Exis

ting

Gen

eral

Pla

n

Exis

ting

Coas

tal L

and

Use

Plan

Mun

icip

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ode

Dow

ntow

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re R

evita

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ion

Stra

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PCH

/Avi

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rrid

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aste

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n

Park

s an

d Re

crea

tion

Mas

ter P

lan

Sust

aina

bilit

y Pl

an

Carb

on N

eutra

l Sco

ping

Pla

n

Nat

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Haz

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Miti

gatio

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Emer

genc

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Pla

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Sout

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cycl

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aste

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n

Sust

aina

ble

Sout

h Ba

y: In

tegr

ated

La

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se &

Tra

nspo

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Stra

tegy

Beac

h Ci

ties

Liva

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y Pl

an

Changing Demographics X

Land Use Mix X X X X

Lack of Available Land

Development Pressure and Constraints X X

Residential Type and Neighborhood Character X

Pacific Coast Highway Corridor Revitalization X X X

Pedestrian Friendly Environment X X X

Parking Demand X X X X X

School Capacity X

Visual Obstructions X X X

Zoning Code and Development Standards X X X  X

Historic Resources X

Coastal Access X X

Coastal Development Permitting Authority X X

Economic Diversity X X X

Downtown Evolution X X

Entertainment and Nightlife X

Higher Housing Costs X

Balanced Tourist and Resident Uses and Needs X  X

Lodging Demands X

Oil Drilling

Retail Leakage X X

Beach Programming X X

Employment Patterns X X X  X X

Carbon Neutrality X X X X X

Natural Hazards X X X X

Climate Change X X X

Auto Reliance X X X X X

Alternative Modes of Transportation X X X X

Public Health and Physical Activity X X

Parks and Open Space X X X X

Infrastructure X X

Energy Use X X X X

Relevant Plans and Programs

Smal

l Bea

ch T

own

Char

acte

rVi

bran

t Eco

nom

yH

ealth

y En

viro

nmen

t &

Life

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Prepared for the City of Hermosa Beach By Raimi + Associates