La design guidelines ppd 619 team 6 paper with appendix

Citywide Commercial Design Guidelines
PPD 619: Smart Growth and Urban Sprawl
USC Spring Semester 2012
Project Group #6:
Sandy Mendler
Ruby Chong
Muriel Skaf
Jay Lee

Introduction

The Citywide Design Guidelines for Pedestrian Oriented / Commercial & Mixed Use Projects is a
document that was developed to support the implementation of the Los Angeles General Plan
Framework Element. The Commercial Guidelines, together with similar documents to address
multi-family residential and industrial uses, will establish and communicate design expectations
for new development based on citywide goals and urban design best practices as represented
by the “Ten Principles of Urban Design.” The guidelines expand on the issues presented in
chapter 5 (Urban Form) of the Framework Plan, with a particular focus on improving
streetscapes and walkability. The staff report notes that the guidelines “will illustrate ways for
individual projects to promote walkability, maintain neighborhood form and character, and
promote creative development solutions that balance existing neighborhood character and
improve the streetscape experiencei.”

This paper provides a high level overview of the Citywide Commercial Design Guidelines, the
background issues that led to their creation, and the method of implementation that is currently
employed. This introduction will be followed by brief discussion of other design guidance
documents that relate to the issues of pedestrian-oriented development and sustainable design,
and a series of recommendations including the following:

• Recommendation #1: A Refined Review Process and the Technical Advisory Committee
• Recommendation #2: Develop mandatory pedestrian-oriented street standards to
complement and support design guidelines
• Recommendation #3: Incentives linking Transit and Good Design Goals
• Recommendation #4: Expedite Implementation of Form Based Codes as a Tool for
Simplifying Code and Design Review Compliance
• Recommendation #5: Incorporate Design Guidelines for Photovoltaics

Group #6: Mendler, Chong, Skaf, Lee

Background

In 1974, the city adopted a general planning, called Concept Los Angeles, to provide a long term
plan to manage growth. The central theme of Concept Los Angeles was to preserve single-
family neighborhoods by directing growth into a series of more dense “centers.” In the late
1980s, the city imposed development standards on commercial corner developments and mini-
shopping centers that were intended to improve the quality of commercial development and to
protect adjacent residential uses. The General Plan Framework that was approved in 1996 and
again in 2001 provided general design guidance but did not replace the earlier design standards
on commercial corner developments and mini-shopping centers, which are outlined in the Los
Angeles Municipal Code Sections 12.22-A, 23 and 12.24-W, 27.

The Framework Element approved in 1996 and again in 2001, refines previously adopted City
policy and provides a much needed update to Concept Los Angeles. While the current
Framework Plan is similar, in that it is based on “conservancy areas” that are protected from
development and “targeted growth” areas for development, the process is different. The
Framework Plan very intentionally puts detailed decision making in the hands of the
neighborhood groups, defining citywide policies that will be implemented through subsequent
amendments of the City's community plans, zoning ordinances, and other pertinent programsii.

In 2008, in an effort to simplify its zoning ordinance, the Los Angeles Department of City
Planning (LADCP) launched an initiative to rewrite selected portions of the code. Part of this
effort was to conduct nine code studies, one of which identified a number of issues regarding
the City’s existing commercial development standards. The following concerns were raised:

1. Inefficiency: all projects that deviate from the ordinance’s basic development standards
must file for a conditional use permit, with a mandatory public hearing
2. Limited scope: development standards only apply to a “commercial corner
development” or a “mini-shopping center”
3. Lack of neighborhood protection: residential neighborhoods that aren’t located next to
a commercial corner development or a mini-shopping center have no protection from
commercial uses

In response to these findings, LADCP authorized development of commercial citywide design
guidelines that are “broadly applicable, broadly enforceable, and more detailediii.” LADCP has
also decided to “recommend a streamlined procedure to review requests that deviate from
these guidelines… and study approaches to better protect residential neighborhoods from
incompatible usesiv. Both the staff recommended alternative land use plan and CEQA document
were certified and adopted in July 2009.

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Implementation Process

The proposed design guidelines have no affect on “by-right” projects; they apply only to new
developments and significant building alterations that require discretionary approval. Even in
the case of discretionary review, the guidelines are merely performance goals and not zoning
regulations or development standards. Therefore, the applicability of the guidelines is flexible.
Projects that deviate from the guidelines do not need to file for a conditional use permit.
Instead, applications that deviate must justify the proposed design by explaining how it complies
with the guidelines, General Plan, and Municipal Code.

Recommendation #1: A Refined Review Process and the Technical Advisory Committee

It is extremely difficult to implement design guidelines because they are suggestions, not
requirements. Design guidelines must be implemented on a case-by-case basis and project
compliance is determined by the discretion of LADCP staff. One set of projects is not being
influenced at all, and the other set of projects must submit to an unpredictable and
subjective review process. Instead, the guidelines should outline a specific methodology for
all projects that will bring a consistent, yet efficient consideration of site conditions and
circumstances to the design review process. Tunnell-Spangler-Walsh and Associates, a
planning consultant firm based in Atlanta, Georgia, has outlines a streamlined
administrative process to accomplish this goal.

The proposed “Administrative Process” creates a new type of permit that allows variations
that are consistent with the code’s intent, and includes review by a Technical Advisory
Committee (TAC) comprised of architects, developers, business owners, landscape
architects, planners, and residents. It would provide much-needed technical assistance to
planners that may not have professional training in design principles and tools, and make
recommendations to the permitting authority to help determine whether projects are in
compliance. The City of Los Angeles is already attempting to develop a similar process with
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

Another important function of the TAC would be to review the design guidelines on an
annual or biannual basis to provide for continuous improvement through a formalized
process. Furthermore, this would allow for the guidelines to be refined over time as they are
implemented and field-tested. Therefore, the guidelines would be a living, not static
document and adapt to changing circumstances and community desires. This approach
could be justified under P67, in the implementation portion of the Framework Plan, which
calls for creation of an “expedited development processes and permitting assistance
measuresv.”

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Relationship to Other Ordinances and Guidelines

While the Commercial Design Guidelines are not mandatory but rather serve as guidance or
recommendations, it is particularly interesting to study the relationship they have with other
overlapping adopted and/or proposed ordinances in the Los Angeles Municipal Code.

The Importance of Pedestrian-Oriented Space

The General Plan Framework Element is a strategy for long-term growth that responds to State
and Federal mandates to plan for the future. In planning for the future, the city used population
forecasts provided by the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG), which
projected over 20% growth between 1990 and 2010vi. Should the City continue to grow, the
Element provides a means for accommodating new population and employment in a manner
which enhances rather than degrades the environment.

The challenge is that the City of Los Angeles has insufficient vacant land to accommodate the
forecast population increases, which means that reuse and intensification of existing developed
properties is required. Unless carefully planned, future growth could significantly alter the
character of many neighborhoods and districts. The growth strategy underscores the
importance of developing successful urban neighborhoods that can attract the demographic
seeking an urban lifestyle, and also support the growing transportation network with sufficient
density.

With a diverse population and pervasive suburban sprawl, there are differences of opinion
within the city on the benefits of more “urban” pedestrian-oriented strategies, versus more
“suburban” auto-oriented strategies. The staff report for the Commercial Guidelines spoke to
this. For example, the Studio City Neighborhood Council indicated a preference for parking lots
fronting major streets, and felt that designs favoring consistent street walls were characteristic
of older, and less desirable urban neighborhoodsvii. The locally driven process behind the
Framework Element is intended to give voice to this diversity of opinion by offering
neighborhood control. Planner Michelle Levy offered that the city is planning to encourage
pedestrian-oriented design on all projects with the understanding that some parts of the city
that are more auto-oriented will only implement a portion of the recommendations. Rather
than forcing compliance, the city prefers to allow neighborhood flexibility.

Walkability Checklist and Living Street Plan

The Los Angeles Walkability Checklist served as a primary resource and point of departure for
the Commercial Pedestrian-Oriented Design Guidelinesviii. It provides a check list of
recommended strategies to improve the pedestrian environment in public right-of-ways and on
private property. The implementation strategies represent best practices for: sidewalks,
crosswalks and street crossings, on-street parking, utilities, building orientation, off-street

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parking and driveways, landscaping, and building facades. Compliance with the checklist is
voluntary as it is neither a requirement, nor part of the zoning code, however it has served as a
resource for projects that require design review. By incorporating the pedestrian design
concepts in the Commercial Guidelines the City has created a mechanism for elevating the
issues in the design review process. City planners are also hopeful that the communities that
have not yet adopted a community specific plan will use the Commercial Guidelines as a
template that can be used to begin the process of specific planning.

Another tool the County has invested in is the Living Street Plan, a model street design manual
which focuses on strategies to safely accommodate pedestrians, cyclists, transit users, and other
vehicles. Along with basic principles, the manual incorporates strategies to create beautiful,
active, economically vibrant, and sustainable streets to enhance the community aesthetically
and environmentally.ix The Manual for Living Streets specifies detailed design standards
including road patterns and sidewalk widths. While the “Commercial Citywide Design
Guidelines” addresses similar strategies, it differs by encouraging building related issues that
trigger concerns about density in addition to issues related to the public realm.

Recommendation #2: Develop mandatory pedestrian-oriented street standards to
complement and support design guidelines

The San Francisco Better Streets Plan is a good example of a pedestrian-oriented street
design standard that has been adopted by the city as a mandatory requirement. The San
Francisco Plan addresses all street types with standards that are pedestrian- and transit-
oriented, ecologically high-performance and balance the needs of all of the City’s users. The
highly detailed plan was developed with extensive research into best practices in street and
streetscape design management from peer cities, prior to developing a street typology
matrix to categorize 12 primary street typess based on factors that affect the pedestrian
realm, including adjacent land use character and scale, transportation context, and existing
and recommended geometries, amenities, and ecological characteristics and opportunities.
Mayor Gavin Newsom introduced legislation in September 2010 to adopt the Better Streets
Plan into the Municipal Code and General Plan. In 2011, the Better Streets Plan received a
CNU Charter Award and an APA California Northern Chapter Best Practices Award.

TOD overlays – Project RENEW

As part of the project RENEW endeavors, The Department of City Planning (DCP) in the City of
Los Angeles is partnering with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health to explore
ways that Transit Oriented Development (TOD) overlays can provide positive health outcomes,
and reduce obesity by improving walkability around transit stops in South Los Angelesx. Many of
this initiative’s proposals overlap with those of the citywide commercial design guidelines. TOD
overlays would “complement the existing character of neighborhoods while maximizing the

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housing and retail potential of nearby transit stationsxi.” They also include sustainability and
architecture standards, with a form-based approach to the building envelope. The TOD plans
will trigger the use of the commercial design guidelines, because use of density bonuses and use
of structured incentives (density bonuses and parking reductions). The use of the guidelines is
well aligned with the goals of TOD, as the commercial design guidelines aim at nurturing
neighborhood characters while developing inviting and accessible areas. That said, the
guidelines could benefit from additional implementation tools that would provide greater
support project for RENEW’s regulatory schemes.

Recommendation #3: Incentives linking Transit and Good Design Goals

The second recommendation centers on encouraging more “by-right” development projects
to engage in the discretionary review process that triggers incorporation of the design
guidelines into their projects. The City of Los Angeles could provide greater incentives for
applicants to propose projects with higher density at current and future transit sites with tax
breaks, density and FAR allowances, transfer of density and FAR, increased use of maximum
parking ratios, commercial allowances, and other tools commonly used in incentive zoning
and historic preservation. This would meet both goals of supporting use of the design
guidelines and making transit more viable with increased densities.

Code Simplification and Form based codes

The Department of City Planning is currently undergoing efforts at code simplification.
According to Eric Lopez, planner at the Department of City planning (DCP) in Los Angeles, 40% of
the city is under governed by stringent specific plans. The remaining 60% are distributed
between specific use districts, Community Plan Implementation Overlays (CPIOs), River
Improvement Overlay, etc. Project RENEW would add TOD overlays to that conundrum.
According to Michelle Levy, another planner at DCP, the design guidelines would be used in
those ‘unincorporated’ territories not covered by overlays, CPIOs and specific plans.

In addition, there has been mention of moving the Zoning Code to a more hybrid, if not form-
based model. If this happens, what would the future of the design guidelines be? In a
presentation he gave for an urban planning seminar course on smart growth, Eric Lopez
discussed the possibility of a “modular” code for the city of Los Angeles, where the city would be
split in Uses, Functions and Orientations (what he calls UFO). Such an approach could be used to
fully embed all of the design guidelines into an integrated tool, eliminating the need for a
separate design guidance document. Planner Michelle Levy sees the guidelines as a useful
transition tool. According to her, moving to form-based codes will happen, at best, in 5 years. In
the mean time, the citywide design guidelines may be the most convenient measure to use in
preparation of such a move in the planning department.

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Recommendation #4: Expedite Implementation of Form Based Codes as a Tool for
Simplifying Code and Design Review Compliance

The numerous planning regulatory regimes in Los Angeles – Green Building Ordinance, TOD
Overlays, CPIOs, design guidelines, etc. – all pertain to the same objectives. Each of them
works to create sustainable, healthy and vibrant communities; however, the multiplicity of
regimes is detrimental in terms of financing and bureaucracy for developers, residents,
planners and officials. The use of a form-based zoning code for streamlined review and
approval under multiple ordinances is rapidly gaining popularity, as it promises to remove
lengthy bureaucratic procedures and redundancy in the planning realm. This approach
should be supported and fast tracked.

Green Building Ordinance

On earth day 2008, Mayor Villaraigosa signed the Green Building Ordinance, an ordinance that
would create series of aggressive requirements and incentives for developers to meet the US
Green Building Council’s Energy and Design (LEED) standardsxii. Later on in December 2010, the
ordinance was modified to realign itself with CalGreen requirements rather than LEED
standardsxiii. Included in the incentives the developers receive is expedited processing of
discretionary entitlements, provided the project abides by the full requirements mandated by
the ordinance.

While the ordinance tackles the overall performance of the building(s), the design guidelines
govern sustainability measures that relate to building form and site design. For example, the
guidelines encourage installing bicycle racks and lockers within existing and planned bike routes,
installing overhangs to reduce daytime heat gain, using white or reflective paint on rooftops and
light porous paving materials, planting street trees, limiting irrigation needs by selecting native
plants, orienting open spaces to the sun and views, etc.

Both the design guidelines and the green building ordinance work well hand-in-hand to ensure a
more sustainable built environment. While the Green Building Ordinance has more legislative
weight, ensuring that sustainable technology standards are met, the passive measures that the
design guidelines suggest remain basic suggestions.

Recommendation #5: Incorporate Design Guidelines for Photovoltaics

Active sustainable technologies could be integrated into the design framework for
commercial buildings, to complement the passive sustainable building strategies currently in
the Guidelines. Active technologies can include the design of photovoltaics on the building’s
roof to genearate renewable energy while also reducing the urban heat island effect.
According to the Solar Energy System Guidelines of Santa Barbara, there are various design

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guidelines focused on the different features of photovoltaic systems including the size,
location, and arrangementxiv. Incorporating the following strategies into the existing
Guidelines can further encourage a sustainable built environment while also educating the
community and creating environmental, economic, and social benefits.

1. System Size:
a. The system should not be overly publicly visible or larger than necessary to fulfill the
building’s electricity needs.
2. Location:
a. System should be located on the south side of the site for maximum benefits of
solar gain. However if this results in a visible disturbance in the building’s design,
then benefits can still be achieved by placing the system on the west or east side of
the site.
b. System should be placed at the rear façade of a building and only mounted on the
roof.
3. Arrangement and Design:
a. Solar panels should complement the overall design of the building. The shape and
proportions of the panel system should match the shape and proportions of the
roof.
b. Cover the entire surface of the roof with an array of panels or create a rectangle
shape system rather than an irregular shape that is less attractive.
c. Avoid creating an interrupted array of panels or breaking it into multiple patches
throughout the roof.
d. Coordinate or at least compliment the panel color with the roof and building color.

Conclusion

Through the design of buildings, the “Commercial Citywide Design Guidelines” provides detailed
principles and strategies to enhance the urban environment. Addressing architectural elements
from façade design and signage to landscape, the Guidelines support the General Plan
Framework’s focus on creating a unified sense of community for the City of Los Angeles.
Incorporating the theories of Smart Growth, these guidelines emphasize the opportunities for
open public spaces, pedestrian activity, and mass transit. The guidelines also include strategies
to improve safety and design approaches to serve as marketing tactics to enhance the overall
built environment as well as the economy of a city like Los Angeles. However this Plan, which
was established in May 2011, can be improved. Questions also remain about the structure of
the guidelines. Is it good policy for the city to encourage neighborhoods to create
alternate design guidelines? Is this needed given how the guidelines focus on issues of
basic quality and public safety?

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Appendix:

PROPOSED REVISIONS TO STAFF REPORT FROM TEAM 6, USC SMART GROWTH AND URBAN
SPRAWL CLASS 619

PROJECT LOCATION: Citywide
PROPOSED PROJECT: NO DEVELOPMENT PROJECT IS PROPOSED; REVISIONS TO CITYWIDE
DESIGN GUIDELINES PROPOSED
The adoption of Citywide Design Guidelines by the City Planning Commission is proposed for
Multifamily Residential, Mixed-Use, Commercial, and Industrial projects, as an Appendix to the
General Plan Framework Element. The purpose of the Design Guidelines is twofoldthreefold:
1.)to implement the health and safety related design values in the Ten Principles of Urban
Design, a part of the Framework Element, on individualbroadly on all projects; and to2.) to
consolidate basic design guidelines that are qualitative in nature, in a format that will be
common throughout most Community Plans in one document, allowing individual New
Community Plans to address issues of building density and form in tailored, neighborhood-
specific design guidelines; and 3.) to pilot new implementation strategies that enhance and
streamline the review process, engage expertise from the professional design community in an
advisory capacity, and provide additional incentives that support Smart Growth. The Enhanced
Design Guidelines will establish design expectations for new development based on Citywide
goals, policies and objectives while aligning with other approved city plans focused on TOD and
Sustainable Design. . The Both the Design Guidelines and the Design Standards will illustrate
ways for individual projects to promote walkability, maintain neighborhood form and character,
and promote creative development solutions that balance existing neighborhood character and
improve the streetscape experience. The Enhanced Design Guidelines will apply to all new
development proposals and substantial building alterations requiring discretionary approvals
from the Department of City Planning. As well, they may also be used by staff in other
Departments or community members for advisory review of new development applications. The
proposed Pedestrian-Oriented Streetscape Standards will elevate the streetscape design
concepts previously included in the design guidelines to a mandatory design standard,
enhancing health and safety in all new construction and significant renovation projects.

REQUESTED ACTION: Adoption of the Enhanced Citywide Design Guidelines, and new
Streetscape Design Standards by the City Planning Commission as an Appendix to the General
Plan Framework Element to implement the Ten Principles of Urban Design, under the authority
pursuant to LAMC Section 11.5.4. The Enhanced Citywide Guidelines and Standards are an
implementation tool as allowed and derived from the General Plan Framework. They are to
enforce health and safety in urbanized commercial districts, while assisting in developing
context-sensitive guidelines as part of the locally prepared plans that align with city plans
focused on TOD and Sustainable Design.

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RECOMMENDED ACTIONS:
1. Approve the Negative Declaration as the environmental clearance on the subject.
2. Adopt the attached Findings as part of this project.
3. Adopt Citywide Pedestrian-Oriented Streetscape Standards as an Appendix to the Framework
Element of the General Plan
4. Adopt the Enhanced Adopt the Citywide Design Guidelines as an Appendix to the Framework
Element of the General Plan

Endnotes:

i From the executive summary of the LA Citywide General Plan Framework, LA Department of Planning,
for more info see: http://cityplanning.lacity.org/cwd/framwk/chapters/00/00.htm
ii
Ibid
iii
See Directors Report on Code Simplification dated September 11, 2008.
iv
Ibid
v
See http://cityplanning.lacity.org/cwd/framwk/chapters/10/10.htm#approvals for more information on
Framework Implementation. P67: Create expedited development processes and permitting assistance
measures that:
• Are consistent with the policies and standards of the General Plan Framework Element;
• Assign a planning staff person to take projects through the City approval process for
development projects located in a centers, district, or mixed-use boulevard or on a transit
corridor;
• Streamline the impact analysis requirements for new development applications;
• Create public service centers which cluster departments that provide public services (i.e.
water/power, planning, zoning, building and safety, etc.). Locate service centers throughout the
City; and
• Improve the permitting center to facilitate the application process for and the issuance of all
City-required development permits.
vi
It is interesting to note that the projected population increases to 2010 did not materialize, with actual
growth less than 10%. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places Over
100,000, Ranked by July 1, 2009 Population: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2009"
vii th
From the Department of City Planning, Recommendation Report, dated June 9 , 2011.
viii
Based on interview with planner, Michelle Levy, April 11, 2012.
ix
"Model Design Manual for Living Streets." Los Angeles County, May 2011. Web. 17 Apr. 2012.
<htthttp://modelstreetdesignmanual.com/model_street_design_manual.pdf>
x
For more information on project RENEW, refer to: http://www.chc-inc.org/RENEW
xi
LA DCP/LA County Health Project RENEW Team Staff Report (March 2012)
xii
City of Los Angeles, Ordinance No. 179820 “Green Building Program”, Effective November 1, 2008
(Council File # 07-0705)
xiii
Refer to the new ordinance: City of Los Angeles, Ordinance No. 181479, Effective January 1, 2011
(Council File # 10-0735)
xiv
"Solar Energy System Design Guidelines & Solar Recognition Program." Community Development
Department and the City of Santa Barbara, Dec. 2006. Web. 17 Apr. 2012.
<http://www.santabarbaraca.gov/NR/rdonlyres/D47E4961-32DA-4E19-9690-
7F11ED0562E2/0/Exhibit_A_Solar_Guidelines_Recognition_Program.pdf>.

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