HomeMy WebLinkAboutOrdinance 1508 - Hotel City Council Ordinance - Code Amendment Hotel Rooms
ORDINANCE NO. 1508
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BALDWIN
PARK, CALIFORNIA, AMENDING THE BALDWIN PARK MUNICIPAL
CODE, TITLE XV, LAND USAGE, CHAPTER 153, ZONING CODE,
SECTION 153.120.310 (B) RELATED TO THE MINIMUM NUMBER OF
REQUIRED GUEST ROOMS FOR HOTELS AND MOTELS
WHEREAS, Baldwin Park Municipal Code Title XV, Land Usage, Chapter 153,
Zoning Code, implements the City’s General Plan, establishing land use and development
regulations in the City of Baldwin Park (“City”), which includes regulations governing hotel
and motel development projects;
WHEREAS, Baldwin Park Municipal Code Title XV, Land Usage, Chapter 153
Zoning Code, Section 153.120.310 (B) states that hotels and motels shall contain a
minimum of one hundred (100) guest units as adopted by Ordinance 1346 on May 12,
2012;
WHEREAS, the City has received an application from Lisette Sanchez-Mendoza -
MIG for Sonjay Patel and Jayesh Patel of SNS Hotels and Zyra Hospitality, LLC
(Applicant) for the rehabilitation and re-opening of the former seventy-two (72) room
Regency Hotel.
WHEREAS, the Applicant has prepared a comparative survey of surrounding
cities’ zoning code regarding the minimum number of hotel/motel rooms, which
determined that many cities either have none or a smaller number of required minimum
number of hotel/motel rooms;
WHEREAS, the Applicant commissioned an independent consultant to prepare a
market feasibility study for the proposed project, which concludes that the proposed 72-
room hotel is financially viable;
WHEREAS, the hospitality industry has recently experienced greater
diversification of product types to reflect changing market demands;
WHEREAS, the City desires to amend its local regulations to reduce the number
of minimum hotel and motel guest units;
WHEREAS, the City Planning Commission held a duly noticed public hearing on
November 8, 2023 to consider the proposed Zoning Ordinance Amendment related to
reducing the number of minimum hotel and motel guest units, and approved Planning
Commission Resolution No. 23-24, recommending that the City Council adopt Ordinance
No. 1508; and
WHEREAS, on December 6, 2023, the City Council held a duly noticed public
hearing on the proposed Zoning Ordinance Amendment related to related to reducing the
number of minimum hotel and motel guest units, at which all those wishing to be heard
were allowed to speak or present written comments and other materials.
Ordinance No. 1508
Page 2 of 3
NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BALDWIN PARK
DOES HEREBY ORDAIN AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. The foregoing recitations are hereby adopted by the City Council as
findings. Based on those findings, and the evidence and records presented, the City
Council determines the public health, safety and general welfare of the City, its residents,
and property owners can benefit by amending the Baldwin Park Municipal Code (BPMC)
to reduce the minimum number of hotel and motel guest units from the current one
hundred (100) guest units to seventy (70) or more guest rooms, and it is in the best interest
of the community to amend the BPMC accordingly.
The City Council further finds and determines that:
A. The proposed amendment is consistent with the goals and policies of all
elements of the General Plan, and any applicable specific plan, as they
implement goals and policies of the General Plan.
B. The proposed amendment would not be detrimental to the public interest,
health, safety, convenience or welfare of the City in that the change only affects
the minimum number of hotel and motel guest units or rooms.
C. The proposed amendment has been analyzed pursuant to the requirements of
the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”), which concluded that any
environmental impact created by the proposed code amendment would be less
than significant with mitigation incorporated.
SECTION 2. Based on the foregoing findings and determinations, Baldwin Park
Municipal Code Title XV (“Land Usage”), Chapter 153 (“Zoning Code”), Subchapter
153.120.310 (B) is hereby amended as follows:
PART 9 – Hotels and Motels
§ 153.120.310 Development Standards
In addition to the development standards set forth in subchapter 153.050, Commercial and
Industrial Zones, the following shall apply to hotels and motels:
“(B) Minimum number of guest units. The hotel or motel shall contain a minimum of 100
guest units 70 or more guest rooms.
SECTION 3. California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”). The City Council
finds that this Ordinance based on the information in the applications, an Initial Study
was prepared for the Project pursuant to State CEQA Guidelines section 15063. The Initial
Study concluded that the Project would have potentially significant impacts but that those
impacts could be reduced to less than significant levels with implementation of proposed
mitigation measures, the City determined that a Mitigated Negative Declaration (“MND”)