§ 91.52

The Religious and Higher Education Institution Housing Overlay Zone creates opportunities for future affordable housing development on existing religious institutional land within the City of Torrance. The RHEIH-OZ was established as part of the implementation of the General Plan Housing Element and meeting the City’s Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) allocation. In addition to the General Plan Housing Element update, the Religious and Higher Education Institution Housing Overlay seeks to utilize State of California Senate Bill 4, signed into law on October 11, 2023, which permits housing as a use by right on lands owned by an independent institution of higher education or religious institution.

The Religious and Higher Education Institution Housing Overlay Zone is applicable to qualified properties that are owned on or before January 1, 2024, by an independent institution of higher education or religious institution which meet the criteria of State Government Code Sections 65913.6 and 65913.16.

a) The Religious and Higher Education Institution Housing Overlay Zone is applied over base zoning districts and is elective, rather than mandatory. New housing development projects would be permitted uses by right on religious institutional land and properties where the RHEIH-OZ is applied are required to either comply with the requirements of the base zoning district, or elect to comply with the requirements of the RHEIH-OZ. Existing standards applicable to all zoning districts (e.g., sign standards, fence/wall standards, parking design standards) will still apply to properties utilizing the RHEIH-OZ, unless specifically established by the RHEIH-OZ.

b) When RHEIH-OZ regulations conflict with the standards of the base district, the less restrictive standards will prevail.

In the Religious and Higher Education Institution Housing Overlay Zone, the uses permitted in the base district are permitted. Additionally, the following uses are permitted:

a) Single-family residence;

b) Multi-family residence;

c) Two-family residence;

d) Flat building, apartment house, bachelor apartment;

e) Bungalow court;

f) Multiple-family residence;

g) Multiple owner-occupied residential structures;

h) Senior citizen housing.

The development standards of the Religious and Higher Education Institution Housing Overlay Zone are established with two different Sub-Groups.

Sub-Group 1 is comprised of sites under 2 acres.

Sub-Group 2 is comprised of sites 2 acres or larger.

Existing structures shall not be deemed nonconforming for not meeting the standards of the Religious Institution Housing Overlay Zone.

a) The goal of the Religious and Higher Education Institution Housing Overlay Zone is to add very low-income and low-income housing in the City of Torrance on religious institutional grounds. The individual sites are listed by Appendix C: Sites Inventory, Table C-1.

b) The maximum density shall be 31 dwelling units per acre.

a) Sub-Group 1: The maximum building height shall be 35 feet; buildings within 20 feet of an abutting R-1 District are limited to 27 feet.

b) Sub-Group 2: The maximum building height shall be 50 feet; buildings within 50 feet of an abutting R-1 District are limited to 35 feet.

c) Buildings on lots adjacent to the R-1 District shall provide additional stepbacks for building height above 30 feet. Above 30 feet, the building shall provide a 5-foot stepback in the depth of the facade for every additional 10 feet of height, or fractional portion thereof.

d) The following structures are allowed to exceed the established building height limit: skylights, chimneys, elevator and stair towers, fire escapes and catwalks required by law, solar panels, building-mounted antennas, ordinary plumbing or heater vents, and utilities.

e) The maximum building height shall be measured from the lowest portion of the building which is above the ground, but not including any berm or raised planter, to the topmost portion of the roof, exclusive of those structures listed above in Section 91.52.070 d).

Encroachments such as decks, porches, and eave overhangs shall comply with the provisions of Division 9, Article 5 (Yards).

a) Front Yard.

1. Sub-Group 1: The front yard shall be 10 feet, unless the front yard faces a street identified as a major arterial or higher street classification in the Circulation Element, in which case the front yard shall be 15 feet.

2. Sub-Group 2: The front yard shall be 10 feet, unless the front yard faces a street identified as a major arterial or higher street classification in the Circulation Element, in which case the front yard shall be 15 feet.

b) Side Yard.

1. Sub-Group 1: The side yard shall be 5 feet; or 10 feet where the side yard property line is adjacent to a property in the R-1 District, unless the side yard faces a street identified as a major arterial or higher street classification in the Circulation Element, in which case the side yard shall be 10 feet.

• 2. Sub-Group 2: The side yard shall be 10 feet; or 15 feet where the side yard property line is adjacent to a property in the R-1 District.

• c) Rear Yard.

• 1. Sub-Group 1: The rear yard shall be 5 feet; or 10 feet where the rear yard property line is adjacent to a property in the R-1 District.
• 2. Sub-Group 2: The rear yard shall be 10 feet; or 20 feet where the rear yard property line is adjacent to a property in the R-1 District.

d) Yard Adjacent to Internal Drive Aisle. The yard adjacent to internal drive aisles shall be 5 feet.

Useable open space is not required on parcels within the Religious Institutional Housing Overlay Zone.

a) Existing Parking. Up to 50% of existing off-street parking required for the religious institution may be removed in order to construct new housing in place of the existing parking.

b) Minimum Parking Spaces Required. These minimum requirements replace the numerical provisions of Division 9, Chapter 3, Article 2 (Use and Parking Spaces Required). The remaining parking design standards of Division 9, Chapter 3 (Off-Street Parking) shall apply to all projects.

• 1. Sub-Group 1: A minimum of 0.5 parking spaces per dwelling unit shall be provided.
• 2. Sub-Group 2: A minimum of 1 parking space per dwelling unit shall be provided.

• c) Tandem parking will be allowed.

The Religious and Higher Education Institution Housing Overlay Zone establishes the following minimum unit sizes for residential units. These minimum unit sizes supersede the standards established by Division 9, Article 20 (Living Areas).

• a) Studio Unit. The minimum unit size shall be 450 square feet.

• b) One-Bedroom Unit. The minimum unit size shall be 600 square feet.

• c) Two-Bedroom Unit. The minimum unit size shall be 800 square feet.

• d) Three-Bedroom Unit or Greater. The minimum unit size shall be 1,000 square feet.

a) Upper floor windows that are oriented towards existing residential land uses shall incorporate obscured glass and/or a minimum five-foot sill height when allowed by the Building Code.

b) Balconies and upper floor decks that are oriented towards existing residential land uses shall incorporate minimum five-foot-tall privacy walls that are constructed of a solid or opaque material.

c) Where parcels share a property line with single-family residential uses, a fence or wall constructed of solid and opaque material shall be erected not to exceed 8 feet in height.

Upon issuance of building permits for a housing project developed under the RHEIH-OZ, the applicant shall post an information board along the front property line that displays:

a) Project address;

b) Description of the project that includes the number of housing units and maximum building height;

• c) Building Permit case numbers issued for the project;

• d) Property owner’s name and phone number;

e) Contractor’s name and phone number;

f) Code Enforcement phone number where violation can be reported.

The information board shall be a minimum 11 inches by 17 inches in size, weather-proof, visible from the public right-of-way, posted on the site throughout the duration of construction, and shall not be removed until after all project Building Permits have been finaled by the City of Torrance. Home Previous Next

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