(Amended by Ord. No. 173,268, Eff. 7/1/00, Oper. 7/1/00.)
A. Purpose. It is intended that zone and height district boundaries coincide with street, alley, or lot lines, unless otherwise shown on the zoning map. However, under certain conditions, zone boundaries do not precisely coincide with street, alley, or lot lines and in those cases, the Director shall make adjustments pursuant to this section. Boundary adjustments are normally requested in contemplation of more extensive development of the property involved. In connection with those plans, standard street dedication is essential. Therefore, the following procedure is necessary to be established so that standard dedication and improvement of streets and alleys abutting the subject property may be required, where reasonable, as a prerequisite to the approval of the zone boundary adjustment.
B. Street, Alley or Lot Lines. The zone boundaries shall be either street, alley or lot lines unless otherwise shown on the zoning map, and where the indicated boundaries on the zoning map are approximately street, alley or lot lines, the street, alley or lot lines shall be construed to be the boundaries of those zones.
C. Scale on Map. Where the zone boundary lines are not approximately street alley or lot lines, or where property indicated on the zoning map is acreage and not subdivided into lots and blocks, the zone boundary lines on the zoning map shall be determined by the scale contained on the map.
D. Symbol for Zone. Where one symbol is used on the zoning map to indicate the zone classification of an area divided by an alley or alleys, that symbol shall establish the classification of the whole of that area.
E. Street or Right of Way – Allocation or Division. A street, alley, railroad or railway right-of-way, watercourse, channel or body of water, included on the zoning map shall, unless otherwise indicated, be included within the zones of adjoining property on either side of the street, alley, railroad or railway right-of-way, watercourse, channel or body of water; and where the street, alley, right- of-way, watercourse, channel or body of water, serves as a boundary between two or more different zones, a line midway in the street, alley, right-of-way, watercourse, channel or body of water, and extending in the general direction of its long dimension shall be considered the boundary between zones.
F. Vacated Street or Alley. In the event a dedicated street or alley shown on the zoning map is vacated by ordinance, the property formerly in the street or alley shall be included within the zone of the adjoining property on either side of the vacated street or alley. In the event the street or alley was a zone boundary between two or more different zones, the new zone boundary shall be the former center line of the vacated street or alley.
G. Individual Adjustments. The Director may, upon written request and after notice and hearing to the owners of the property affected by the proposed decision, make minor adjustments in the location of zone boundaries to carry out the intent of this section when:
1. Property as shown on the zoning map was in acreage but has been subsequently divided or approved for division into parcels or lots and blocks by a parcel map or final tract map and the parcel or lot and block arrangement does not conform to that anticipated when the zone boundaries were established;
2. Property was redivided or approved for redivision by a parcel or final tract map into a different arrangement of lots and blocks than indicated on the zoning map; or
3. A lot which was of record in the Los Angeles County Recorder’s Office on July 30, 1962, and which was on that date and is, at the time the request is made, in two different zones as determined by scaling the zoning map and where there is nothing apparent on the map to indicate that the zone boundary line should be retained in its scaled location. Where uncertainty exists in applying the provisions of this section or where revision is necessary to correct dimensional or mapping errors the Director may, upon the Director’s own initiative, or upon the request of the Planning Department staff, determine the location of the zone boundary lines by written decision. Zone boundary adjustments permitted pursuant to this subsection shall be limited to a distance of no more than 50 feet. When the adjustment is requested prior to recordation because of a situation arising as described in Subdivisions 1. and 2. of this subsection the Director’s decision shall not become effective until after the parcel map or final tract map has been recorded with the Office of the County Recorder.
H. Director Decision. Whenever the public necessity, convenience, general welfare or good zoning practice justify the action, the Director may approve, conditionally approve or deny any zone boundary adjustment pursuant to Sec. 13B.5.2. (Adjustment) of Chapter 1A
of this Code. The Director may impose any conditions the Director deems appropriate to mitigate the negative impacts created by the development made possible by a zone boundary adjustment. One of the conditions may require that the abutting streets, alleys or highways be dedicated and improved in conformance with the standards for improvement of streets, alleys and highways, if the Director determines that traffic on the abutting streets, alleys or highways will be increased or impeded as a result of the zone boundary adjustment. However, an offer to dedicate and/or filing of a bond in conformance with the procedures set forth in Section 12.37 C. and D. of this Chapter shall be construed as compliance with these requirements. The zoning map in the City Planning Department shall be made to conform with the Director’s decision after the conditions imposed, if any, by the Director have been fulfilled. (Amended by Ord. No. 187,712, Eff. 1/23/23, Oper. 1/22/24; Ord. No. 187,930, Eff. 7/7/23.)
I. Maps. A reproducible map shall accompany each application for boundary adjustments. This map shall be legibly drawn using a scale of 100 feet or 200 feet to the inch and in addition to data the Director may require in order to make a proper decision on the request for boundary adjustment, the map shall clearly show the following:
1. The dimensions and legal description of the parcel, the existing zone lines and the distance from the parcel to the nearest cross street; and
2. The abutting streets, alleys and highways and their dedicated width.
J. Height Districts. The procedure provided for in this section for the decisions on boundaries of zones shall also be followed in deciding boundaries of height districts.
K. Adjustment of C or M and P or PB Zone Boundaries.
1. Where a combination of C or M and P or PB Zones has been established on a lot, the Director may, upon written request from the owner of the property involved, adjust the boundary between the C or M Zone and the P or PB Zone, provided that the C or M Zone is not increased in area and that no portion of the C or M Zone is adjusted to within 50 feet of a street, center line of an alley or an A or R Zone, except that the C or M Zone may be as close to any particular street, alley center line or lot line in an A or R Zone as it was prior to the adjustment of the boundary. This exception shall not apply to a lot or portion of a lot in the C or M Zone which is less than 250 square feet.
2. (Deleted by Ord. No. 187,712, Eff. 1/23/23, Oper. 1/22/24; Ord. No. 187,930, Eff. 7/7/23.)