Goals & Policies for One - Four

Goal One

Create a Downtown that serves as a community focus, provides opportunities for economic development, and accommodates a symbiotic mix of commercial and residential uses.

  • Policy 1.1
    Provide zoning incentives that encourage cohesive mixed-used development projects.
  • Policy 1.2
    Make provision of a Downtown public parking structure a city priority.
  • Policy 1.3
    Accommodate the pedestrian in all public and private Downtown improvement projects.

East Garvey

The East Garvey corridor extends eastward from downtown to the city boundary at New Avenue. For many years, the physical appearance of commercial businesses along Garvey Avenue declined, due primarily to the difficulties inherent in redeveloping the narrow, shallow commercial lots fronting on Garvey Avenue. Ownership patterns prevented the lot consolidation necessary to create suitable development sites for new commercial ventures. Conversely, the residential neighborhoods north of East Garvey experienced substantial rebuilding, with older units replaced by new single-family and multifamily housing.

To facilitate new commercial development along the East Garvey corridor and to continue to provide opportunities for new housing, this Land Use Element establishes the East Garvey Mixed Use (MU II) land use category. The MU II designation applies along Garvey Avenue and extends four to six lots north of the street. This land use pattern provides property owners with the option of maintaining long-established commercial or residential uses, or acquiring adjoining lots to develop new mixed-use projects. As described, the MU II category allows integrated commercial/residential developments or stand-alone uses.

Through zoning regulations, standards will be established to ensure compatibility and quality design, to address shared parking arrangements, and to define the range of permitted commercial uses. Overall, the goal is to create an integrated commercial/residential neighborhood that shows pride of ownership.

Goal Two

Create a successful mixed-use commercial/residential district along East Garvey Avenue.

  • Policy 2.1
    Accommodate commercial and residential uses consistent with the intent of the East Garvey Mixed Use (MU II) land use category and implementing zoning districts.
  • Policy 2.2
    Enhance the visual character of the East Garvey corridor by providing public streetscape improvements, including landscaping, coordinated street furniture and fixtures, and general overall upgrades of infrastructure.
  • Policy 2.3
    Work to relocate auto-oriented businesses from the East Garvey corridor.
  • Policy 2.4
    Continue to conduct design review for commercial projects along Garvey Avenue.

Atlantic Boulevard

Atlantic Boulevard runs the length of Monterey Park, from Hellman Avenue just south of the Interstate 10 interchange down to the city boundary formed by the Pomona Freeway. This major thoroughfare has a distinctive commercial focus, although the commercial uses vary from North Atlantic to Mid Atlantic to South Atlantic.

North Atlantic

As Figure LU-3 (PDF) shows, the North Atlantic focus area encompasses properties east to Chandler Avenue and south around the Atlantic / Newmark intersection. During the 1980s, the city successfully encouraged development of two to three commercial centers, but public and private redevelopment efforts then stalled due to several factors: the sluggish economy of the early to mid-1990s, high land prices, and stringent regulations in the North Atlantic Specific Plan that virtually required property owners to consolidate lots to create development sites.

To expand development opportunities within the North Atlantic focus area, the Land Use Policy Map (Figure LU-2 (PDF)) designates most of the area Downtown Mixed Use (MU I). In particular, properties west of Atlantic Boulevard between Garvey Avenue and Mabel Street are designated MU I to expand commercial opportunities at this important corner. Uses encouraged within the North Atlantic focus area include entertainment, restaurants, retail, and service.

Key Improvements

Key improvements the city will pursue within the North Atlantic subarea include:

  • Establishment of new commercial uses at the Atlantic Boulevard / Hellman Avenue gateway into the city to create a positive entry and "arrival" statement, and to maximize the revenue potential of these key commercial sites.
  • Facilitating redevelopment of properties at the southwest corner of Garvey Avenue and Mabel Street to create a cohesive commercial or mixed-used development project.
  • Streetscape improvements to make pedestrians feel safe, and to link the North Atlantic subarea to Downtown, physically and visually.
  • Construction of public parking facilities to serve new developments within the subarea and the adjacent Downtown district.

Goal Three

Establish the North Atlantic area as a focal point for diverse retail, entertainment, and hospitality development.

  • Policy 3.1
    Permit higher intensity development around and south of the Atlantic Boulevard/Hellman Avenue intersection.
  • Policy 3.2
    Encourage shared parking and parking in public lots and structures.
  • Policy 3.3
    Revise the North Atlantic Specific Plan, or set aside the Plan in favor of new zoning regulations and design guidelines that will facilitate private redevelopment efforts.
  • Policy 3.4 - Allow multi-story buildings along Atlantic Boulevard while ensuring appropriate buffering from adjacent residential neighborhoods.

Mid Atlantic

Atlantic Boulevard between Newmark Avenue and Brightwood Street supports a mix of low-scale office, service commercial, and limited retail businesses; several churches; and medical related facilities, including the Monterey Park Hospital. The low-intensity nature of uses works well to ensure compatibility with adjacent residential neighborhoods, to minimize additional traffic flow from and onto Atlantic Boulevard, and to provide a suitable location for small office-based businesses. Land use policy calls for this type of use to continue, although the city will encourage more intense retail uses at the shopping center south of Newmark Avenue. This center needs to be renovated to improve internal circulation, enhance the development's visual character, and attract viable businesses.

Goal Four

Maintain the mid-Atlantic Boulevard subarea as a low-intensity service commercial and office district.

  • Policy 4.1
    Facilitate the renovation of the shopping center south of Newmark Avenue.
  • Policy 4.2
    Review the zoning regulations applicable to the mid-Atlantic Boulevard subarea, and revise the regulations as appropriate, to ensure the regulations provide for a range of low-intensity office and commercial businesses and medical-related facilities.

South Atlantic

South Atlantic Boulevard serves as the city's key retail commercial center, providing opportunities for local residents and a broader community to shop at nationally known stores. Students from nearby East Los Angeles Community College help fuel restaurant and retail sales in the area. Given the success of South Atlantic, the city will continue the retail focus that attracts local and regional tax dollars. In particular, opportunity exists to create a new cohesive retail center with ample parking on the block bounded by Atlantic Boulevard, Riggin Street, and Sadler Avenue.

Goal Five

Maintain South Atlantic Avenue as a successful retail commercial destination.

  • Policy 5.1
    Create new opportunities for complementary retail development.
  • Policy 5.2
    Accommodate shared parking arrangements as appropriate to maximize land use potential.

North Garfield

The Garfield Medical Center on North Garfield Avenue represents the focal point of a successful medical district extending south toward Downtown. Despite the many medical facilities surrounding the hospital, demand continues to exist for additional medical offices, diagnostic centers, laboratories, and related uses. To accommodate demand, the Land Use Element provides for an extended professional office/medical district from Hellman Avenue south to Garcelon Avenue, and for entire blocks between Atlantic Boulevard and Baltimore Avenue north of Hilliard Avenue. Designated Commercial and Baltimore Avenue Mixed Use (MU III) on the Land Use Policy Map (Figure LU-2 (PDF)), this is a focus area for medical offices and medical- related facilities. Zoning regulations will specify the range of uses permitted, as well as development standards and design considerations appropriate to reduce building massing adjacent to homes and to avoid traffic intrusion into surrounding residential neighborhoods.

Goal Six

Create a diverse medical district within the North Garfield Avenue corridor.

  • Policy 6.1
    Expand opportunities for development of new medical offices and facilities surrounding the Garfield Medical Center.

Monterey Pass Road

Monterey Pass Road has historic significance as the first arterial roadway traversing the city. The roadway also has long served as a business corridor, supporting a diverse range of industrial enterprises. Businesses historically have consisted of independently owned companies operating from small facilities. The scale of operations is influenced in large measure by the lot sizes and configurations along Monterey Pass Road. The steep hillslopes defining the pass somewhat constrain physical development opportunities. However, these smaller properties continue to offer new start-up businesses the ability to operate efficiently from appropriately sized facilities. Also, because Monterey Pass Road lies within a redevelopment project area, the city has the ability to combine properties to create suitable sites for larger operations.

The location of Monterey Pass Road relative to the Corporate Center area and the relative ease of access to the I-710 and I-10 freeways make the corridor a prime location for new, small-scale technology businesses. The city's goal is to recreate Monterey Pass Road as a business/technology corridor through zoning regulations, development incentives, and redevelopment efforts. Technology businesses provide job opportunities for skilled workers, minimize adverse environmental conditions such as heavy truck traffic and excessive noise, and create an overall positive image for this important business district.

Goal Seven

Establish Monterey Pass Road as a prime location for new technology-oriented businesses, and create a business district that offers opportunities for a range of complementary businesses.

  • Policy 7.1
    Ensure that zoning regulations applicable to the Monterey Pass Road corridor permit the range of uses necessary to achieve land use goals, and prohibit uses that conflict with the goals.
  • Policy 7.2
    Use Redevelopment Agency actions as appropriate to attract and accommodate new businesses seeking to locate within the Monterey Pass Road technology corridor.
  • Policy 7.3
    Consider limited use of amortization provisions in the zoning ordinance to eliminate businesses incompatible with long-term land use objectives for the Monterey Pass Road technology corridor.

OII / Edison

In the southeast corner of the city, a former landfill and multi-acreage properties supporting electric utility facilities offer new opportunities for commercial development. Two significant events in the 1990s, the closure of portions of the landfill and the deregulation of the utility industry in California, created development potential on long-neglected properties which benefit from tremendous freeway exposure.

The OII (Operating Industries Incorporated) landfill straddles the Pomona Freeway. While that portion of the landfill south of the freeway remains unavailable for development through the year 2040 or beyond due to extensive contamination, north of the freeway the landfill has been closed and environmentally cleared for reuse. The Land Use Policy Map (Figure LU-2) designates the northern portion Commercial. The site's proximity to the freeway and access via the Paramount Boulevard freeway ramps in Montebello make the site highly desirable for regional-serving retail commercial and related uses.

West of the former landfill, Southern California Edison maintains a major electric power substation, the Mesa Substation. Edison also owns properties east of Saturn Street and north of Potrero Grande Drive. Edison could potentially consolidate operations on the property to create potential development sites, utilizing areas beneath power lines for parking. Edison's incentive to pursue consolidation and development opportunities arises from utility industry deregulation and market pressures to become more competitive in overall company operations. Properties adjacent to the Pomona Freeway, with good access via Potrero Grande Drive, are well suited for commercial uses and thus are designated Commercial on the Land Use Policy Map.

Goal Eight

Create a major regional-serving commercial center south of Potrero Grande Drive, north of the Pomona Freeway.

  • Policy 8.1
    Work with the city of Montebello to ensure good access to the OII / Edison area via Paramount Boulevard.
  • Policy 8.2
    Encourage development of retail businesses within the OII / Edison area which serve a regional market and maximize tax revenue potential.
  • Policy 8.3
    Work closely with Southern California Edison to create a reuse plan for Edison properties that optimizes potential for retail commercial and complementary development.
  • Policy 8.4
    Pursue public infrastructure improvements that will support and facilitate redevelopment of the OII/Edison area.
  • Policy 8.5
    Work with Caltrans to enhance the appearance of Pomona Freeway frontage bordering the OII/Edison area.

Saturn Park

The Saturn Park Focus Area (see Figure LU-3 (PDF)) contains some of Monterey Park's newest industrial development. Established as a cohesive business park in the 1970s and 1980s, this area accommodates a range of professional office, laboratory, light manufacturing, and warehousing uses. The city intends for Saturn Park to continue to provide diverse business and employment opportunities, with an emphasis on businesses that employ skilled workers.

Because low-density residential neighborhoods surround three sides of Saturn Park, the city is concerned with protecting residents from any hazardous conditions that may be associated with certain industrial processes or manufacturing practices. Thus, zoning regulations applicable to Saturn Park will include regulations and standards that address the use, storage, manufacture, and transfer of hazardous materials.