Manhattan Beach Downtown Zoning Moratorium Replaced with Interim Planning Policy While City Works on Downtown Specific Plan

Manhattan Beach, CA — With the commercial zoning moratorium forbidding banks and real estate offices from taking over the downtown storefronts days from expiring, the Manhattan Beach City Council adopted an interim ordinance this week to limit the types of businesses that can move in until the city can finish its Downtown Specific Plan.

Under the interim ordinance, businesses such as banks, offices and communications facilities must obtain a use permit to operate on the ground level in downtown, which requires a public hearing in front of the Planning Commission, the Daily Breeze reported.

Other retail and personal services such as barber shops or shoe repair stores do not need use permits.

The interim ordinance is only in place until the city and implement its Downtown Specific Plan, which was supposed to finished this summer but unforeseen issues with the city's Local Coastal Program delayed the plan. The city isn't expected to vote the plan until later this year.

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