Los Angeles County planners will come to Saturday’s Altadena listening session on land use and zoning with no proposed changes to Altadena’s Community Standards District, seeking residents’ input instead on the setback, height and parking flexibilities granted to Eaton Fire rebuilds.
The session opens a review of the standards district, the supplemental zoning rules meant to keep new and expanded buildings compatible in size and scale with their neighborhoods. On the county’s tentative timeline, any changes would not reach the Board of Supervisors until early to mid 2029, after the interim ordinance that eased rebuild standards expires Aug. 22, 2027.
Jesus Herrera, supervising regional planner for the Los Angeles County Department of Regional Planning, said Friday that staff do not have specific changes in mind on house size, height or setbacks. “What we want to do though is get community feedback on the changes that folks think may make sense because of the rebuild and the flexibility offered to rebuild projects.”
Under the interim ordinance, rebuild projects receive some flexibility on yard and setback, height and parking requirements, Herrera said, and those are the focus areas staff want residents to weigh in on. “We’re getting ideas, we’re getting community feedback input from folks before we even have a proposed draft.”
The Board of Supervisors enacted the Eaton Fire Disaster Interim Ordinance on Sept. 2, 2025, extended it on Oct. 7, 2025, to Aug. 22, 2026, and has since extended it to Aug. 22, 2027. An interim ordinance runs 45 days and can be extended up to two additional years.
Under those rules, a like-for-like rebuild in the Eaton Fire area may grow by up to 10% or 200 square feet, whichever is greater, and no covered parking is required for residential rebuilds. Projects that go beyond like-for-like are reviewed under the standards district and need a front yard of at least 20 feet.
Herrera said there is no date yet for a draft. Staff may pair any district changes with the environmental review for a separate county project tied to the West San Gabriel Valley
Area Plan, a schedule that tentatively puts the work before the Regional Planning Commission in late 2028 and the Board of Supervisors in early to mid 2029. The board makes the final decision, he said.
A standards district update would not change the rules for a specific rebuild project, Herrera said. To keep rebuild-only flexibilities in place before the interim ordinance expires, the county is weighing options that include folding them into its countywide disaster recovery ordinance or making the interim ordinance permanent for Altadena rebuilds alone.
Herrera said residents who file under today’s rules would not be caught by later changes to land use and zoning standards. “Yes, as long as someone submits a complete application, if we were to change the rules for rebuild, they wouldn’t have to comply with that.”
Nic Arnzen, chair of the Altadena Town Council, said some residents fear the outcome has already been decided. “The concern is this is a done deal and it couldn’t be farther from the truth.”
“And the last thing I’d say is it’s not an intention to redo the CSD, but to look at elements of the CSD that now in our new reality, would it be worth it to extend these or even set them in stone?” Arnzen said. Much of the worry he hears circulates online. “I prefer people get the facts before they run to social media.”
If the interim allowances lapse without an extension, Altadena would revert to the regular standards district, Arnzen said. “This is a chance for us to revisit what was working in the past.”
A community survey by the group Altogether drew 616 respondents, Arnzen said; organizers were still analyzing the results Friday.
The council acts as a liaison between the community and the county, which holds final authority over Altadena’s zoning. Arnzen said that in his six years on the council, the county has nearly every time followed the recommendations of the council’s land use committee.
Asked where Altadena should add density, Arnzen pointed to accessory dwelling units. “For me, that would mostly mean ADUs.” He projected that about 2,000 ADUs will be added in Altadena over the next five years.
Herrera said the county wants to hear what has and has not worked for people rebuilding. “It’s important for us to get an understanding of what has worked, what hasn’t as part of their rebuild efforts, because we don’t want to create more hurdles or speed bumps, if you will, for them to get through.”
The third session in the series, on infrastructure, is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 12.
Need to know: Altadena Listening Session #2: Land Use/Zoning, hosted by Los Angeles County Planning, is Saturday, Oct. 17, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at The Collaboratory, 540 W. Woodbury Road, Altadena. Coffee and information tables open at 9:30 a.m.; zoning presentations run from 10 to 10:50 a.m., followed by small-group discussions from 11 to 11:50 a.m. and informal discussion until 12:30 p.m. RSVP at bit.ly/Alta-RSVP; Spanish, Mandarin and Cantonese interpretation is available on request when registering. Questions: commplan@planning.lacounty.gov. Details: https://planning.lacounty.gov/blog/altadena-listening-session-2/
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