The Community Development Department promotes a quality living environment by guiding the development of the City. Under the direction of the Director of Community Development, this department has a vital role in shaping the future of the City by reflecting the aspirations of its citizens, creating an orderly, attractive and functional city, ensuring a safe building environment, attracting and assisting businesses, and providing for the development and preservation of affordable housing. The following divisions and groups work hand in hand to attain the department’s goals. The chart below reflects the functions of the department but not its organizational structure.
Continue Implementing a city-wide commercial façade program to encourage improvement of and investment in retail properties for the revitalization of the City.
Implementation of the Hazardous Materials Ordinance. Continue to monitor Cal State Dominguez Hills Master Plan and Victoria Golf Course plans. Continue to implement the Oil Code’s provisions in regard to existing oil operators.Enter into a development impact fee agreement with the LA County Library for use of collected funds to improve library facilities in Carson.
Continue annexations of new development properties into the City’s CFD.Continue to implement business assistance and emergency rental assistance programs to provide relief to Carson businesses and residents negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. These programs are facilitated by the supplemental allocation of Community Development Block Grant funding.
Implement HCD’s PLHA grant to provide resources for housing programs, such as a first-time homebuyer down payment assistance program, rehabilitation and preservation of affordable rental and ownership housing program and assisting persons who are experiencing or are at risk of homelessness.
Continue outreach to various owners of Brownfield sites to jointly apply for state and federal Brownfield remediation grants including the DTSC ECRG program.
Initiate the Surplus Land Act disposition process for City-owned Property at 20820 S. Main Street and Housing Authority-owned Property at 526 W. Carson Street and 21704 S. Figueroa Street.
Continue processing development application including but not limited to:Continue processing the Carson Gateway project located at 21101-21243 S. Avalon Boulevard, 21126-21212 S. Avalon Boulevard, and 640-644 E. 213th Street on a 20.7-acre site consisting of 1,320 total residential units (including 1,198 apartments, 104 townhomes, 18 single family units), 10,000 square foot of commercial/restaurant space, 1.02 acres of park space and .69 acre of open space.
Continue processing the WPT project located at 20601 S. Main St. on approximately 14 acres consisting of three industrial buildings comprised of approximately 256,000 square feet and 4,000 square-foot retail pad.
Continue processing the Sywest located south of Francisco St, west of Main St, South of Del Amo Blvd, east of Figueroa St. on approximately 25 acres consisting of a retail shopping center with approximately 233,000-square-foot retail shopping center anchored by an approximately 153,000-square-foot warehouse-style big box store. The center would also include an approximately 50,000-square-foot mid-size junior anchor, an approximately 15,000-square-foot small anchor, and three restaurant or retail pads ranging from approximately 4,800 to 5,200 square feet.
Carson Successor Agency:
Created pursuant to the Redevelopment Agency Dissolution Act to manage the functions of the dissolved redevelopment agency, which include:
Approval of the Recognized Obligation Payment Schedules (ROPS) for FY23-24.Carson Housing Authority: Housing Authority funds can be used anywhere within the City for the purpose of providing low and moderate income housing. The following is a partial list of projects/programs undertaken this year:
Continue to provide rental assistance to previous Housing Authority projects; and continue annual compliance monitoring activities for 561 units under affordability covenants from the Authority.
Carson Enhanced Infrastructure Financing District: In 2022, the City of Carson, in partnership with the County of Los Angeles, formed an Enhanced Infrastructure Financing District (EIFD) called the City of Carson Enhanced Infrastructure Financing District (Carson EIFD). Carson EIFD funds can be used anywhere within the City for projects identified in the Infrastructure Financing Plan. The purpose of the Carson EIFD is to assist in the provision of public facilities of communitywide significance that provide significant benefits, assist in the remediation of property, the development of affordable housing and promote economic development in the Carson EIFD and the City of Carson.
Planning Division: The Planning Division’s mission is to further develop goals, policies, programs, and plans that direct and guide residential and business development and encourage land uses that are compatible, sustainable and most beneficial to the community. The division’s goal is to administer and fulfill the objectives of the General Plan, provide applicants with efficient permit processing services and provide citizens the appropriate opportunities to participate in land use decisions. The Planning Division is intimately involved in the entitlement of major projects in the City, and has worked over the past year on a number of projects that will improve the quality of life in Carson for the next several decades. Major projects include:
2040 Comprehensive General Plan Update: Adopted by City Council. Certification of the Housing Element from HCD: Partial certification received. Mobile Home Overlay District: Adopted by City Council. 150,000 square foot warehouse by CT Realty Investors: Completed. 175-unit Carson Landing Townhomes: Under construction. Three warehouses totaling 292,400 square feet by Panattoni Development: Completed. Cambria Court, 35 two-story condominiums: In Plan Check. Rascals Teriyaki Grill Restaurant: Under Construction. Starbucks full-service coffee shop at 860 E. Carson Street: Completed. Remodel of shopping center located at 860 E Carson Street: under construction. New 118-room Town Place Suites by Marriot at the former Carson Buffet site: In Plan Check. 9-unit for sale condominium development at 123 East 223rd Street: Under Construction.Used $310,000 State of California, Department of Housing and Community Development SB2 Planning Grants Program to initiate EP&L (Tyler Munis/ EnerGov) permitting system for planning and building and safety.
The District at South Bay Specific Plan Amendment (Cells 3, 4, and 5), a proposal for an approximately 1.5 million square feet of light industrial campus consisting of fulfillment center/ ecommerce uses and distribution center or parcel hub type uses, within six new warehouses. In addition, the project includes the Carson Country Mart, proposing approximately 33,800 square feet of commercial uses, including approximately 10,000 square feet of retail space catered to pets and animals; 12,600 square feet for up to four restaurants, approximately 9,000 square feet of flexible food and beverage kiosks, and a 2,200 square foot cafe. In addition, the development would include approximately 6.29 acres of passive and active publicly accessible but privately maintained open space and amenity areas Approved.
Completed the entitlement for Shell for the installation of a compressed natural gas (CNG) dispensing station at an existing ethanol loading facility to enable the conversion of seven delivery trucks from diesel fuel to renewable CNG fuel: In plan Check.
Completed 4 additional Citywide CFD annexations.