Item 16 - Resolution Declaring City-Owned Properties as Surplus Land and Exempt Surplus Land Pursuant to the California Surplus Land Act

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Resolution Declaring City-Owned Properties as Surplus Land and Exempt Surplus Land and Exempt Surplus Pursuant to the California Surplus Land Act October 21, 2025 Page 2 The activation of these vacant lots will promote neighborhood improvements, while reducing City liability and the growing expenses of maintaining these lots for fencing and weed abatement on a routine basis. Staff recommends that these remnant parcels be sold off and developed to promote economic activity in the City and augment tax bases to further support City services and operations. Disposition and Activation The disposition process of all remnant parcels must abide by the Surplus Land Act (SLA) regulations prior to being sold on the open market. The SLA requires all local agencies to prioritize affordable housing, parks, and open space when disposing of surplus land and only after exhausting those options can the parcels be sold for other uses. If the SLA process concludes and no viable affordable housing or park development materializes, staff intends to market the parcels to promote the highest and best use developments. The adopted General Plan and Bristol Corridor Specific Plan (SP-1) guide the future development potential of the remnant parcels. These plans establish the land use and zoning for the remnant parcels, most of which are zoned for commercial use and some for residential and open space use. Some remnant parcels are too small to be developed independently and will be either consolidated or sought to be sold to adjacent properties. Parcels designated for residential use are likely to develop as single-family residences due to their size and adjacent uses. The parcels designated for commercial uses have a variety of potential development options. Staff has identified that the highest sales tax producing commercial uses for the remnant lots on Bristol Street and Warner Avenue would be high-volume drive-through food service establishments, for example, In-n-Out, Dutch Bros Coffee, and Chick-fil-A. For the commercial parcels, staff will seek to sell to a developer who intends to develop the parcels and demonstrates an ability to attract high sales tax producing businesses. To facilitate this, staff intends to consolidate remnant commercial parcels to form larger parcels adequate for those types of developments. Some parcels are designated as open space along Bristol and Warner, but will be reevaluated as part of the ongoing zoning code update for potential designation as commercial. However, as noted, potential commercial development will come after completing the SLA process. Surplus Land Designation and Process The legislation requires that the land must be declared as either surplus land or exempt surplus land, supported by written findings before a local agency take any action to dispose of land. Staff has identified 25 City-owned properties as surplus land and 22 City-owned properties as exempt surplus land. Generally, all properties are surplus land unless they meet exemption requirements, such as being under 21,780 square feet in area. Adoption of the Resolution would declare eligible City-owned vacant properties as surplus land and others as exempt surplus land to fulfil SLA requirements, based on qualifying categories (Exhibit 1-2).