Housing Element Rezoning Program

Every city in California is required to adopt a Housing Element planning document, which supports the development of housing locally. This is a requirement of the State in an effort to address the on-going housing crisis. The Housing Element is required to include an analysis of a city’s housing needs, an inventory of land to support housing development, and housing programs. All these efforts are designed to support and promote the development of housing.

Under State law, each city must plan for and rezone to accommodate a State-designated number of housing units. In Cerritos, 1,908 housing units must be planned and zoned for. The City’s 2021–2029 Housing Element, which was approved by the City Council and certified by the State, meets this State requirement. The City’s 2021–2029 Housing Element document is available at the following link:

2021-2029 City of Cerritos Housing Element

Rezoning Program Overview

Within the City’s Housing Element are various programs that the City is required to implement. One of the programs is the “Multi-Family and Residential Mixed-Use Housing Facilitation Program” (Program 12), which requires the City to rezone various sites throughout the City to accommodate housing. The City is currently working to implement this rezoning program on various sites throughout the City. This webpage provides information on the rezoning efforts on specific City sites.

This property is a 5.29-acre property located on the southwest corner of Bloomfield Avenue and South Street, and is currently an existing commercial shopping center. The property is currently zoned for commercial uses.

Recent State law (Assembly Bill 2011) allows housing developers to construct affordable housing on commercial property with minimal review by the City and no opportunity for public hearings. The property has been purchased by a developer, and, to ensure that any proposed housing would meet City design standards and fit into the Cerritos community, the City is preemptively proposing an Area Development Plan, ADP-20, to allow for either commercial uses or low/medium density residential townhomes. This would allow the City to put into place development standards for density, building heights, landscaping, parking requirements, and privacy screening. Additional traffic and noise analysis will be completed as part of the process to ensure any potential impacts are addressed. With no rezoning, the City would not be able to impose any development standards to any housing proposal submitted under Assembly Bill 2011. While this property was not identified in the City's Housing Element, the City is taking a proactive approach to ensuring any future potential housing development meets City standards. The City is continuing to assess all commercial sites within the City that may be impacted by Assembly Bill 2011.

Site Location

Conceptual Rendering illustrating what the site could look like after a housing development

Project Activities

Community Open House: June 18, 2025 — PowerPoint Presentation

Current Status: Environmental Review (On-Going)

Information on any future community meetings, environmental review, or public hearings will be posted to the City's website here at cerritos.gov/rezone. Public comments can be submitted via email to planning@cerritos.gov.

Site A, as identified in the City's Housing Element, is a 3.27-acre property generally located at the northeast corner of Del Amo Boulevard and Pioneer Boulevard, and is currently zoned for commercial uses. The City's Housing Element requires that the property be rezoned to accommodate at least 72 housing units.

The City is in the process of rezoning the property by creating an Area Development Plan, ADP-18, to allow for either the existing commercial uses or for the development of low/medium density townhomes with a small component of mixed-income housing.

Site A Location

Conceptual Rendering illustrating what the site could look like after development

Conceptual Site Plan of what could potentially be developed through ADP-18

Project Activities

Current Status: Environmental Review (On-Going)

Site 7, as identified in the Housing Element, is a 28.63-acre property generally located south of the Santa Ana Freeway (Interstate 5) along Valley View Avenue, and is currently zoned for industrial uses. The City’s Housing Element requires that the property be rezoned to accommodate at least 1,429 mixed-income housing units.

The City is in the process of rezoning the property through the creation of an Area Development Plan, ADP-19, to allow for either the existing industrial uses or for the future development of a high-density mixed-use development, with a component of mixed-income housing.

Site 7 Location

Conceptual Rendering illustrating what the site could look like after development

Conceptual Site Plan of what could potentially be developed through ADP-19

Project Activities

Current Status: Environmental Review (On-Going)

Site B, as identified in the City's Housing Element, is a 19.53-acre property located within the northwest portion of the Los Cerritos Center, and contains the former/vacant Sears property. The property is zoned for commercial uses. The City's Housing Element requires that the property be rezoned to accommodate at least 375 housing units.

The City is in the process of working with the property owner to rezone the property through the creation of an Area Development Plan, ADP-21, to allow for commercial uses and mixed-use housing.

Site B Location

Project Activities

Preliminary discussions with property owner

For More Information

Contact the Department of Community Development at (562) 916-1201.