We recently called attention to two agenda items – the Hillside Overlay and Torrance Airport Ordinances — being discussed at most recent Torrance City Council meeting.  Several residents attended the meeting as well as emailed their points of view on these topics. Here are the results of the discussions:

Hillside Overlay (Agenda item 9B):  While the appeal against the Planning Commission’s recent approval of the precise plan for a property on Susana (PRE23-00013) was denied, the council recognized that the Hillside Overlay Ordinance (HOO) should be updated to include the objective language needed to better assess such projects.  Council member Sharon Kalani stated they (the council) needed to “look into doing public input to update the HOO with objective language and bring the relevant brains together.”  We look forward to learning what next steps will be taken to begin this important update.

Torrance Airport (Agenda item 10B):  Stating their obligation to stand by their previous decision to support noise abatement efforts for the benefit of Torrance residents, the Torrance City Council voted 5-1 against the staff-proposed settlement of a lawsuit and ordinance amendment that would have overturned last year’s ban on touch-and-gos and related maneuvers at the Torrance Airport.  The lawsuit may continue to its trial date already scheduled for February 2026, unless the pilots’ group drops its complaint.  Watch this space for updated information on this situation.