You’re considering a home near an Imperial Highway shopping center, and you’ve heard that La Mirada is changing the rules for discount stores. The proposal would create a separate land use category, require review for many new locations, and set operating and maintenance standards.
It would not rezone your home. It also would not ban discount stores or establish a fixed citywide limit on their number.
The key document is the City of La Mirada staff report for Agenda No. 8.1, titled “Discount Store Ordinance Nos. 751 and 752 - ZOA No. 59 and SPA No. 2026-01”. It asks the City Council to introduce the ordinances for first reading on October 27, 2026.
What would the proposed ordinances change?
The proposed ordinances would make discount sales a distinct land use and require a Conditional Use Permit for many new discount stores.
Discount stores are not currently defined as a separate classification in the La Mirada Municipal Code. The city generally places them within the broader “Retail Sales” category, allowing them to operate by right in commercial zones where retail sales are permitted.
Ordinance No. 751, identified as Zoning Ordinance Amendment No. 59, would create Chapter 21.58, “Discount Sales.” It would also move the existing Low-Barrier Navigation Centers provisions from Chapter 21.58 to Chapter 21.47.
Ordinance No. 752, identified as Specific Plan Amendment No. 2026-01, would change Table 6-1 of the Imperial Highway Specific Plan. A Conditional Use Permit, commonly called a CUP, would be required in Planning Areas 1A, 1C, 2A, 2B, 3A, 3B, and 3C. Discount sales would not be permitted in Planning Area 1B.
These are changes to commercial land use rules. They do not change residential zoning.
Which stores would fit the proposed definition?
A store would fall within the proposed definition when at least three-quarters of its Merchandise Display Area is devoted to specified discounted merchandise.
That merchandise must be new or unused. The definition covers outlet, close-out, discontinued, liquidation, overstock, or similar merchandise offered at discounted, low, or very low price points.
The definition excludes grocery stores, supermarkets, pharmacies or drug stores, thrift or secondhand stores, warehouse clubs, and department stores. It also excludes other retailers that the Community Development Director finds have a different business model.
A qualifying “Food-Oriented Discount Sales” store would have another path. If at least three-quarters of its display area is devoted to qualifying food and non-alcoholic beverage products, it may receive a Zoning Clearance instead of a CUP.
The classification depends on the merchandise and the share of display area devoted to it, not simply on whether a business describes its prices as low.
What would happen to existing discount stores?
Existing discount stores may continue without obtaining a CUP, but they would need a Zoning Clearance and would have one year to complete required corrections.
The staff report identifies nine existing discount stores in La Mirada. Their reported sizes range from about 3,690 to 54,900 square feet. Seven are along Imperial Highway. Green Hills Plaza has four, while Imperial Plaza has two.
A Zoning Clearance would document an existing store’s operations. The one-year correction period would apply to required operational and maintenance items.
Certain later changes would trigger CUP review. These include specified expansions or intensifications, a change in business ownership or control, and reestablishment after the use has been discontinued for at least 60 consecutive days.
That distinction matters when you review a shopping center. An existing operation continuing under a Zoning Clearance is different from a proposed store, an expanded use, or a location returning after a qualifying period of discontinuance.
What would a new store have to submit?
A new store seeking a CUP would have to provide an operational statement, a site plan, and a finished floor plan.
The Planning Commission would review the application and could impose conditions. Proposed operating standards address deliveries and loading, outdoor display and storage, shopping carts, security cameras, and trash receptacles.
Maintenance standards cover litter, graffiti, lighting, storefronts, landscaping, and obsolete signs. These standards concern the operation and physical condition of the commercial property.
The report does not identify any pending CUP application or state how many applications the city expects. It sets out the proposed review process rather than approving a specific store.
How did the proposal reach the City Council?
The proposal followed a moratorium, City Council study sessions, and a Planning Commission recommendation.
La Mirada adopted Interim Ordinance No. 739-U on December 10, 2024. Interim Ordinance No. 740-U extended the moratorium on January 14, 2025, for ten months and fifteen days. Interim Ordinance No. 745-U, adopted November 25, 2025, extended it through December 8, 2026.
At a September 8, 2026 study session, the Council directed staff to use a limit of one discount store per shopping center instead of three. On September 22, the Council changed direction and told staff to use CUP review for new discount stores rather than a fixed numerical concentration limit.
The Planning Commission adopted Resolution No. P-03-26 on October 15 by a 5-0 vote recommending approval. Public hearing notice was published in the La Mirada Lamplighter on October 16. According to the staff report, the city had received no public comments as of the report’s preparation.
Staff also found the amendments exempt from review under California Environmental Quality Act Section 15061(b)(3).
Has the City Council approved the rules?
The approval status is uncertain because the October 27, 2026 minutes had not been posted when Insider checked on November 3, 2026.
The report asks the Council to introduce Ordinance Nos. 751 and 752 for first reading. It does not establish that the Council took that action, and it does not provide a confirmed second-reading date or effective date.
Check the city’s posted minutes rather than treating the staff recommendation as a completed decision. The October 27 City Council agenda is the starting point for Agenda No. 8.1. The minutes should show what action the Council took and whether the ordinance language changed.
The Biola University master plan update is another La Mirada land use item the city has in review.
What should a buyer check near a shopping center?
A buyer should identify the applicable planning area, check the posted minutes, and ask for documents tied to any proposed commercial use.
Start with the property’s location. The proposed rules apply to commercial zones and the Imperial Highway Specific Plan, so proximity alone does not tell you which provision governs a shopping center. Ask the City of La Mirada which zoning district or specific plan area covers the commercial parcel.
Then determine whether the store is existing, new, expanding, changing ownership or control, or returning after a qualifying discontinuance. That status affects whether the proposal calls for a Zoning Clearance or CUP.
Keep land use review separate from property disclosures. Questions about alterations at the home itself belong in the disclosure and permit record, including issues covered in unpermitted work disclosure in California. Tax billing after a purchase is another separate topic addressed in the guide to the California supplemental property tax bill.
A La Mirada commercial owner asked us whether the proposed discount-store rules would affect an existing tenant or only a future lease. He was also unsure whether the tenant’s business would fall within the city’s definition of a discount store. We reviewed the proposed language with him rather than relying on the name displayed above the storefront.
The short version
La Mirada’s staff report proposes a separate discount sales classification, CUP review for many new stores, and operating and maintenance standards. Existing stores may continue without a CUP if they obtain a Zoning Clearance, subject to the proposed requirements.
The rules apply to commercial property, not residential zoning. The report does not link discount stores to home values.
Because the report only asks the Council to introduce the ordinances, check the posted October 27, 2026 minutes before relying on the proposal as adopted law.
For a separate estimate of your property’s current value, use the home value tool.
Common questions
Would the proposed rules rezone homes in La Mirada?
No. The proposed rules apply to commercial zones and the Imperial Highway Specific Plan, not residential zones.
Would existing discount stores need a Conditional Use Permit?
Existing stores may continue without a Conditional Use Permit, but they must obtain a Zoning Clearance and complete required operational and maintenance corrections within one year.
Would new discount stores be banned?
No. Many new discount stores would require a Conditional Use Permit. They would not be permitted in Planning Area 1B of the Imperial Highway Specific Plan.
Has La Mirada adopted the proposed ordinances?
The staff report asks the City Council to introduce the ordinances for first reading. Check the posted minutes because the October 27, 2026 outcome had not been posted when Insider checked on November 3, 2026.
