If you’re buying or selling near one of Lakewood’s listed religious institution properties, the proposed change is to the land’s designation and zoning. General Plan Amendment 2026-1 and Zone Change 115 would change ten listed properties from single-family to multiple-family zoning as part of the Housing Element. City Council action is still needed. The city says the change would not require the institutions to build housing.
This explains the rule and is not tax or legal advice.
As of October 21, 2026, General Plan Amendment 2026-1 and Zone Change 115 were on the Lakewood Planning and Environment Commission’s October 1, 2026 agenda, with a staff recommendation that the commission recommend City Council approval. The commission’s October 1 minutes and a City Council hearing date had not been posted. The rezoning is not adopted.
Which properties would change?
The proposal covers ten listed properties, changing their zoning from R-1, Single-Family Residential, to M-F-R, Multiple-Family Residential.
It would also change their General Plan land use designation from Low Density Residential to Medium/High Density Residential. The October 1 commission agenda lists these addresses:
- 3507-3601 St. Pancratius Place
- 4318 Bellflower Boulevard
- 4625-4645 Woodruff Avenue
- 5025-5035 Hedda Street
- 5730 South Street
- 6150 Bellflower Boulevard
- 6236-6248 Woodruff Avenue
- 6440 Del Amo Boulevard
- 6500 Del Amo Boulevard
- 6540 Del Amo Boulevard
Check the full address when reading a notice. The proposal concerns these religious institution properties; it does not describe a zoning change for every nearby home.
Why is Lakewood proposing this?
Lakewood is proposing the rezoning to accommodate housing requirements identified through its Housing Element.
The city’s Regional Housing Needs Assessment allocation is 3,922 new dwelling units for 2021-2029. State law requires the Housing Element to be updated every eight years.
The 2022 Housing Element included a program to rezone religious facility properties meeting size and location criteria. Its inventory identified 25 religious facility parcels with a combined realistic capacity of 1,402 units.
The document described large surface lots beyond parking needs and the potential to reconfigure sites so existing religious uses could remain alongside housing. Those are the Housing Element’s planning assessments. They do not establish that an institution intends to develop its property.
What did the 2022 Housing Element plan for these sites?
The 2022 Housing Element planned specific densities and capacities for some sites, but those figures are not the text of the 2026 resolutions.
At St. Pancratius Place, it identified three adjacent parcels across a 9.6 acre site containing religious and school uses, a baseball field, a basketball court and green space. It planned 50 units per acre on the two larger sites for moderate income units and 32 units per acre on the smallest site for lower income units. The realistic capacities totaled 352 units.
The document considered those sites realistic for near-term development because surface parking and undeveloped land might accommodate housing while retaining the school and religious use.
For 4625-4645 Woodruff Avenue, the 2022 Housing Element planned 50 units per acre on the larger parcel and 32 units per acre on the smaller parcel.
These are attributed planning figures, not confirmed unit allowances under the pending resolutions. Ask the Community Development Department how the current proposal compares with the 2022 figures.
What would the rezoning leave undecided?
The rezoning would allow more housing on the listed parcels, but it would not by itself approve or start a building project.
The draft September 22 City Council minutes record the city’s explanation: rezoning does not require religious institutions to construct housing and does not indicate that housing will be developed on these sites. The Housing Element appendix also says the state does not require religious institutions to build housing.
Any actual project would need its own application. Ask the city what review a project would need rather than treating a zoning designation as a construction approval.
Parking needs a separate check, too. The Housing Element says the city will update its parking ordinance to reflect AB 1851, which it describes as allowing faith-based organizations to reduce or eliminate parking requirements when seeking affordable housing on land they own or lease. That statement does not establish the parking requirements for a particular future proposal.
Say a buyer tours a home near a listed religious institution property and wonders whether the proposed zoning means construction is coming. The buyer reads the site’s hearing notice and asks the Community Development Department where the proposal stands and what review a project would need. If adopted, the rezoning would allow more housing on that parcel, but it would not require the institution to build or approve construction. The buyer can keep that distinction in mind while considering the home.
Where does the decision stand?
The proposal remains pending City Council action, with no posted October 1 commission minutes or Council hearing date as of October 21, 2026.
The commission had received and filed related reports in August and September. The October 1 agenda then recommended adopting resolutions that would recommend Council approval of the General Plan amendment and zone change, along with an associated categorical exemption.
The agenda shows what staff recommended. The commission’s action will appear in its minutes once posted.
The hearing notices state that the action is exempt from CEQA under Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3).
How can you check an address or comment?
Start with the site’s hearing notice on the Planning and Environment Commission page, then ask the Community Development Department for its current status.
The notices identify the department’s office at Lakewood City Hall, 5050 Clark Avenue, as the place to inspect the proposal and related displays. Call (562) 866-9771, extension 2300.
Ask which documents apply to your address, whether Council action has been scheduled and what remains undecided. Owners can follow Council agendas and submit written comments to [email protected] before a meeting.
The notice also warns that a later court challenge may be limited to issues raised at the public hearing or in written correspondence delivered at or before that hearing. If that matters to you, read the notice’s wording carefully.
What can a nearby buyer or seller do now?
A nearby buyer or seller can check the listed property’s documents and keep the pending zoning proposal separate from any actual development application.
If you’re buying, read the notice before assuming what the land could become. Ask the department about the current proposal and what review a project would need.
If you’re selling, answer disclosure questions accurately. The California seller disclosure guide explains how disclosure works. If you have a specific question, ask your agent or an attorney.
For context on how a rezoning works elsewhere, see the Baldwin Park rezoning guide or the La Puente zoning change guide. Return to Lakewood’s notices for the rules and status of these addresses.
The short version
Lakewood’s proposal would change ten listed religious institution properties from single-family to multiple-family zoning, but it is not adopted.
The city says institutions would not be required to build housing. Earlier Housing Element capacity figures are planning figures, and a zoning change does not itself approve construction. Check the site’s notice and ask the department where the proposal stands before relying on an assumption in your purchase or sale.
You can check what your Lakewood home is worth with the home value tool.
Common questions
Has Lakewood adopted the religious institution site rezoning?
No. As of October 21, 2026, the rezoning was not adopted. The commission's October 1 minutes and a City Council hearing date had not been posted.
Would the rezoning require religious institutions to build housing?
No. The city says the rezoning does not require religious institutions to construct housing and does not indicate that housing will be developed on these sites.
Are the Housing Element's unit figures approved projects?
No. The figures discussed here are from the 2022 Housing Element's planning inventory, not the text of the 2026 resolutions or an approved building project.
Where can you check a particular address?
Read the site's hearing notice on the Planning and Environment Commission page, then ask the Community Development Department at (562) 866-9771, extension 2300, what is proposed and where the item stands.
