SR-022498-6F
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Council Mtg February 24, 1998 Santa MOnica, California
TO Mayor and CIty Council
FROM City Staff
SUBJECT Certification of Statement of OfficIal Action for Appeal 97-025 of the Planning
Commission's Denial of Vesting Tentative Parcel Map 24905 to Allow a Two
Parcel SubdivIsion of an EXisting Parcel at 518 Georgina Avenue
Applicant/Appellant Said Torab
INTRODUCTION
ThiS report transmits for City CouncIl certification the Statement of OffiCial Action for
Appeal 97-025 of the Planning Commission's demal of Vesting Tentative Parcel Map
24905 to allow a two parcel subdiVISion of an eXisting parcel at 518 Georgina Avenue
On January 20, 1998, the Council denied the appeal and upheld the Planning Commission
approval based on the findings contained In the attached Statement of OffiCial Action
BUDGET/FINANCIAL IMPACT
The recommendation presented In thiS report has no budget or financial Impact
RECOMMENDATION
It IS respectfully recommended that the City Council approve the attached Statement of
OffiCial Action
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Prepared by Suzanne Fnck, Director of Planning and Commumty Development
Karen Ginsberg, Planning Manager
Amanda Schachter, Senior Planner
Donna Jerex, Associate Planner
City Planning DIvIsion
Planning and Community Development Department
Attachments A Statement of OffIcIal Action
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A TT ACHMENT A
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CITY OF SANTA MONICA
CITY COUNCDL
STATEMENT OF OFFICIAL
ACTION
PROJECT
CASE NUMBER Vestmg TentatlVe Parcel Map 24905, Tentative Map 97-006
LOCATION 518 Georgma Avenue
APPLICANT Sald T crab
CASE PLANNER Donna Jerex
REQUEST Appeal 97-025 of Planrung CommIssIon Demal of Vestmg
Tentative Parcel Map 24905 to .AJlow a Two Parcel SubdlV1s1on
of an EXIsting Parcel at 518 Georgma Avenue
ApphcantlAppellant SaId Torab
CEQA STATUS The project IS categoncally exempt from the provISIOns of CEQA,
Class IS of the California EnVlronmental Quality Act because the
subdlvlslOn IS located In an urbamzed area, \>t,tlll result ill the
creatIon of 4 or fewer parcels, and IS III comphance WIth eXJstmg
zoning requirements
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CITY COUNCll. ACTION
January 20. 1998 Date
Approved based on the following findings and subject to the c-onditions
below
X Appeal denied Planrung Comnussion approval upheld based on the following
findmgs
Other
EFfECTIVE DATE OF ACTION:
Januarv 20. 1998
TENTATIVE PARCEL MAP FINDINGS:
1 The proposed map IS not consIstent with apphcable general and specific plans as specified III
Government Code SectlOn 65451 and should be derued pursuant to Santa Moruca Muruclpal
Code Section 9 2014 040(a) and Government Code Section 66474(a) More specifically, the
deSign or improvement of the proposed subdlv1slon is not consistent wIth Pohcy 1 10 1 of the
Land Use and CirculatIOn Element ThIS pohcy proVides III relevant part "'Encourage the
development of new housing in all existmg residential dlstncts, while still protecting the
character and scale of neIghborhoods" ApprO\'1ng thiS parcel map would not be consistent
with tlus policy based on the followmg findmgs
(a) The site IS zoned R-l and ]s located witmn the Palisades Tract
(b) The PalIsades Tract \\-'as onginally subdiVided in 1905 and ]s a umque and d]stmct]ve
neIghborhood Among Its speCIal charactenstlcs are 100 foot Wide streets, as
opposed to the 60 foot to 80 foot WIde streets tYPical for other Rl zoned areas of the
City, parcels With 100 feet of street frontage, as opposed to the tYPical Rl parcel
street frontage of 50 feet, 200 foot parcel depths, as opposed to the typIcal 150 foot
deep parcels found throughout most of the Cay, 40 foot front yard setbacks, as
opposed to the 20 foot to 30 foot front yard setbacks m most of the other Rl areas
of the CIty, and parkways and Sidewalks wmch are on average 25 feet m Width Each
of these features have a dIfect and substantial Impact on the character and scale of the
neIghborhood
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(c) The Pabsades Tract was desIgned to accommodate large homes with large yards and
It was developed consistent wIth this design Consequently, the Palisades Tract
presently contams large, old homes surrounded by substantIal yards and gardens
(d) As a result of its broad streets and pathways, large lots, old homes, ample yards and
gardens, and substantial setbacks, the Palisades Tract proVIdes more open space than
any other reSIdential neIghborhood m the City
(e) The City itself is extremely dense wIth a land area of Just 8 square mtles and a
populatIon ofapprmamately 90,000 people Moreover, the combmatIOn of an ocean
SIde locatIOn, fine clImate, VIgOroUS economy and urban facdIties, servIces and
entertainment venues make the CIty an extremely deSIrable place to work or VISIt
Consequently, on any weekday, approXimately 200,000 persons are present in the
City, and on weekends, thIs number frequently climbs to 400,000 or more
Population denSIty and congestion both present threats to the qualIty of hfe In the
City GIVen the City'S denSIty, the Palisades Tract and the open space It proVides are
a unique asset to the CIty
(t) Between 1947 and the early 1970's, a number of subdiVISIons of the parcels occurred
ill the Palisades Tract These lot sphts were approved adnuntstrattvely as a matter of
nght In 1976, the City Counctl adopted Ordmance 1024 which repealed the nght to
subdiVide lots as a matter ofnght and reqwred pubIrc notice of a vanance apphcation
to approve lot splits under certam conditIOns In 1984, the CIty Councll adopted
Ordmance 1294 to Implement the State SubdIVIsIOn Map Act and require Planntng
CommIssIon approval of subdIVISIon requests Smce 1976, no lot spitt has been
approved ill the Pahsades Tract Consequently, more than fifty percent of the origmal
100 foot parcels In the Paltsades Tract are sttl] intact and the ongmal character and
scale of the tract has been mamtained However, the loss of any addItIOnal 100 foot
parcels would adversely and trrevocably selVe to change the character and scale of the
P ahsades Tract Reducing lot WIdth from 100 feet to 50 feet would reduce the
reqUIred sideyard setback by 50%, result10g 10 less open space between homes and
greater development denSIty AddItIonally, reducmg an eXIstmg 100 foot Wide parcel
into two 50 foot Wide parcels would be inconsistent WIth the ongmal deSIgn and plan
for the character and scale of the PalIsades Tract and the resultmg development would
be out of scale with the ma]onty of the other properties In the neIghborhood
(g) ThiS divergence from the scale and character of the neIghborhood would be even
more stnking glVen the locatIon of the proposed lot splIt smce the two 5075 foot
Wide parcels which would be created by the proposed map would be narrower than
the vast maJonty ofthe eXIstmg parcels on Georgma Avenue
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2 Based upon the findmgs of fact specified in Paragraph One above, the proposed map should
also be denied pursuant to Santa MOnIca MUntClpal Code Section 920 14 040(d) and
Government Code Section 66474( d) S10ce the site is not physically suitable for the proposed
density of development as a two lot subdiVISIOn
3 Based on the findings of fact specIfied 10 Paragraph One above, the proposed map should
further be derued pursuant to Santa Monica Mumcipal Code Section 9 20 14 040(h) since the
proposed subdivisIOn IS inconSIstent with Santa MOnIca Murucipal Code Section
9040802 020 wluch proVIdes In relevant part that "the Rl Dlstnct serves to mamtain and
protect the existmg character of the reSidential neighborhood "
VOTE
Ayes' Ebner, Femstem, Censer, Greenbert, Holbrook, 0 'Connor, Rosenstem
Nays'
Abstam
Absent
NOTICE
If thIS IS a final decIsIOn not subject to further appeal under the City of Santa Monica
ComprehensIve Land Use and Zoning Ordmance, the tIme wIthm whIch JUdICIal reVIew of this
deciSIOn must be sought IS governed by Code of CIVIl Procedure Section 1094.6, WhICh provIsion
has been adopted by the CIty pursuant to MUnICIpal Code Secnon 1.16010.
I hereby certify that this Statement of Official Action accurately reflects the final
detennination of the City Council of the City of Santa Monica.
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Maria Stewart \: Date
City Clerk
I hereby agree to the above conditions of approval and acknowledge that failure to comply
with such conditions shall constitute grounds for potential revocation of the pennit approval.
Applicant's Signature
Print Name and TItle
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