SR-12-A (9)
,-
tI~7/" coL/
f'L. - A
cjED:PC:SF:RM:nh
Councll Mtg: November 26,
Santa MonI-ca,
NOV 2 6 19B5
Californla
1985
TO: Mayor and Clty Council
FROM: Clty Staff
SUBJECT: Appeal of Plannlng Commlssion Denlal of Development
Review 302, Expansion of Auto Repalr Facill ty at 401
Broadway. Applicant: James Mount for Grigsby Automo-
tlve. Appellant: Councll Member Herbert Katz.
INTRODUCTION
At the September 23, 1985 Plannlng COITImlSS10n meetlng, Develop-
rnent ReVlew Permlt 302 for an expansl.on of an eXlsting automotlve
repalr faclli ty at 401 Broadway was deemed denled due to a lack
of four votes for any motlon for elther approval or denlal.
ThlS
lS an appeal by Councll Member Herbert Katz on behalf of the ap-
pllcant.
(Attachment 1)
BACKGROUND
The appllcatlon revlewed by the Plannlng ComisSlon proposed
modlflcCltlon and expanslon of the eXlstlng Grlgsby Automotive
Repair business on the northeast corner of Fourth Street and
Broadway.
The proJect would add 2,813 square feet of service,
off~ce and parts storage to the eXlstlng 1,500 square foot bUlld-
lng.
All repalr work (much of whlch is currently done ln the
open) would be brought wlthln an enclosed bu~ldlng and the site
would be screened and landscaped.
The eXlstlng curb cut on
Fourth Street would be closed and a second curb cut opened on
\~-A
- 1 -
NOil 2 6 .
Broadway.
23, 1985,
ment 5).
A detalled deSCrl.ptlon lS provlded in the September
staff report (Attachment 2) and proJect plans (Attach-
In ltS dlScusslon and votlng, the Planning Conunisslon SpIlt 3-3
for denlaljapproval. Votl.ng to deny the proJect Were COnunlS-
S1.oners Hebald-Heymann, K1rshner and Chalrperson Perlman. Votlng
to approve the project were Commlssloners Hecht, Israel and
Shearer. The Statement of Offlclal Actlon lS attached for your
1.nformat1on.
(Attachment 3)
CommlSbioners opposlng the proJect noted the followlng p01.nts:
1.
'The use lS
speclflcally
not approprl.ate
confllcts wlth
ln the Downtown
Core. It
Land Use Element
POI1.CleS
1.3.4 requlrlng that a maJorl ty of ground floor street
frontage be actlve pedestrlan orl.ented uses, 3.3.3 requ1.r-
1.ng a maJorl. ty of downtown bUlldlng 5 to be bUll t to the
"bUlld-to llne, II and 3.3.8 prohlbi tlng on-51 te parklng
along downtown street frontages.
2. Any lmprovements could lengthen the t1me that the use
would remain at the locatl.on and thus delay lts replace-
ment wlth a more deslreable proJect.
3. The project proposes to have lts requ1red landscaping ex-
tend two feet over the present sldewalk on the publlC
rlght-of-way.
- 2 -
CommlSSloners favorlng the proJect noted that:
1. The auto repalr busl.ness lS eXl.stl.ng and parklng now oc-
curs on the Sl.te wl.thout any screening.
2. The appllcants intend to remaln In bUSlness on the slte
well lnto the future.
3.
At present, the Sl.te lS an eyesore.
Denial would allow
the present Sl.tuatlon to contlnue for an l.ndeflnlte
perlod.
4. Approval would remove the repalr work from public Vl.ew,
screen the parklng and lnterlor drl veway, provide land-
scaplng along the perimeter of the slte, and result l.n the
closlng of the Fourth Street curb cut. The result would
be an lmprovement to the downtown and pedestrlan use of
the area.
A memo from Plannlng Comml SSloner I srael to the Cl ty Councll
recommendlng approval of the appeal is attached for your reVlew.
(Attachment 4)
ANALYSIS
In the September 23, 1985, Plannlng COmID1SS10n staff report,
Plannlng staff recommended approval of the proJect, Wl th the
decldlng factors for approval belng the fact that the use 15 a
- 3 -
legally perml t ted auto repalr facl.ll ty (includl.ng the exterior
llfts wh~ch are perml.tted per Section 9l37A.l), and the fact that
the proJect would represent a net benefl.t to pedestrlan orl.enta-
tlon at Fourth and Broadway by provldl.ng 1andscaplng, decoratlve
walls, and a vl.sual mass along the maJorlty of the sl.te's street
frontage. Staff mal.ntalns thlS p051tlon and supports approval of
the proJect with the 13 condltlons noted ln the September 23rd
Plannlng Commlsslon staff report. (Attachment 2)
Of speclflc note lS condltl.On #2 In the September 23rd staff re-
port. ThlS condltlon requires that the Archl.tectural Revl.ew
BoarQ ensure comp11.ance with the lntent of Land Use Element Poll.-
cy 3.3.8 prohlbl tl.ng on-51 te parking at the street frontages.
On-Sl.t~ parklng 15 not requlred by the Munl.cipal Code since the
slte 15 ln the Downtown Parklng Dlstrl.ct. The Board thus would
have deslgn dlscretlon In the location and number of parking
spaces and in determl.nl.ng the depth of frontage to be used for
land5caplng and screen1.ng between the Sldewalk and any parklng
space s .
The Councll should also note that the Dlrector of General Ser-
Vlces has approved a revocable Encroachment Permlt for this prOJ-
ect to allow a two-foot wlde landscape strlp on the publlC rlght-
of-way. However, recorrunended condl.tion #6 1n the September 23rd
staff report would requlre thl slandscaplng to be placed on-Sl te
should the Encroachment Permlt be revoked for publlC need ln the
future.
- 4 -
In actlng on thls appeal, the Councll may support or modlfy the
approval flndlngs and condltlons contalned ln the September 23rd
Plannlng Commi SSlon staff report or deny the proJect and direct
staff to return wlth speclflc flndlngs for denial.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
The recommendatlons presented ln thlS report do not have a
budget/flnanClal lmpact.
RECOMMENDATION
It is respectfully recommended that the Clty Councll grant the
appeal and adopt the speclflc approval flndlngs and condJ.tlons
contalned ln the September 23, 1985, Plannlng COnunl ssion staff
report on Development Review 302.
Prepared by:
Peggy Curran, Actlng Communlty and EconomlC
Development Director
Suzanne Frlck, Actlng Prlnclpal Planner
Rlchard Mllls, Asslstant Planner
Clty Plannlng D1V1Slon
Communlty and EconomlC Development Department
Attachments:
1. October 7, 1985, Letter of Appeal
2. September 23, 1985, Plannlng Commlsslon Staff
Report
3. September 23, 1985, Statement of Offlcla1 Action
4. November 5, 1985, Letter from Planning COllUTI1S-
Sloner Larry Israel
5. ProJEct Plans
6. PubllC Notlce of Appeal Hearing
CC43
- 5 -
DATE:
TO:
FROM.
SUBJECT:
.
.
Attachment 1
CITY OF SANTA MONICA
INTER-DEPARTMENT MEMO
October 7, 1985
Suzanne Frlck, Actlng Principal Planner
Councl1 Member Herbert Katz
Appeal of Planning Commisslonls Oecislon on DR 302
ThlS 15 my notlce of appeal of the Plannlng Commlsslonls
decislon on DR 302, Development Revue for expansion of
auto repa1f buslness at 401 Broadway, at the request of
the owner.
c~
~
.-'
~~//.
~ ('.--/
-- ~~ < ~L;"
~~~~/
/""
~
'- ;cc<
J: " ,
:4" i/jr _ _~..
'--
/) ~1
< 0"A>l..4A.../C -il~p-
70/
, /'!1rl~J /!.tU~ Y'/''-d':~.{.//___ '7,
7 t,"k'/I'.J ' .. /
, /,1 I ( ";L/ 1
ie-4..- ~ k__<_c/:-c.-c-.. ~ L:/ - I; "--
, f
-: J .
'_ ./0 i....{""
" I
,;,,//1 / U~1.,
'.!"!'
, ~ ~-
r ..,., /. 1--..' /~ A- ,/~' -A C. i! ~ \c..Vt~l ?"J
i '1 - / F. -L r.:-" !1.. ~ --'~ '. J
l t1-- tA-t'/fl~'~ ,
r 'u-- -:I - 1-
-" d~ -I '. /1.U'CZ/i AU c (
~. /; -; ~-CJ{.(A;~ / ~ ~~
---1--- ~? :/v....-"" ~~ .~
/.:; ..~'0/"
// .//
;.
r /".
.f f'}' A,. "'. ".../ /;L' ."" /~.{. -
..(.......... ..l- ./.r . "'- ___ ( _f....
~ '/)" ~ P /. . /
f " ! F r y../'L--
LU/.~ :"'/L~_
-~/
CITY PLANNING DIVISION
Communlty and EconomlC Development Department
M E M 0 RAN DUM
DATE: September 23, 1985 (Contlnued from September 9, 1985)
TO: The Honorable Planning CommlSSlon
FROM: Planning Staff
SUBJECT: DR 302, 401 Broadway, C3, Addltlon to Auto Repalr Shop,
Appllcant: Jess Grlgsby.
SITE LOCATION AND DESCRIPTION
The 50' x 150' subJect property lS located on the northeast
corner of Fourth Street and Broadway. Surroundlng uses lnclude a
flve-story mlxed use bUl1dlng wlth ground floor commerclal and
upper level apartments to the north (C3), abandoned one-story
resldentlal bUlldlngs to the east (C3), two-story commerclal
bUlldlngs across Broddway to the south (C3), and a three-story
commerClal bUlldlng and Clty parklng structure across Fourth
Street to the west (C3). Santa Monlca Place shopplng center 15
located dlagonally across the lntersectlon.
Zonlng Classlflcatlon:
C3
Land Use Dlstrlct:
Downtown Core
Parcel Area:
50' X 150'; 7,500 sq. ft.
PROJECT REQUEST
Summary: To add 2,813 sq. ft. of serVlce, offlce and parts
storage to a 1,500 sq. ft. eXlstlng auto repalr shop and provlde a
revlsed vehlcle pdrklng and clrculatlon system.
MunlClpal Code and General Plan Conformance:
Category
MunlClpal Code
Land Use
Element
ProJect
Perml.tted Use
Auto Repalr
Permltted
Auto Repalr
Condltlonal
Auto Repalr
Helght
6 stores, 90'
4 storles, 56'
2 storles, 18'
F.A.R.
3.0
0.6
parkl.ng
Parklng
Dlstrict
3
- 1 -
CEQA Status:
Categorlca1ly Exempt.
AnalYSls: The
1 sting legally
rently occurs
(permltted per
prOject lS an expanslon and remodellng of an ex-
permltted auto repalr faClllty. Repa~r work cur-
both In the eXlstlng bUlld1ng and on open llfts
Sectlon 9l37A.l).
Land Use Element pollcles for the Downtown Core ralse lssues for
thlS proJect regardlng pedestrlan orlented uses along the street
frontages and constructlng bUlldlngs along frontage property
llnes (the bUlld-to approach).
POllCY 1.3.4 requlres that a rnajorl ty of ground floor street
frontage ln the Downtown Core, on a block by block basls, be ac-
tlve pedestrlan oriented uses ln order to promote pedestrlan ac-
tlVlty. Urban Deslgn policy 3.3.3 requlres that the ma]Orlty of
bUlldlllgS In the Downtown be bUlld to the "bUlld-to llne." Poll.-
cy 3.3.8 prohlblts on-slte parklng at Downtown street frontages.
'TIllS project lS does not represent a new use or a totally new
bUlldlng. It represents a modlflcatlon to an eXlstlng use and
the expanslon of an existlng bUllding. The use lS currently a
permltted use in the C3 Dlstrlct. In that the appllcants do not
wlsh to change the use, a reVlew of the project needs to focus on
how any changes may promote deslred pOllcies In terms of the ex-
15tlng 51 tuatlon. Denlal of the project would basically allow
the use to remaln as is for an lndeflnlte period.
Approval of the project would brlng all repalr work Wlthln an
enclosed bUlldlng and effectlvely screen the repair and parklng
uses from publlC Vlew. The locatlon of the existlng bUlldlng,
along wlth the need for two vehlcle access pOlnts ln order to
have adequate vehlcle clrculation through the narrow site,
restrlct the optlons available for constructlng an addltlon.
Followlng careful review, the Parklng and Trafflc Englneer ap-
proven a new drlveway conflguratlon WhlCh would close the eXlst-
ing Fourth Street curb-cut whlle openlng a second access driveway
on Broadway. Whlle the use lS not pedestrian orlented, the proJ-
ect would represent a net benefl t to pedestrian orlentatlon at
Fourth and Broadway by provldlng landscaplng and decoratlve walls
along the street frontages and provldlng a vlsual mass along the
ma]Orlty of the street frontage.
The tnree parklng spaces proposed at the west end of the slte
confl~ct wlth polley 3.3.8 prohlb~tlng parklng at the street
frontage. These are not requ~red parklng spaces, Slnce the site
1S ln the Downtown Parklng Dlstrlct. Thus, approval of the proJ-
ect lS not tled to the provislon of these spaces. Accordlngly,
staff recommends that the west end of the project be revlsed and
that the Archl tectural ReVlew Board be dlrected to speciflcally
ensure that the flnal deslgn meets the lntent of POI1CY 3.3.8.
Landscaplng would be provided along the street frontages in two
foot landscape strlps located on the edge of the publlC rlght-of-
- 2 -
way. The Dlrector of General Services has granted an encroach-
ment permlt for landscape purposes. A blllboard on the west end
of the slte would be removed.
Flnal des~gn and landscaping wlll be subJect to reVlew and ap-
proval by the Archltectural Revlew Board.
RecoIrunendatlon: It 1.S respectfully recommended that DR 302 be
approved with the followlng f~ndings and conditlons:
Development Rev1.ew Flndlngs.
1. The development 1 S conslstent W1. th the fJ..ndlngs and pur-
pose of Ordlnance 1321 as set forth below.
2. The physlcal locatlon and placement of proposed structures
on the slte are compatlble wlth and relate harmon1.ously to
surround1ng sites and nelghborhood s 1.0 that the proJect
wlll lmprove the physlcal appearance of the proJect s1te,
provlde landscaplng and screenlng, and be of a height and
bulk conslstent wlth the Munlclpal Code and General Plan.
3. The eXlstlng and/or proposed rlghts-of-way and faclllt1es
for both pedestrlan and automoblle trafflc wlll be ade-
quate to accommodate the antlc1pated results of the pro-
posed development lnclud1ng off-street parklng fac111tles
and access thereto 1n that the existlng Fourth Street curb
cut wlll be removed, a new curb cut will be added on
Broadway to accommodate necessary on-site vehicle access,
and the Parking and Trafflc Eng1neer has approved the cir-
culatlon and park1ng plan for the proJect.
4. The eXlstlng and/or proposed publlC and/or prlvate health
and safety faCllltles (lnclud1ng, but not Ilm1ted to,
sanltation, sewers, storm drains, flre protectlon devices,
protective serVlces, and public utll1ties) w1.1l be ade-
quate to accommodate the antlclpated results of the pro-
posed development.
5. The proposed development lS conslstent with the General
Plan of the Clty of Santa Monlca and the Zonlng Ordinance
in that the proJect wl11 conform to the helght, bulk, use
and urban des1gn pol1.c~es for the Downtown Core Distrlct
as speclfled ln the Land Use Element of the General Plan
and conform to the appropriate C3 Dlstr1.ct standards con-
talned In the Zon1.ng Ord1.nance.
Condl.t1ons.
1. Plans for flnal deslgn, landscap1.ng, screen1.ng, trash en-
closures, and slgnage shall be subJect to reVlew and ap-
proval by the Arch~tectural Review Board.
2. The Arch1.tectural ReVlew Board, 1.ll thelr review, shall pay
partlcu1ar attentlon to the proJect's pedestr1.an orienta-
tion and pedestr~an arnenlt1es; scale and art~culatlon of
- 3 -
design elementsi exterlor colors, textures and materlalsi
wlndow treatmenti glazlngi and landscaplng. The Board
shall carefully reVlew the perlmeter wall treatment and
landscaplng, and the type of roll-up door or gate to be
used between the park1ng area and the service area. The
Board shall reVlew the final deslgn of the Fourth Street
end of the proJect to ensure that the ~ntent of Land Use
Element Pol~cy 3.3.8, which prohlb1ts on-s~te parklng at
the street frontages, 15 met.
3. Mlnor amendments to the plans shall be subJect to approval
by the D~rector of Planning. An lncrease of more than 10%
of the square footage or a slgnificant change ln the ap-
proved concept shall be subJect to Plannlng Commlsslon
ReVlew. Construction shall be ln substantlal conformance
wlth the plans submltted or as modlfled by the Planning
Commlsslon, Arch~tectural Review Board or Director of
Plannlng.
4. The rlghts granted hereln shall be effectlve only when
exerclsed wlthln a perlod of one year from the effect1ve
date of approval. Upon the wrltten request of the appll-
cant, the Dlrector of Plannlng may extend th1S perlod up
to an addlt~onal SlX months.
5. The appllcant shall comply Wl th all legal requlrements
regardlng provis~ons for the disabled, lncludlng those set
forth In the Callfornla Admlnistratlve Code, Tltle 24,
Part 2.
6. The parklng lot shall be str~ped and the slte screened and
landscaped in conformance wlth Sec. 9127.J.l and Sec.
9129. F. 7 (SMNC). All requlred landscaplng and screening
shall be provlded on Sl te except that up to a two foot
wlde Idndscape strlp on the publlC rlght-of-way may be
used as a requlred landscape area as long as, and only as
long as, an Encroachment Permit approved by the Director
of General SerVlces is in force allowlng such landscape
use. Should an Encroachment Permlt for landscape purposes
be utlllzed by the property owner/applicant for purposes
of meetlng landscape requlrements and should such Permlt
la te r be revoked by the Cl ty , the property owner shall
prov~de the requlred landscap~ng on Sl te and shall bear
the burden of any costs assoclated with such landscape
relocatlon, lncludlng the removal and reconstructlon of
walls, fences and pavement. Flnal parklng lot layout and
speclflcatlons shall be subJect to the reVlew and approval
of the Park1ng and Trafflc Engineer.
7. Refuse areas, storage areas and mechanical equlpment shall
be screened In accordance w1th Sec. 9l27J.2-4 (SMMC). Re-
fuse areas shall be of a size adequate to meet on-s1te
need.
8. The operatlon shall at all tlmes be conducted ln a manner
not detrlmental to surroundlng propert1es or residents by
- 4 -
reason of llghts, nOlse, actlvltles, parklng or other
actlon s.
9.
No nOl se
shall be
bUlldlngs.
generatlng compressors
placed adJacent to
or other such equ~pment
nelghborlng residentlal
10. The eXlstlng drlveway and apron, located on Fourth Street
shall be removed and the eXlsting curb cut replaced with
standard curb and gutter per the speclflcatlons of the
Department of General Servlces. If not presently in
place, a curb handlcap access ramp shall be provlded at
the adjacent street corner.
11. Street trees shall be malntalned, relocated or provided as
requlred In a manner conslstent wlth the City's Tree Code
(Ord. 1242 CCS), per the speclflcatlons of the Department
of Recreatlon and Parks and the Department of General Ser-
Vlces. tio street tree shall be removed Wl thout the ap-
proval of the Department of Recreat~on and Parks.
12. Street and/or alley llghtlng shall be provlded on publlC
rlghts-of-way adjacent to the project if and as needed per
the speclflcatlons and with the approval of the Department
of General SerVlces.
13. Any exterlor parklng area shall be used for employee and
customer parking only and not for repalr or flnlshlng work
or long-term (over one week) storage of vehlcles. All
repair and flDlshlng work shall occur withln the enclosed
serVlce bays.
prepared by:
Rlchard Mllls, Asslstant Planner
RM:nh DR302
- 5 -
STATEMENT OF OFFICIAL AC~ION
PROJECT.
NUMBER: DR 302
LOCATION: 401 Broadway
APPLICANT: James Mount for Jess Grigsby
REQUEST: Expanslon of Auto Repalr Facllity
PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION:
9-23-85
Date.
Approved based on the followlng flndlngs and
subJect to the condltlons below.
Denled.
x Other. Deemed denied due to lack of four votes
for approval (Commlsslon split 3-3 for approval/
denlal; one seat vacant).
FINDINGS: None
COKDITIONS: Not Appllcable
Date
/s/ Chalrperson
Plannlng Commlsslon
Clty of Santa Monlca
RM:nh ST302
- 1 -