SR-042286-12B
'10 i---CfO r
(~..~
APR 2 2 1986
cjED:RAM:RM:nh
Councll Mtg: Aprll 22, 1986
Santa Monlca, Callfornla
TO:
Mayor and Clty Councll
FROM:
Clty Staff
SUBJECT:
Appeal of Plannlng CO~~lsslon Denlal of
ReVlew Per~it DR 308-B, 625 Montana Avenue,
Dlstr~cts, 33,750 Sq.Ft. Co~~erClal
AppllcantjAppellant: Murray Weber.
Develop~ent
C2 and R3A
COTfiplex,
INTRODUCTION
On March 3, 1986, DevelopTfient Review Per'lli t DR 308-B to allow
constructlon of a two-story 33,750 square foot retall cOTfi~ercial
cO'llplex at 625 Montana Avenue was denled by unaniTflOllS vote of the
Plannlng CO'll'lllSSlon.
ThlS lS an appeal by the appllcant of the
CO~~lssion's dehlal of the proJect.
BACKGROUND
The subJect two-story, 33,750 sq. ft. retall proJect lS proposed
for a fOllr-lot 150' x 200' Sl te on the northwest corner of
Montana Avenue and Seventh Street. The bUllding would be located
on three C2 D1 strlct lots Wl th vehlcle acce S5 and a surface
parklng lot provided on an R3A Dlstrlct lot ~aklng up the
westerly 50' of the slte.
Under one of two parklng deslgn
optlons, the subterranean parklng garage would extend under the
entlre sltei under a second alternatlve all subterranean parklng
would be 1 PIll ted to the C2 portlon of the 51 te .
A detall ed
pro] ect descrlPtion and analys1s is provlded ~n the March 3,
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\2 -b>
APR 2 2 1ge6
1986, Plann~ng Co~~~ss~on Staff Report (Attach~ent A) and F~na1
Inlt~al Study (Attach~ent C). ProJect plans are attached to the
Init~al Study.
Th~s proJect ~s a scaled-down vers~on of a larger 44,476 sq. ft.
proJect den~ed by the Plann~ng CO~11uss~on on Septe~ber 9, 1985.
A co~paratlve ana1ysls of the orlg1nal and current proJects ~ay
be found In the Flnal Inltlal Study (see Table I follow~ng page
1). As revised, the proJect ~s conSlstent wlth the he~ght, bulk
(floor area ratlo) and parklng standards speclfled In the Zonlng
Ordlnance and Land Use Ele~ent of the General Plan.
A nu~ber of concerns were ralsed ~n letters and petitions to the
Planning Co~>nission and by 65 'lle~bers of the publ~c who gave
testl'llOny at the public hearlng, the vast >naJorlty In Opposltlon
the proJect. These 1. ssues centered on I) c01flpatlbl11 ty of the
proJect W1 th the surroundlng ne~ghborhood context In ter'TIS of
pedestrlan orlented design, total size and nu~ber of indivldual
lease spaces, scale, uses, and the subterranean parklng garage,
2) parklng and traf:f1c l'TIpacts, 3) publ~c safety and 4)
conslstency wlth the General Plan. The P1annlng CO~1fllSS10n
adopted speclflc flndlngs of denlal based on thelr reVlew of the
proJect, the Inltlal Study and publlC lnput. (See Attach>nent B -
State'1lent of Offlcial Actlon).
In actlng on th1. s appeal, the c~ ty Council >nay I) uphold the
appeal and approve the Negatl.ve Declaratlon and Develop~ent
Review Per~lt with the f1ndings and COndl.tlons contalned In the
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March 3, 1986, P1ann~ng CO'11'Tl~ SSlon staff report or Wl th such
other f~ndlngs and/or candl tions as l t dee'l1s appropr~ate i 2)
re'11and the proJect back to the Plann~ng C0'11'111SS10n with speclflc
directlon for re-deslgni 3) deny the appeal and uphold the
deter'Tllna tlon of the P1ann~ng CO'TIrnl SSlon, or 4) find that the
proJect has the potentlal to cause one or ~ore slgnlflcant
enV.l.ron'llenta1
l'llpacts and requ.l.re that a full or focused
enVlron'11ental i'TIpact report be prepared pr~or to a flnal
deter'lunat.l.On.
~UDGET/FINANCIAL IMPACT
The reco'11'Tlendatlon contalned In thl.s report wl11 not have a
budgetjflnancla1 ~'Tlpact on the Clty.
RECOMMENDATION
Staff respectfully reco'llTflends that the Cl ty Council dlrect the
appl.l.cant to re-des.l.gn the proJect ~n a 'llanner responslve to the
f.l.ndings of the Plannlng C0'11rn~SS10n and return Wl th the revlsed
proJect to the Plannlng CO'TITfllSS10n for further reVlew.
Prepared by: R. Ann Siracusa, D.l.rector of Plannlng
Rlchard M~lls, Aselstant Planner
Clty Plannlng Dlvislon
CO'11'11Unlty and ECOnO'TllC Develop'Tlent Depart'llent
Attach'11ents: A. March 3, 1986, Planning Corn'11.l.Ss~on Staff
Report.
B. March 3, 1986, Plannlng CO'11rnission State'11ent
of Offlclal Actl.on.
C. C~ty Countll PubllC Hearlng Notice.
D. Flna1 Inltial Study EIA 788-B.
cc62 4/11/86
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8E
Attachment A
CITY PLANNING DIVISION
Co~~unity and Econo~ic Develop~ent Depart~ent
M E M 0 RAN DUM
DATE: March 3, 1986
TO: The Honorable Plann~ng co~~iss~on
FROM: Plann1ng Staff
SUBJECT: DR 308-B j EIA 788-B j 625 Montana Avenue: C2 and R3A
D~str~cts j Two-story, 33,750 Sq. Ft. COTfl'TIerc~al Center
W~th Subterranean Park~ngj Appl~cant: Murray Weber.
SITE LOCATION AND DESCRIPTION
The subJect property ~s located on the northwest corner of Mon-
tana Avenue and Seventh Street. The s~ te has 200 I of Montana
Avenue frontage and 150' of Seventh Street frontage. It contains
22,500 sq. ft. of C2 cOTfl~erc~al area on the corner and 7,500
sq. ft. of R3A zoned area on the western 50' of the Slte.
Ex~stlng
cleaners,
uses ~nclude a gas station, auto repair bus~ness,
l~quor store and surface park~ng on the R3A lot.
surrounding uses lnclude one and two-story CO~Tflercial to the east
and south, s~ngle faTfl~ly hous~ng to the north across an alley,
and two and three-story >nult~ple res~dent~al bu~ld~ngs to the
west.
Zon~ng D~str~ct:
C2--22,500 sq. ft.
R3A--7,500 sq. ft.
(3 parcels)
(western~ost parcel)
Land Use Distr~ct: C2 Parcels - Ne~ghborhood Co~~erclal
R3A Parcel - MedlU~ Denslty Houslng
PROJECT REQUEST
The proJect involves the reTfloval of all eXlstlng structures and
uses and the construct~on of a two-story, 33,750 sq.ft. CO'TITfler-
clal center on the C2 Dlstrlct port~on of the site. Veh~cle in-
gress and egress would be fro'Il both Montana Avenue and the rear
alley (Montana Place North) at the western side of the site.
Surface parking for 14 cars would be provided on the R3A lot,
Wl th 105 subterranean park~ng spaces accessed froTfl the surface
parking area.
Two al ternatl ve
been sub>ni t ted .
A," provldes one
layouts for the subterranean parking lot have
The verSlon preferred by the developer, "Plan
and one-half levels of subterranean parking
- 1 -
extendlng under the entlre Sl te, includlng the R3A lot On the
western 50' of the slte. "Plan E" provldes two levels of parklng
under only the C2 portion of the Slte.
Tw'o levels of retail lease space are proposed ln two bUlldlngs
separated by a central open-alr plaza/arcade which would provlde
a pedestrlan connection between the Montana Avenue/Seventh Street
corner and the surface parklng area to the west.
MUNICIPAL CODE AND GENERAL PLAN CONFORMANCE
Category
Munlclpal Code
Land Use
Ele'llent
ProJect
Per>nltted Use
C2
Retall/Offlce
Nelghborhood
CO'll'TIerclal
Retall
Per>n1tted Use
R3A
ReSldentlal/
Surface
Parklng
Resldentlal/
Surface
Parklng
Surface and
Subterranean
Parklng
Helght - C2
2 storles/30'
2 stories/3D'
2 storles/30'
Setbacks - R3A
Front yard
20'
5'
Sldeyard
( we st )
5' landscaplng
5' landscaping
Rearyard
none for
parklng/
loadlng
none
F.A.R. (based
on C2 area)
1.5
1. 5*
Parking Spaces 113
119 (117 wlthout
R3A Front Yard
Varlance)
* The subterranean garage and 1,100 sq.ft. of below-grade storage
area and restroo~s are not lncluded ln the F.A.R. calculatlon.
Staff reVlew of the appllcant's square footage calculatlon In-
dlcates that the 33,750 sq. ft. flgure lncludes exterlor walls
and interlor stalrways. Ad] usted Gross Floor Area for the
prOJect lS approXl'llately 1,500 sq. ft. lower, or 32,250 sq. ft.
PENDING ZONING ADMINISTRATOR REVIEWS
Should the Plannlng CO'll'TI1SS10n approve a Develop'llent ReVlew Per-
'TIlt and a Negative Declaratlon for thlS proJect, a sl.lbsequent
Zonlng Ad'lllnlstrator hearlng would be requlred for the followlng:
1. A Use Per'lllt to allow the subterranean parklng to extend lnto
the R3A Dlstr1ct.
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2. A Front Yard Varlance to allow two non-requlred surface park-
lng spaces to be located ln the front yard of the R3A Dlstr1ct
lot. (The below-grade subterranean garage 'TIay extend into
the front yard.)
CEQA STATUS
An Inltlal Study (EIA 788-B) has been prepared for this proJect
and a Negatl ve Declaratlon has been reco'TITflended by the City's
EnvironTflental Review COTflTfll t tee. The Inl tlal Study lncl ude S a
CO'TIparlSOn between the current proJect and a larger proJect de-
nled by the Planning CO'1l'lliSS10n ln Septel'flber 1985. A revised
TrafflC Analysls for thls proJect also is 1ncluded. The Init1al
Study lS attached for Plannlng COTflTfllSS10n reVlew.
As of the date of preparatlon of th1S staff report, no publ1C
cO'TI'TIents concernlng the Inl tlal St1ldy had been rece1 ved by Plan-
nlng D1V1Slon staff.
ANALYSIS
ThlS proJect lS a scaled-down verS10n of a larger proJect denled
by the Plannlng COT[\TfI1 ssion on September 9, 1985. Total above-
grade floor area has been reduced from 44,476 sq.ft. to 33,750
sq. ft. All above-grade structures are located on the C2 Dlstrlct
port1on of the Slte, wlth surface and subterranean parking on the
R3A Dlstrict lot. A detalled cOTflparatlve analysls of the
or1glnal and revised prOJect TfIay be found In Table I (following
page 1) of the attached Inltial Study.
The app11cant I S preferred subterranean parklng layout, "Plan A",
locates the subterranean garage 1n both the C2 and R3A portions
of the slte. ThlS lS 1n confllct wlth the COmTfllSS10n's September
9th lnterpretatlon of Land Use EleTflent policy 1.2.3 that COTfl'TIer-
clal USe of "A" lots adJacent to nelghborhood cO'll'llercloa1 d1S-
trlcts lS 11'lllted to surface park1ng lots. Thus, staff supports
parklng layout "Plan B" WhlCh 11'llltS subterranean parking to the
C2 portlon of the site.
Two-way vehlcle access to the surface parklng lot would be pro-
v1ded fro'll both Montana Avenue and the rear alley. The City's
Park1ng and Traff1c Englneer has approved thlS circulation sys-
te'1l. However, certa In area s of concern reTflaln, lncl udlng the
vo1u'1le of traff~c that would travel westbound fro'll the slte along
the three-block long alley to Fourth Street, the poss1ble que1ng
of eastbound veh1cles in the alley wa1tlng to turn left (north-
bound) onto Seventh Street, and left turns both in and out of the
Montana Avenue driveway. It is the reco'1l'llendation of the Traffic
Englneer to walt and see how the proJect works In actua11ty be-
fore lnstitutlng any spec1flc traff1c control 'lleasures. Optlons
would include rlght-turn only slgns for vehlcles exit1ng the slte
onto the rear alley and/or Montana Avenue, a rlght-turn only s1gn
for eastbound vehlcles ex~tlng the alley onto Seventh Street,
restrlctlng left turns or provldlng a left turn lane for Montana
eastbound vehlcles want1ng to enter the project, and/or speed
bu'11ps In the alley.
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The subterranean garage would be accessed fro~ the surface park-
1.ng lot, away from any publ1.c s1.dewalk. Th1. s would 1.~prove
pedestrian safety at the sidewalk frontage. The fact that '1lost
of the on-S1.te parking would be subterranean would 1.ncrease the
demand for short-term on-street parking near the proJect.
However, the prov1.sion of SO'1le surface park1.ng and free park1.ng
for custO'1lers and employees should reduce the on-street park1.ng
i'1lpact. Also of benef1.t would be the creation of four to S1.X new
on-street park1.ng spaces on Montana Avenue and Seventh Street
when the exist1.ng curb cuts ,are closed.
Subject to C~ty approval of an Encroach'1lent Per>nit, landscap~ng
would be prov1.ded along the Seventh Street s~dewalk adJacent to
the build1.ng and the rear alley to d1.rect pedestrians away from
the bU1.ld1.ng '1lass and prov1.de an adequate line-of-sight distance
between dr1.vers eX1.t1.ng the alley and pedestr1.ans.
A three foot w1de pedestrian walk not shown on the CO'1lrnisS1.on's
plans would be prov1.ded along the eastern s1.de of the surface
park1.ng lot 1.n exchange for C1.ty approval of an Encroach'1lent Per-
'1l1.t to correct a seventy-plus year old three foot surveY1.ng d1.S-
crepancy along the eastern property boundary. The 200' total
W1.dth of the S1.te shown on the Comm1.ss1.on's plans assumes approv-
al of th1.s Encroachment Permit. The bUllding place'1lent would be
sl1.ghtly reconf1.gured to allow for the walkway. In add1. t1.on,
staff recQm'llends a l1.ne-of-s1.ght bll1.ldlng setback for veh1.cles
and pedestrlan safety where the bU1.ld~ng 'lleets the alley ajacent
to the suface park1.ng lot, W1.th the f1.nal d1.'1lenSl0ns to be deter-
rIl1.ned by the Park1.ng and Traff1.c Eng1.neer and approved by the
Arch1.tectural Rev1.ew Board.
It 1.S recom'1lended that a '1laJor1.ty of ground floor street frontage
uses be '1la1.nta1.ned 1.n ne1.ghborhood cornrnerc1.al uses (as defined in
the Land Use Ele'llent's Glossary). Whlle Land Use Ele~ent pol1.cy
1.7.1 requ1.res a ~aJor1.ty of such uses on a block by block basis,
1. t 1.S reasonable to apply th1. s 'llaJor 1. ty standard to a s1.ngle
large proJect where1.n a~ple non-frontage lease space 1.S ava1.lable
for non-ne1.ghborhood cO'1l'llerc1.al uses. BUS1.ness hours would be
restr1.cted to 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. due to the proJect park1.ng
lot's prox1.m1.ty to res1.dent1.al uses.
Should Tfiore than 15,000 sq. ft. of off1.ce use s be 1.ncorporated
1.nto the proJect 1.n the future, the prov1.sions of the Land Use
EleTfient's Hous1.ng and Parks M1.tigat1.on PrograTfi would apply to the
extent then in effect.
As noted 1.n the In1. t1.al Study (Ite'TI 16d), an analys1. s of the
capac1. ty of the sewer l1.ne serv1.ng the S1. te wOl-lld be done by a
C1.v1.l Engineer and revlewed by the Depart'1lent of General SerV1ces
to deterTfi1.ne 1.ts adequacy to serve the project. If necessary,
the developer would bear the cost of 1.nstallat1.on of a larger
l1.ne 1.n Montana Place North fro'1l Seventh Street to Ocean Avenue.
In sum, except for the noted requests to have subterranean park-
ing and a Front Yard Var1.ance on the R3A lot, the proJect con-
forms to appl1.cable zon1ng and General Plan requireTfients.
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RECOMr-lENDATION.
Based on the above and on In2t2al Study EIA 788-B, 2t 2S respect-
f1llly reco'TITTlended that a Negat~ ve Declarat20n be adopted for EIA
788-B and that Developll1ent Review 308-B be approved W2 th the
f2nd~ngs and cond2t2ons below:
Develop>nent Review F~nd2ngs
1. The developll1ent 2S consistent w2th the f~nd2ngs and pur-
pose of Ordlnance 1321 as set forth below.
2. The physlca1 locatlon and place~ent of proposed structures
on the slte are co>npatlble wlth and relate har>non2ously to
surroundlng sltes and nelghborhoods In that the proJect's
>naXl'TIU'TI helght of 2 storles/30' does not exceed the height
llTTllts of the C2, R3 or RI Dlstrlcts 2n the V1.C1.nlty of
the s1.te; the proJect confor'lls to the bUlld-to-l1.ne pol1.-
Cles of the Land Use Elel'(\ent of the General Plan; the
proJect wl11 lncorporate S1.gn1.flcant pedestrian or1ented
des1.gn features, lnclud1.ng a wide uncovered pedestr1.an
arcade WhlCh vlsually and physlcally opens onto the street
1.ntersectlon; and flnal des1.gn w11I be subJect to the re-
V2ew and approval of the Arch1.tectural Rev1.ew Board.
3. The eXlst2ng and/or proposed rights-of-way and fac2llties
for both pedestrlan and auto'TIob1.le trafflc will be ade-
quate to accoTTl'TIodate the ant1cipated results of the pro-
posed developl'(\ent lncluding off-street parking faclllties
and access thereto l.n that 'llore parking spaces w1.II be
provlded than are requ1.red by the Munclpal Code; four to
S1.X additional on-street parklng spaces wll1 be proVlded
adJacent to the S1.te due to the closure of 'TIUltlple eXlst-
1.ng curb cutsi the In1.tlal Study 1.ncorporated a detalled
trafflc analysls found acceptable by the Park1.ng and Traf-
f1.c Engineer; and the vehlcle access and parklng layout
plan has been approved by the parking and Traff1C
Engineer.
4. The eX1.st1.ng and/or proposed publ1.c and/or prlvate health
and safety facl11ties (lncluding, but not 11.~ited to,
sanltat1.0n, sewers, stor'll dra1.ns, f1.re protectlon devlces,
protectlve serV1.ces, and publlC ut111t1es) w1.1l be ade-
quate to accoTTl'TIodate the ant1.c1.pated results of the pro-
posed developl'(\ent.
5. The proposed developTTlent 1S conSl stent W1. th the General
Plan of the C1.ty of Santa Mon1ca and the Zoning Ordlnance
in that the proJect, as conditloned below, w211 confor'll to
the he1.ght, bulk, use and urban des1gn polic1es for the
Nelghborhood Co~~erC1.al Dlstr1.ct as specif1.ed in the Land
Use Ele~ent of the General Plan and confor~ to the appro-
pr1.ate C2 Ne1.ghborhood COTfl'Uerc1.al D1.str1.ct and R3A D1S-
trlct standards contalned in the Zonlng Ordlnance, SUbJect
to subsequent approval of a Use Per'tu t and/or Front Yard
Variance (as necessary) on the R3A D1strlct lot.
- 5 -
Conditlons
1. ThlS deter~inatlon shall not beco~e effectlve for a per10d
of ten days fro~ the deter~inatlon date or, If appealed,
untll a final deter~lnatlon has been ~ade on the appeal.
2. Plans for flnal deslgn, landscaplng, screenlng, trash en-
closures, and slgnage shall be sUbJect to reVlew and ap-
proval by the Arch1tectural Review Board.
3. The Arch1tectural ReVlew Board, 1n the1r reVlew, shall pay
partlcular attention to the proJect's pedestrl.an orl.enta-
tion and a~enltl.eSi scale and artl.CUlatlon of desl.gn ele-
~entSi exterlor colors, textures and ~aterl.als: window
treat~enti glazlngi and landscaplng.
4. M1nor a~end~ents to the plans shall be subJect to approval
by the D1rector of Plann1ng. An lncrease of ~ore than 10%
of the square footage or a slgnlflcant change in the ap-
proved concept shall be sub J ect to P lann1ng CO~~l s sion
ReV1ew. Construction shall be 1n substantial confor~ance
W1 th the plans sub~i tted or as ~odif1ed by the Planning
CO~~iss1on, Archltectural ReV1ew Board or Director of
Planning.
5. The rights granted herein shall be effective only when
exerc1sed Wlthln a per10d of one year fro~ the effect1ve
date of approval. Upon the wr1tten request of the appl1-
cant, the Dlrector of Plannlng 11Iay extend thlS per10d up
to an addit10nal 5lX ~onths.
6. The appl1cant shall co~ply with all legal requ1re'1lents
regard1ng provls1ons for the dlsabled, lnclud1ng those set
forth 1n the Callfornla Ad~ln1. strat1 ve Code, 'I'l tIe 24,
Part 2.
7. A 11oe-of-S1.ght bUl.ld1ng setback shall be provided at the
ground floor on the northwest corner of the bU1.ld1ng
(where the bUlldlng ~eets the rear alley aJacent to the
surface park1ng lot) ln order to provide for reasonable
vehlcle and pedestrlan safety. Flnal speclf1cat1ons shall
be deter~lned by the parkl.ng and Traffic Engineer and ap-
proved by the Architectural Rev1ew Board.
8. A ~inl~U'il three foot w1de pedestrl.an walk shall be pro-
vlded along the western s1de of the bUl.lding, adJacent to
the surface parklng lot.
9. The park1ng lot shall be str1ped, screened and landscaped
ln confor~ance w1th Sec. 9l27.J.l and Sec. 9129.F.7
( SMHC) .
10. Flnal parklng lot layout and speclfl.cat1ons shall be sub-
Ject to the review and approval of the Parking and Traffic
Englneer.
- 6 -
11. Refuse areas, storage areas and ~echanlcal equlp~ent shall
be screened ln accordance wlth Sec. 9127J.2-4 (SMMC). Re-
fuse areas shall be of a Slze adequate to meet on-Sl te
need.
12. A 5 to 6 foot SOlld ~asonry wall shall be provlded along
property Ilnes WhlCh abut re sldentlal property in accor-
dance wlth Sec. 9127.1 (SMMC).
13. The operatlon shall at all tl~es be conducted in a manner
not detrl'Ilenta1 to surroundlng properties or resldents by
reason of llghts, nOlse, activitles, parking or other
actlons.
14.
No nOl se
shall be
bUl1dlng s .
generatlng cO'llpre ssors
placed adJacent to
or other such equip'llent
neighboring residentla1
15. Openable wlndows shall be provlded throughout the proJect,
ln a ~anner conslstent wlth appllcab1e bUlldlng code and
energy conservatlon requlrements.
16. The existlng drlveways and aprons, located along Seventh
Street and Montana Avenue shall be removed and the eXlst-
ing curb cuts replaced wlth standard curb and gutter per
the speclflcatlons of the Depart~ent of General Servlces.
17. Street trees shall be '1lalntalned, relocated or provided as
requlred ln a l"{lanner conSlstent wlth the City's Tree Code
(Ord. 1242 CCS), per the speclflcatlons of the Departl"{lent
of Recreatlon and Parks and the Departl"{lent of General Ser-
Vlces. No street tree shall be re~oved wlthout the ap-
proval of the Depart'llent of Recreatlon and Parks.
16. Street and/or alley llghtlng shall be provlded on publlC
rlghts-of-way adJacent to the proJect lf and as needed per
the speclflcatlons and wlth the approval of the Department
of General SerVlces.
17. Any outdoor llghtlng shall be shielded and/or dlrected
away frol"{l adJacent resldentlal propertles, wlth any such
llghtlng not to exceed 0.5 foot candles of illullllnation
beyond the perl'1leter of the SUbJect property.
18. On-Sl te parklng shall be 'llade avallable Wl thout cost to
bUlldlng custOl"{lers and e'llployees. Wl thout cost to Cl.lS-
to~ers shall 'lIean a '1l1nl~U~ of one hour free parking, wlth
or wlthout valldatlon, during all buslness hours.
19. The lncorporatlon of 15,000 net rentable sq. ft. or 'TIOre of
general or ~edlcal offlce uses shall subject the property
to the provisions of the Houslng and Parks Mitigatlon Pro-
gra'll as speclfled ln the Land Use Ele~ent of the General
Plan.
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20. A ~aJorlty of the proJect slte's ground floor street
frontage shall be ~alntalned ln nelghborhood cO'lFnerclal
uses, as deflned In the Glossary of the Land Use Ele'tlent
of the Santa Monlca General Plan. (Wlth a slte frontage
of 200' on Montana Avenue and ISO' on Seventh Street, one-
half the total frontage is 175' Ilnear feet. Thus, 175'
of the approxlTnately 250' of buildlng frontage shall be
~alntalned In nelghborhood co~~erclal uses.)
21. BUSlness hours for all bUslnesses withln the project shall
be 11~lted to 7:00 a.'tI. to 10:00 p.~.
22. At no tl~e shall there be dellverles or loadlng to or fro~
vehlcles parked ln the rear alley (Montana Place North).
All dellveries or loadlng actlvity on the R3A lot (the
surface parklng lot) shall be between the hour s of 7: 00
a.'tI. and 10:00 p.'tI.
23. The developer shall pay the cost of a sewer capaclty anal-
ysis of the sewer llne serving the site, sald analYSls to
be by a reglstered civil Englneer and approved by the De-
partl'Uent of General Services. Should the Depart>nent of
General Servlces and/or the Santa Monlca Water Depart'tlent
deterr(llne that the sewer lnfrastructure serv.lng the slte
15 lnadequate, the developer shall provlde for the lnstal-
latlon of such new or enlarged faCllltles as are dee'tled
necessary, up to the cost of replaclng the sewer serVlce
Ilne fro~ the slte westward as far as Ocean Avenue.
Prepared by: Rlchard Mll1s, Asslstant Planner
DR308b 2-24-86 RN:nh
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ATTJArC \;+1V"1C IV 1 U
STATEMENT OF OFFICIAL ACTION
PROJECT.
NUMBER:
DR 308-B
LOCATION:
625 Montana Avenue
APPLICANT:
Murray Weber
REQUEST:
Two-story 33,750 Sq. Ft. CO'1ll1lerclal Center Wl th
Subterranean parklng.
PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION:
3-3-86
Date.
Approved based on the followlng flndlngs and
subJect to the condltlons below.
x
Denled.
Other.
Developl1lent ReVlew Denlal Findlngs.
1. The developl1lent is not conslstent wlth the findlngs and
purpose of Ordinance 1321 as set forth below.
2.
The physlcal locatlon
the slte are not
har11l0nlously to the
that:
and place'1lent of proposed structures on
cOl1lpat~ble wlth and do not relate
surrounding Sl tes and nelghborhood ln
a.
ThlS proJect would set a precedent
non-neighborhodd orlented develop'1lent on
lnCO'1lpatlble wlth the establlshed scale,
a~blance of the area.
for larger,
Montana Avenue
character and
b. EXlstlng CO'1ll1lercial develop'1lent on Montana Avenue lS on a
s'1laller scale and of lower develop'1lent intenslty than the
proposed prOJect.
c. The proJect site lS one of the largest cOl1l'1lercial
develop'1lent sltes on Montana Avenue enco'1lpassing four
standard 50' x ISO' lots coverlng 30,000 sq. ft. of land.
d. The proJect wO'lld create over 32,000 sq. ft. of cO'1l'U.erclal
lease space dlvlded lnto 15-20 separate shops and would be
the largest slngle retall cO'1l'TIerClal cO'TIplex on Montana
Avenue. The lntenslty of thlS a'llount of cO'1l'TIercial
- 1 -
enterpr1se would be out of scale wlth develop~ent on
Montana Avenue.
e. It ~s the Plannlng CO~~iss1on's ~nterpretat1on of the
1ntent of the Land Use Ele~ent that there not be
underground park1ng 1n the C2 Ne1ghborhood Co~~erc1al
D1str1ct. Subterranean park1ng serv1ng retail uses would
be 1nco'TIpat~ble W1 th the establlshed character of
develop~ent on the nelghborhood co~~ercial port1on of
Montana Avenue. Only one eX1st1ng Montana Avenue build1ng
conta1ns subterranean park1ng--a 15,000 sq. ft.
retai1/~ed~cal offlce bUl1d~ng at Montana Avenue and 15th
Street WhlCh was approved prlor to adoption of the current
Land Use Ele~ent of the General Plan.
f. It 1 S not the 1ntent of the Land Use Ele'11ent to create
second floor retal1 uses as a co~ponent of co~~erClal
develop~ent. Vlrtually no eX1sting build1ngs on Montana
Avenue III the Clty of Santa Monlca conta1ll retal1 uses at
the second floor level.
g. One of the pr1'11e Land Use Ele~ent goals for the C2
Ne1ghborhood CO~'11ercial area 1S to pro'11ote pedestrian
or1entat10n. Typ1cal Montana Avenue stores front d1rectly
onto Montana Avenue and cO'11'l1only have no ~ore than 10' to
25' of sidewalk frontage. In contrast, the proposed
proJect w01.l1d be orlented to its 1nterlor, contalll a
pro~lnent central pede str1al plaza! arcade, and face the
perl'tleter street and alley frontages of the Sl te W1 th
two-story h1gh vert1cal walls up to 150' 1n length.
3. The eX1st1ng and proposed r1ghts-of-way and fac111 t1es for
both pedestrlan and aut0'l10blle traffic lncludlng off-street
parklng and access thereto would not be adequate to protect
the ad]Oln1ng streets and ne1ghborhood fro~ negative ~~pacts
resultlng fro~ the proJect ~n that:
a. Both Montana Avenue and Seventh Street carry slgnif1cant
volu~es of traff1c but have only one traff1C lane In each
direct10n adJacent to the slte.
b. Montana Avenue narrows fro'11 four lanes east of Seventh
Street to two lanes west of Seventh Street. The subj ect
property 1S located exactly where Montana Avenue narrows.
Th1S ~akes the slte un~que.
c. The project would aggrevate exist1ng traff1c c1rculatlon
approach~ng and at the street and alley ~ntersections
adJacent to the sltei would cause add1tional traff~c
delays i and would create hazardous cross traff1C where
Montana Place North alley 1ntersects Seventh Street and
where the surface park1ng lot accesses Montana Avenue.
d. The proJect would contaln bllnd intersectlons creat1ng
pedestrian and veh1cle hazards at the 1ntersection of the
surface park1ng lot and Montana Place North and at the
- 2 -
~ntersect~on of Montana Place North and the Seventh Street
slodewalk.
e. The proJect would place a slgnif~cant a~ount of traffloc on
Montana Place North--a 20' w1de partially obstructed alley
not des1gned for heavy co~~ercloal use--and restrict
res~dentlal vehicle access to ne1ghbor~ng propert1es.
f. The Seventh Street and Montana Avenue intersection
provl.des a ~a1n crossing slgnal used by a large nu~ber of
pedestr1an s lncl udlng senlor Cl tlzens and children. The
s~te 1S one block fro~ Roosevelt Ele~entary School and
near other neighborhood school s and along a publ1cally
des1gnated ~aJor pedestr1an path for school ch~ldren.
g. The relat1vely few surface parklong spaces in the proJect
(12 to 14 out of 117 to 119) would sharply lncrease the
de~and for and use of ava1lable on-street park1ng spaces
both along Montana Avenue and on adJacent resldent1al
streets. Surface and on-street park1ng l5 typically the
parkl.ng locat~on of flrst cholce by the ~aJorl.ty of
custO'l1ers of reta1l co~~erc1al centers such as the one
proposed, resulting 1n a lower ut1l1zatlon rate of the
subterranean park1ng facl.l1tl.es.
4. The publlC health and safety would be negatl.vely l.'l1pacted 1n
that the proJect would place a slgnlf1cant a'l1ount of traffic
on Montana Place North--a 20' wide part1ally obstructed alley
not desl.gned for heavy C0'l1'l1erc1al use--and thus restrl.ct flre
and other e~ergency veh1cle access to nelghboring propert1es.
S. The C2 Nelghborhood C0'l1~erc1al Distr1ct 1S for ne1ghborhood
servlng uses. The proposed proJect goes beyond this. The
proJect would create CO'l1~erclal retail stores and the
potent1al for other cO'l1'l1erclal uses (such as restaurants) in
excess of those needed by the i'l1'TIedlate ne1ghborhood and
would create a large (IDS-space) subterranean park1ng
fac~ll ty for the purpose of servlng sald retail store sand
other uses in confl1ct Wl th the follow1ng Land Use Ele'l1ent
ObJectives as set forth 1n the C~ty's General Plan:
1.7 ObJect1ve: Protect and expand uses that prov1de for the
day-to-day shoPP1ng and serV1ce needs of nearby resldents.
The Clty shall encourage the provl.sion of nelghborhood
CO'TI~erc~al serVlces with~n walking distance of all
ne1ghborhoods.
1.2 ObJ ect~ ve: Ensure cornpat1bill ty of adJacent
with part1cular concern for protect1ng
ne1ghborhoods.
land uses,
resl.dential
1.10 ObJectlve: Expand the opportunl ty for res1.dential land
use wh~le protect long the scale and character of eXl stlng
ne1ghborhoods.
- 3 -
3.2 ObJectlve: Protect the scale and character of resident1al
ne1ghborhoods adJacent to co~~ercial areas.
I hereby certify that this State~ent of
accurately reflects the final dete~ination
co~ission of the City of Santa Monica.
Off1cial Action
of the Planning
signature
date
prlnt na~e and title
stdr308b RM:nh 4-8-86
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... ;
OFFICIAL NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
UN AVISO DE UNA AUDIENCIA PUBLICA*
~,' \ "'c...~ "'^~T "c II
TO: Concerned Persons
FROM: The City of Santa Monica
SUBJECT: Notice of Public Hearing
A Publ~c Hearing wl1l be held by the Santa Monica Clty Caunell on
Tuesday, April 22, 1986 on the followlng request:
This is an appeal of a March 3, 1986, denlal by the Plann~ng
CO~~lsS1on of a Develop~ent ReVlew Per~it for a two-story 33,750
sq. ft. cornrnerCJ.al complex. wlth surface and subterranean parking
on the northwest corner of Montana Avenue and Seventh Street.
Responses and CO'1l~ents rece~ ved on the rni tial Study have been
prepared and lncorporated lnto the Flnal 1nl t~al Study, and are
available for review In the Clty Plannlng Dlvis~on, ROO.n 212,
C~ty Hall, 1685 Ma~n Street. Santa Mon~ea, California.
TIME:
TUESDAY, APRIL 22
, 1986 AT 7:30 P.M.
LOCATION:
COUNCIL CHAMBER, ROOM 213 CITY HA.T.T.
1685 MAIN STREET. SANTA MONICA
SUBJECT OF HEARING:
DR 308-B; ErA 788-Bi Appeal of Plannlng
CO'1l.'Ilisslon Denlal of Development Review
Per'll1. t; Conslderatlon of Flnal Ini tlal
Study/Negat1ve Declarat~on
PROPERTY ADDRESS
AND ZONING:
625 Montana Avenue
C2 and R3A Dlstrlcts
You are be1.ng lnfor'1\ed of thJ.s hearlug because aceordlng to
infor'tlatlon SUb'llltted by the appllcant, you are a property owner
or a resident near the proJect slte. If you are no longer the
owner of property in th~s area, please forward thlS notlce to the
current owner. The Cl ty encourages publlc cOlll'tlent on thl sand
other proJects. You or your representatlve, or any other persons
'llay cO'1lrnent at the public hearlng, or by writing a letter.
Letters should be addressed to the Clty Plannlng Dlv~slon, Roo'll
212, Clty Hall, 1685 Ma~n Street, Santa Monlca, Callforn~a 90401.
If des~red, further ~nfOr'llatlon on any appl~cat~on rnay be
obtalned fro'll the Clty Plann1.ng Divlslon, Roo'tl 212, Santa Monica
Clty Hall, 1685 Maln Street, Santa Monlca, Callfornla 90401 or by
telephone (213) 458-8341.
The rneetlng facl1lty is accesslble. If
needs such as sign language lnterpretlng,
of the Dlsabled at 458-8701.
you have any special
please contact Offlce
Pursuant to Californla Governrnent Code Seetlon 64009(b), If thlS
'tlatter 15 subsequently challenged 1n Court. the challe~ge ~ay be
ll'tlited to only those issues ralsed
descrlbed ln thlS notice, or ~n wrltten
to the Clty of Santa Monlca at, or prlor
at the PubllC Hearlng
correspondence delivered
to, the PubllC Hearlng.
* Este es un aviso de una audlencia publica de applleac~ones para
un Ca'tlbl0 de zona en Santa Manlca que por 10 cual puede ser de
lnteres para usted. Para 'Tlas infor'llaC10n par favor lla'tle a
Mary Testa en Clty Plannlng D~V1Slon al nU'Tlero (213) 458-8341.
'10 7--- {){J'l
AbDIO
~-I?
APR 2 2 19B6
cjED:RFM:R!-1:nh
Santa Monlca, Callfornla
Informatlon Item: Aprll 18~ 1986
TO:
Mayor and City Council
FRON:
Clty Staff
SUBJECT: Addltlonal Attachment for Item 12B, Aprll 22, 1986
Agenda.
Item 123 on the April 22nd Cauncll agenda lS an appeal of a
Plannlng Comroisslon denlal of a commerclal proJect at 625 Montana
Avenue.
At the request of the appllcant, written publlC comments recelved
at and subsequent to the Plannlng Comr.USSlon hearlng have been
copled and are attached for your informatlon.
The Flnal Inltlal
Study enclosed In the orlglnal Councll packet lncludes all
comments recelved up to the tlme of the Plannlng COmITilSS10n
hearlng.
Prepared by: R. Ann Slracusa, Dlrector of Plannlng
Rlchard Mllls, Asslstant Planner
Clty Plannlng Dlvislon
Communlty and EconomlC Development Department
CC62a
- 1 -
A1;jl} 10
l;l-~
AVR " 2. \986