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council Meeting: October 28, 1986
Santa Monica, California
TO: Mayor and City council
FROM: City Staff
SUBJECT: Appeal of Development Review No. 340: Proposed
Construction of an Automotive Parts and Brake Service
Center at 2317 Lincoln Boulevard, Santa Monica;
Applicant: Delmers Brake Service.
INTRODUCTION
This report recommends that the City Council deny the appeal
submitted by twelve neighbors residing on Pearl and Cedar Streets
and approve Development Review 340 as recommended in the staff
report and approved by the Planning Commission. On September 15,
1986, the Planning commission approved the project by a 5-0 vote.
The matter is now before the city Council for consideration.
staff recommendation is to deny the appeal and uphold the
Planning Commission's approval.
BACKGROUND
The proposed project involves the relocation of the existing
Oelmers Brake Service on Lincoln Boulevard between Cedar and
Pearl streets to a new facility to be constructed on a vacant lot
to the south.
The new structure would be an 1,800 sq. ft.
automotive parts shop and brake service center with two service
bays.
A total of eight parking spaces are provided, six
accessible from the alley and two located in the driveway area
facing Lincoln Boulevard. A vacant 144 sq. ft. tin shed and a
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OCT 2 8 1988
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432 sq. ft. concrete block storage room will be removed from the
property.
Automotive repair facilities are permitted in the C4 zone as well
as in the Lincoln South Land Use District. Additional
information provided as exhibits attached to this report include
the letter of appeal (EXhibit A), the Planning Commission
Statement of Official Action (Exhibit B), a more detailed project
description in the Planning Commission staff Report (Exhibit C),
the Planning Commission PUblic Notice (Exhibit D), and the
project plans (Exhibit E).
ANALYSIS
The appellants state that due to both the scheduling of the item
on the pUblic hearing agenda and the process used during the
hearing they did not receive enough time to present their case.
However I standard procedures were adhered to I allowing for 3
minutes of public testimony per person. commissioner discussion
followed the applicant's presentation, the public hearing and the
applicant's rebuttal period. The process does not permit
discussion between the Commissioners and the public unless the
commissioners have questions for the public speakers. In
addition, all speaker's chits are saved regardless of whether
presentations are made.
The appellants object to the wording in the public notice.
Public notification of the hearing was handled in the standard
procedure, with notices directing persons with questions to the
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Planning Department. The notice specified that the project would
be both a parts and brake service center (Exhibit D) .
The appellant objects to the concentration of automotive
businesses on Lincoln Boulevard near residential uses because
such businesses are more obnoxious than other commercial uses
and, therefore, should be located in industrial areas. However,
Land Use Element Policy 1.6.4 states that "Lincoln Boulevard
south of the freeway should accommodate regional and
community-oriented service-commercial uses. II These uses are
defined as businesses not used by individuals on a daily basis
but used occasionally by both local and regional residents. Auto
repair, as well as wholesale businesses with retail outlets, are
among these uses. The appellant objects to a wholesale business
that uses the alley abutting a residential district for constant
pick up and delivery. However, the proposal specifies that the
two parking spaces accessed from Lincoln Blvd. will be for this
type of in and out activity. The parking located off the alley
will be primarily for employee use.
The opponents also express concern over Delmer's existing use of
the residential streets for test driving and parking cars. The
proposed project provides more parking spaces than the Municipal
Code requires (8 versus 6). The Planning Commission statement of
Official Action added a Special condition prohibiting test
driving on the surrounding residential streets and confining it
to commercial streets, particularly Lincoln Blvd. (Exhibit B)~
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The appellants raise the issue of another automotive service use
occupying Delmer's vacated building. Per ordinance 1321, new
automotive service centers, body shops, or parts stores, as well
as the expansion of more than 10% of an existing such use, must
be approved by the Planning commission in a public hearing.
The appellants state that a letter opposing the project was lost
and not received by the Planning Commissioners. The letter was
handed to each of the Commissioners at the hearing on September
8. The original letter is not lost, but in the project file.
As indicated in the September 8, 1986 Staff Report (Attachment
B), the proposed project is consistent with the Municipal Code
and with the policies and objectives of the Land Use Element. In
approving the project, the Planning Commission approved findings
and conditions as amended in the statement of Official Action
(Attachment C) to support the project's consistency.
COUNCIL CONSIDERATION
In acting on this item, the city Council may deny the appeal and
approved Development Review 340 with the findings and conditions
contained in the September 15, 1986 Planning Commission Statement
of Official Action; or otherwise act to approve, conditionally
approve, or deny the project as it deems appropriate.
BUDGET/FISCAL IMPACT
The recommendations presented in this report do not have a
budget/fiscal impact.
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RECOMMENDATION
staff respectfully recommends that the City Council deny the
appeal and approve Development Review 340 with the findings and
conditions contained in the September 15, 1986, planning
commission statement of Official Action.
Prepared by: R. Ann Siracusa, Director of Planning
Suzanne Frick, Principal Planner
Amanda schachter, Assistant Planner
Planning Division
Community and Economic Development Department
Attachments: A. Letter of Appeal by concerned Citizens Living
Near Cedar and Lincoln.
B. September 8, 1986, planning Commission staff
Report.
C. September 15, 1986 Planning Commission
statement of Official Action.
D. planning Commission Public Hearing Notice.
E. Project Plans.
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CCDR340
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