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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014-01-21 PC AGENDA1 AGENDA PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING CITY OF HERMOSA BEACH CITY HALL COUNCIL CHAMBERS 1315 VALLEY DRIVE HERMOSA BEACH, CA 90254 January 21, 2014 7:00 P.M. Peter Hoffman, Chairman Kent Allen, Vice Chairman Michael Flaherty Sam Perrotti Ron Pizer Note: No Smoking Is Allowed in the City Hall Council Chambers THE PUBLIC COMMENT IS LIMITED TO THREE MINUTES PER SPEAKER Planning Commission agendas and staff reports are available for review on the City’s web site at www.hermosabch.org. Wireless access is available in the City Council Chambers for mobile devices: Network ID: City Council and Password: chb13 Written materials distributed to the Planning Commission within 72 hours of the Planning Commission meeting are available for public inspection immediately upon distribution in the Community Development Department during normal business hours from Monday through Thursday, 7:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. and on the City’s website. Final determinations of the Planning Commission may be appealed to the City Council within 10 days of the next regular City Council meeting date. If the 10th day falls on a Friday or City holiday, the appeal deadline is extended to the next City business day. Appeals shall be in written form and filed with the City Clerk's office, accompanied by an appeal fee. The City Clerk will set the appeal for public hearing before the City of Hermosa Beach City Council at the earliest date possible. If you challenge any City of Hermosa Beach decision in court, you may be limited to raising only those issues you or someone else raised at the public hearing described on this agenda, or in a written correspondence delivered to the Planning Commission at, or prior to, the public hearing. To comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, Assistive Listening Devices will be available for check out at the meeting. If you need special assistance to participate in this meeting, please call or submit your request in writing to the Community Development Department at (310) 318-0242 at least 48 hours (two working days) prior to the meeting time to inform us of your needs and to determine if/how accommodation is feasible. 2 1. Pledge of Allegiance 2. Roll Call 3. Oral / Written Communications Anyone wishing to address the Commission regarding a matter not related to a public hearing on the agenda may do so at this time. Section I Consent Calendar 4. Approval of the December 4, 2013 Action Minutes 5. Resolution(s) for Consideration - None THE RECOMMENDATIONS NOTED BELOW ARE FROM THE PLANNING STAFF AND ARE RECOMMENDATIONS ONLY. THE FINAL DECISION ON EACH ITEM RESTS WITH THE PLANNING COMMISSION. PLEASE DO NOT ASSUME THAT THE STAFF RECOMMENDATION WILL BE THE ACTION OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION. Section II Public Hearing 6. PDP 13-17 / CUP 13-10 / PARK 13-5 -- Precise Development Plan and Conditional Use Permit for a 7,400± square foot, three-story mixed-use building with commercial use on the ground floor, three apartments on the upper floors, and subterranean parking (replacing a mixed-use building occupied by a restaurant “La Sosta Enoteca” and two apartments), and Parking Plan to allow a snack shop within the commercial space with less than required parking, at 2700 Manhattan Avenue, and determination that the project is Categorically Exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (continued from the November 19 and December 4, 2013 meetings). Staff Recommended Action: To adopt the resolution approving the Precise Development Plan, Conditional Use Permit and Parking Plan subject to conditions, and determination that the project is Categorically Exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Section III Hearing 7. S-21#9 -- Determine whether the property is a convex sloping lot and may use alternative spot elevations rather than property corner elevations along the east and west property lines for purposes of determining building height at 132 33rd Street. Staff Recommended Action: To direct staff as deemed appropriate. 3 Section IV 8. Staff Items a. Report on compliance of Watermans HB (22 Pier Avenue), Studio (1320 Hermosa Avenue) and Establishment (1332 Hermosa Avenue) with requirements concerning reporting of food to alcohol sales ratios of their Conditional Use Permits (continued from the November 19, 2013 meeting). b. Report on City Council actions. c. Report on comprehensive planning processes. d. Tentative future Planning Commission agenda. e. Community Development Department activity reports of November, 2013. 9. Commissioner Items 10. Adjournment 1 Planning Commission Action Minutes December 4, 2013 ACTION MINUTES OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING OF THE CITY OF HERMOSA BEACH HELD ON DECEMBER 4, 2013, 7:00 P.M., AT THE CITY HALL COUNCIL CHAMBERS All public testimony and the deliberations of the Planning Commission can be viewed on the City’s web site at www.hermosabch.org, On-Demand Video of City Meetings The meeting was called to order at 7:25 P.M. by Chairman Hoffman. 1. Pledge of Allegiance 2. Roll Call Present: Commissioners Allen, Flaherty, Perrotti, Pizer, Chairman Hoffman Absent: None Also Present: Ken Robertson, Community Development Director Pamela Townsend, Senior Planner Lauren Langer, Assistant City Attorney Aaron Gudelj, Assistant Planner 3. Oral / Written Communications Anyone wishing to address the Commission regarding a matter not related to a public hearing on the agenda may do so at this time. Section I CONSENT CALENDAR 4. Approval of the November 19, 2013 action minutes ACTION: To approve the above minutes as presented. MOTION by Commissioner Perrotti, seconded by Commissioner Flaherty. The motion carried by a unanimous vote. 5. Resolution(s) for Consideration - None Section II Public Hearing 6. PDP 13-17 / CUP 13-10 / PARK 13-5 -- Precise Development Plan and Conditional Use Permit for a 7,600± square foot, three-story mixed-use building with commercial use on the ground floor, three apartments on the upper floors, and subterranean parking (replacing a mixed-use building occupied by a restaurant “La Sosta Enoteca” and three apartments), and Parking Plan to allow a snack shop within the commercial space with less than required parking, at 2700 Manhattan Avenue, and determination that the project is 2 Planning Commission Action Minutes December 4, 2013 Categorically Exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (continued from the November 19, 2013 meeting). Staff Recommended Action: To adopt the resolution approving the Precise Development Plan, Conditional Use Permit and Parking Plan subject to conditions, and determination that the project is Categorically Exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). ACTION: To continue the public hearing to January 21, 2014 for the staff to work with applicant to: 1) reduce the size of the snack shop area and add parking spaces. 2) modify green loading parking spaces to provide for delivery vehicles. 3) require that the over height elevator housing be eliminated. 4) modify the resolution concerning the insulation requirements cited in the staff report. Motion by Commissioner Perrotti, seconded by Commissioner Flaherty. The motion carried by the following vote: AYES: Comms. Allen, Flaherty, Perrotti, Pizer, Chmn. Hoffman NOES: None ABSTAIN: None ABSENT: None Section III 7. Staff Items a. Report on City Council actions. b. Report on comprehensive planning processes. c. Tentative future Planning Commission agenda. d. Community Development Department activity reports of October, 2013. 8. Commissioner Items 9. Adjournment The meeting was formally adjourned at 9:34 P.M. CERTIFICATION I hereby certify the foregoing Minutes are a true and complete record of the action taken by the Planning Commission of Hermosa Beach at the regularly scheduled meeting of December 4, 2013. Peter Hoffman, Chairman Ken Robertson, Secretary Date Residential Impact Summary 1)Redefines residential and commercial parking access from Manhattan Ave to 28th Court. 2)Residential parking access from 28th Court requires a traffic light signal at the entrance to attempt to coordinate single use of the access ramp to subterranean parking. The traffic light is unprecedented in this area. 3)Increase in residential units from 2 to 3 and associated non-compliant parking (required parking space length dimension 20’ per 17.44.100(A)). 4)Commercial parking access from 28th Court. 28th Court (15ft Right-of-Way) does not support two way traffic generated by commercial access per 10.12.040. 5)Violates R-3 zoning height restriction and impedes neighboring views who are subject to R-2 zoning (35ft elevator housing in SE corner of property). 6)Commercial hour increase from 31.5 hrs per week (La Sosta hours: Su,Tu,W 6p- 11p and Th-Sat 6p-11:30p) to 91 hrs per week (Proposed Development hours: 7a-8p, 7 days/week). All Items Represent Significant Impacts To Our Neighborhood As Referenced in 17.26.020(B)(1) 2 Subterranean Parking Egress Cued Entering Residential Vehicle Exiting Commercial Patron Vehicle Manhattan Ave. 28th Court Exiting Residential Neighbor Vehicle Typical 28th Court Traffic Scenario Comment: • 2 vehicles cannot pass within 28th Court right-of-way • Vehicle #2 & #4 will be forced to back out on to Manhattan Ave to alleviate contention (see 17.44.160(E)) • Vehicle #1, #2, #3 & #4 are all associated with the development project 2 1 5 3 4 3 15 ft 28th Court looking East from Manhattan Ave. 15 ft Sequence 1.Vehicle #1 maneuvers to leave underground parking and triggers traffic light 2. Vehicle #2 approaches on 28th Court to enter underground parking but must wait till Vehicle #1 exits ramp 3.Vehicle #3 wants to exit Snack shop 4.Vehicle #4 wants to enter Snack shop parking that Vehicle #3 is vacating 5.Vehicle #5 is a neighboring resident wishing to exit on to Manhattan Ave. from 28th Court 4 Boundary contains Residence, Schools & Parks plus the Single Subject Commercial Zone Proposed 15ft right of way for commercial access Small considerations to code can have a significant adverse effect on the surrounding residential neighborhood Isolated Commercial Zoning Manhattan Ave Property to East 132 33rd Street (Subject Property) Property to West Palm Drive Palm Drive Property to West 132 33rd Street, Alley View of 133 33rd Place Property to East Manhattan Ave North East Corner on 33rd Street looking South, property corner indicated in red. North West Corner on 33rd Street looking South. South West Corner on 33rd Place looking North. South East Corner on 33rd Place looking North. November 19, 2013 Honorable Chairman and Members of the Hermosa Beach Planning Commission 1315 Valley Drive Hermosa Beach, CA 90254 RE: Request of Recusal of Planning Commissioner Ron Pizer in regards to Section V: Item 13 Report on Compliance of 50/50 Ratios and any future discussions. Ron Pizer acted as an activist and used his title as appointed City of Hermosa Beach Planning Commission member to support Measure B on the recent November 5, 2013 election. This is in contrast to 100% opposition by the elected Hermosa Beach City Council. This action went far beyond freedom of speech and showed a demonstrated bias toward specific businesses and late night hours in the City of Hermosa Beach. He went as far as to sign the argument for Measure B on the ballot. I was the head and spokesman for the Committee to Protect Hermosa’s Local Businesses-No on B. My position was in direct opposition to Commissioner Pizer’s biased view of the need to take property rights from business and land owners without due process. Fortunately, City of Hermosa Beach voters thoroughly repudiated his biased belief by over 72%. I have made a public records request on November 4, 2013 for any e-mails from/to Planning Commission members related to Measure B. I should have received these documents yesterday, as of today I have received nothing. All participants in a City of Hermosa Beach Planning Commission hearing should be afforded an unbiased and fair hearing. Therefore, I request that Ron Pizer recuse himself from decisions related to my business or any other restaurant or bar businesses’ hours or operating conditions in the City of Hermosa Beach. Sincerely, David Lowe Managing Member Knight Restaurant Group, LLC. (310) 908-6157 Knight Restaurant Group, LLC. | 1332 Hermosa Avenue, #1, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254 www.eat-establishment.com 1 November 19, 2013 Honorable Chairman and Members of the Hermosa Beach Planning Commission 1315 Valley Drive Hermosa Beach, CA 90254 RE: Section V: Item 13 Report on Compliance of 50/50 Ratios Honorable Chairman and Members of the Hermosa Beach Planning Commission: In regards, to Section V: Item 13 on the agenda tonight. Item 3 of our Conditional Use Permit reads: 3. The permittee shall maintain a summary of gross receipts of food and alcohol indicating the percentage of each to the total on a monthly basis, to be audited and certified by a certified public accountant. The permittee shall submit said summaries to the Police Chief monthly for the four month period following approval of the Conditional Use Permit and quarterly thereafter. The Police Chief reserves the right to request additional verification as needed to verify compliance with this conditional Use permit. Failure to provide said quarterly reports on a regular basis shall result in a request by the City to the ABC to investigate the subject business’ compliance with the alcohol conditions.” The condition was specifically drawn up to create a “firewall” from abuse of extremely sensitive confidential information and trade secrets. The requirement to use a CPA to audit financials on a quarterly basis costs about $8-10K per year. Even though this condition is expensive and overboard in my opinion it affords a sense of security. Nowhere in Condition #3 much less State law, is there a mechanism for the City to audit, confidential financial information. The disclosure of this information publicly would cause irreparable harm to our company. There is no way that City Staff is able to protect this information, much less in a public hearing. That is why percentages are submitted instead of specific numbers. We go to great lengths to protect this information by requiring our members and employees to sign non-disclosure agreements. We also go to great lengths to protect the physical data from disclosure. The United States Constitution and the California Constitution afford person’s and entity’s an inalienable right and expectation of privacy against serious invasion. “Businesses regardless of their legal form have zones of privacy which may not be legitimately invaded”.1 The condition #3 does allow the Police Chief and only the Police Chief to request additional information to verify compliance. By the way the Police Chief has never requested additional 1 H&M Associates vs. City of El Centro (1980) 109 Cal App 3d 399,410 www.eat-establishment.com Page 1 information as mentioned in the CUP. Even if that right was exercised, asking for every piece of paper or digital media for two years would be an overreach and unenforceable. The City’s choice of auditor is not a CPA but a restaurant consultant that deals directly with our competitors. What is the difference between a CPA and a non-certified accountant? CPA’s actually majored in accounting in college, sat for the CPA exam covering theory, practices, auditing and law, worked for an established accounting firm for 2-yrs. A CPA must then endure 500-hrs of auditing time to earn their certification. The City’s choice of auditor does not even list audits as a function of its business on their website. In California the law only allows CPAs to provide audited or reviewed financial statements. Why the City would require the businesses to use a CPA and then choose not to use one themselves baffles the mind. Regarding compliance, we complied with this requirement until we had an Air Conditioning breakdown at the unit next door to our office in February 2013. This not only destroyed two of our computer systems from extreme heat but prevented the use of our office for several months. I have had several meetings with the City Manager and Finance Director regarding this issue and discussed it with Bob Rollins and Ken Robertson as well. Due to pending lease negotiations at the time and remodel requirements for the vacant unit responsible for the A/C we went without the use of this vital space for 6-months. In July 2013 we decided with our landlord that the best solution was a mini-split A/C system installation that was completed in August 2013(see attached e-mails). This situation left us having to recover from paper versions of documents, which is extremely time-consuming and expensive. We are still at least a month out on being able to file 2012 Federal and State Tax returns that are past due. At that point we will move on to 2013 information hopefully before the April 15, 2014 deadline. The Planning Commission has a well-defined CUP Review process now with a point system that was supposed to prevent this type of abuse of selective enforcement. This process was ignored to intentionally harass certain businesses. Why the City would choose 3-businesses with no enforcement issues or calls for service for five years is odd and begs the question of what is too be gained by the City? In the past year I spear headed the unprecedented cooperation between the City and the business community to address specific issues of the downtown area. This included bathrooms and off-duty police officers at all major events and coordinated with the Police department. I also helped negotiate the use of private land for a lighting system for the City Police Department to help disperse crowds at night on demand. The cost of these initiatives, were in the area of $20,000 which was covered by my company while also paying the City with no re- imbursement to date from the Finance Director. So the notion that myself or my company has any intention of having an adverse effect on this City is completely contrary to the facts. Since launching our new company in February 2012 we have done everything in our power to provide the best service and product to the citizens of Hermosa Beach. That fact was reinforced when we were named by the Easy Reader one of the top seven restaurants in the South Bay for 2012 (see attached). www.eat-establishment.com Page 2 I hope that those of you, who were around, remember the modification/revocation proceedings of the past and understand how expensive and time-consuming they are. The very vote to initiate one causes irreparable harm to the business in bad press regardless of the outcome. We respectfully, request your careful consideration in this matter. Sincerely, David Lowe Managing Member Knight Restaurant Group, LLC www.eat-establishment.com Page 3 News|Richard Foss|January 3, 2013 5:00 am Last year’s top new restaurants in the South Bay For over a decade, one of my first tasks of the year has been to make a list of the best new restaurants in the South Bay. It’s never an easy job. The overall quality of the dining experience in the Beach Cities has been improving, and it’s harder each year for newcomers to match the standards of their established competitors, much less excel in comparison. The size of my list has varied, depending on the number of establishments that opened and the virtues of the places under consideration. This year I got to seven before deciding I had included all that unequivocally qualified. I hesitated over a few places that showed promise but were too inconsistent in food or service. In the end I decided against them – to make the cut a restaurant had to offer a reliably good experience. As always, there are judgment calls about just what makes an establishment new – merely changing the menu or ownership is not enough. Some established places made major changes but kept the same identity, and that was enough to disqualify them. One name is missing from this list – House of Pita would have certainly made the cut had they remained open, but they closed in late November amid reports of illness among the owners. Condolences to the Naouikhir family – we hope to see you again, and already miss your wonderful whole-wheat pita bread. So without further ado, here is my list of the best restaurants to open in the South Bay in 2012 – sorted alphabetically this time. Chefs Dominique Theval of Dominque’s Kitchen, Alan Jackson of Lemonade, Tin Vuong of Abigaile, and Ben Wright of Jackson’s Food + Drink, along with Jackson’s owner Scott Cooper (seated)) represent the best new restaurants that opened in the South Bay during 2012. Photo by Chelsea Sektnan 1 Abigaile The pre-opening expectations for this place were so high that I doubted they could deliver – the owners put a ton of money into Abigaile’s char sui pork belly confit with wilted greens and pepper-pear relish. Photo by Wicked+ Media redecorating the former Union Cattle Company, announced the hiring of a celebrity chef, and announced that they were going to restart the microbrewery after years of inactivity. Somehow they delivered on every level, serving adventurous food in an outlandish but comfortable environment while pleasing beer snobs with the output of those big copper tanks. Founding chef Max diMare turned things over to Tin Vuong and standards not only didn’t fall, the place got even more adventurous. Recently Abigaile started hosting special dinners that pushed things further, exploring the limits of a cuisine that is both hedonistic and healthy. This stylish restaurant offers food for adults in a casual, whimsical environment, which fits Hermosa very well and has elevated the local scene. 1301 Manhattan Avenue Hermosa Beach (310) 798-8227 2 Dominique’s Kitchen Chef Dominique Theval The only restaurant from Redondo to make the cut this year serves French food in an elegant atmosphere and is very reasonably priced – a rare combination indeed. You can get a starter and entrée here for under twenty dollars, and that’s not a happy hour or midweek price – it’s just what they charge. Chef Dominique Theval has traveled the world and undoubtedly could bring in influences from Japan, Cambodia, or other places where he has traveled, but his heart is in France, and he cooks with mastery of those traditional flavors. He has the support of an expert serving staff that knows food and wine as well as the art of providing hospitality. Dominique’s Kitchen has made a brilliant debut, every detail perfect from the day they opened, and they have made an unpromising location into a destination for diners. 522 S Pacific Coast Hwy, Redondo Beach (424) 247-9054 3 Establishment The Establishment’s blue chip nachos. Photo by Kathalina Rodriguez I have hardly ever gone to a place with lower expectations than on my first visit to Establishment – their website was a joke, the phone was out of order, and it looked like a lounge scene at which the food was an afterthought. I was surprised by innovative versions of bar snacks and some eclectic offerings – nachos that only vaguely resemble the usual pile of cheese, chips, and beans, quesadillas that owe more inspiration to Napa than Mexico, and barbecue-style ribs that are more than the usual snack to accompany booze. Establishment is not doing anything remarkably different from many bars and dining lounges in the South Bay, but they’re doing it remarkably better. It’s a rare triumph for a lounge-style place where skill in the kitchen seems to be appreciated by a crowd that is doing more than just making the scene. 1332 Hermosa Ave, Hermosa Beach (310) 798-6216 4 Hamptons The South Bay’s only restaurant that celebrates New England and East Coast resort dining has had some challenges, among Hamptons. Photo by Kathalina Rodriguez them the fact that very few locals have even heard of this cuisine. When I wrote about this place in August I called it a good restaurant that could become a great one, and that judgment stands; they are struggling for consistency, but there are enough excellent items here to keep them on my list. Their chowder, grilled seafood, and especially the crabcakes are solid renditions of East Coast favorites, and the pizzas have been praiseworthy. The owners are still tinkering with the food, having recently hired a new chef, added an oyster bar, and started opening for breakfast, so there is a sense that Hamptons is experimenting with ways to improve on an already good operation. 1131 Manhattan Ave, Manhattan Beach (310) 430-1124 5 Jackson’s Food + Drink Lunch at Jackson’s Food and Drink in El Segundo. Photo by Mark McDermott The name is similar, the chef-owner is the same, but this not a replica of the restaurant that Scott Cooper used to run in Hermosa. That place was a bistro specializing in steaks and pastas with modest forays into adventurous cuisine – this one is a daring venture focused on artisanal foods and unusual combinations. There are some normal dishes that are very well done – pizza using homemade fennel sausage, roast chicken, even an exceptional steak, but the most fun way to dine here is to order seasonal tapas and share. The place has a lot of character for a location in a modern building next to the movie theater on Rosecrans, particularly the patio with fireplace and weathered wood siding. Jackson’s is a comfortable, characterful place in an area dominated by chain restaurants, an original restaurant in the Rosecrans corridor. 2041 Rosecrans Ave # 190, El Segundo (310) 606-5500 6 Lemonade Lemonade, at Manhattan Beach’s Metlox Plaza. Photo by Randy Berler In over a decade of writing these best-of lists I have never included a chain restaurant, but I’m doing that now because this one brings something unique to the area. I’m not a fan of the fast-food interior or paper plates, but if that’s how they keep costs down it’s something I’ll deal with. Lemonade has a price to quality ratio that is second to none in the South Bay, and they excel at fresh-tasting salads, stews, and other prepared dishes. They are trying to bring chef-driven style to a cafeteria, a noble experiment that does have limits. There are made-to- order sandwiches for those who want to customize things, but otherwise you have to find something they have that you want. This is not much of a problem because there are so many good items attractively displayed that something will tickle your fancy. Lemonade sometimes goes beyond what they can do well, as in the grilled items that are best served immediately, but if you avoid those you can get exceptional fast food in an area where that is a rarity. 451 Manhattan Beach Blvd, Manhattan Beach (310) 545-5777 7 Marine Street Café Marine Street Cafe’s manager Cliff Guy and owner Skylar Tourigny. Photo by Esther Kang The little café at the corner of Marine and Highland is in a residential district, so their menu is probably calibrated to what will please the locals in North Manhattan. Based on the evidence, people in these parts are big fans of artisan sandwiches, homemade soups, and freshly ground burgers with organic fixings. The Marine Street Cafe open from morning until night, so you can get egg dishes for breakfast and a limited but interesting menu after sundown, but the specialties here seem to be paninis and sandwiches. Their version of a Vietnamese chicken banh mi is very good, the burger is a standout, and the panini with melted gruyere, peaches, and dates is odd but wonderful. The price for a meal here will be a bit higher than it will at most places in town, but the payoff is superbly fresh food made from organic ingredients. (2201 Highland Ave Manhattan Beach, CA 90266 (310) 545-5518 Upcoming In 2013, several major openings have been announced this year, most recently the arrival of Grimaldi’s Pizzeria in the long-shuttered Daily Grill space on Rosecrans. Killer Shrimp will open in Hermosa, though they’re being coy about exactly where, and Colgan’s Gastropub will open downstairs from La Campana. In Manhattan Beach, the owners of MB Post will debut a seafood restaurant near their current place, the Boardroom and Pitfire Grill will finally see the light of day, and a new operation will move in at the current 12 + Highland. Meg Hall, renowned for her Made By Meg catering business, will open a restaurant in Redondo, and a Czech restaurant called Praha will open in Riviera Village. The evolution of the local dining scene continues, and by the time I sit down to write this column a year from now it will be to document a local scene that will be even more interesting. 8 Dining|Richard Foss|August 16, 2012 12:54 pm Establishment gets down to business in Hermosa Beach [RESTAURANT REVIEW] The Establishment’s blue chip nachos. Photo by Kathalina Rodriguez There are restaurants in New York City, Hollywood, and other bastions of hipness that make a point of their diffident attitude toward customers. This includes having no signage, phone, or other identifying marks – the idea is to convey that that they are so secure about being found by the cognoscenti that they need not make it easy, lest the vulgar and unwashed masses clog up the place. For some time I was convinced that Hermosa Beach’s Establishment was following a version of this strategy, since they had no functional website and their phone was out of order. They weren’t trying to hide the place, though – the silvery facade and colored lighting stood out even in a glittery section of Hermosa Avenue. After waiting for the place to show some sign of 1 | Page permanence – perhaps putting something other than “coming soon” of their website, for instance – I finally decided to just drop in and see what was going on, which turns out to be a lot. Establishment looks like a party place at which food would be an afterthought, with most of the tables at a height that suggests they’re for drinks rather than meals, but there is some serious cooking going on here. With very few exceptions everything appears to be made in-house, and some of the presentations and ideas show real creativity. Exhibit A on this score is the plate of “nachos,” and I put that in quotes not only because these are nothing like any I’ve had, but because they only vaguely resemble the description on the menu. Instead of the usual layers of chips melted with cheese and beans, there are two whole fried corn tortillas topped with cheese, chicken, beef, and chipotle sauce, flanked by a mound of olive tapenade and dollops of guacamole and beans, with a stack of corn chips in the middle. The complexity verges on the baroque, but it’s a brilliantly conceived dish with many flavors to sample alone or in combination – despite my usual tendency to order entirely different meals when I visit a place twice for a review, we had to order this both times. It was still just as satisfying and interesting on the second visit, and since our second visit was during happy hour when it was five bucks instead of fourteen, it tasted even better. We tried a few more items from that starters menu on both occasions, partly because we are thrifty by nature, partly because it was what everyone around us was doing. A quesadilla stuffed with grilled chicken, green apple, goat cheese, and ancho chili cranberry compote had a fine combination of spicy, sweet, and tart flavors, with just enough goat cheese unctuousness for balance. An order of fries arrived at the table hot and crisp, which is about all you can ask for, and with three dipping sauces which were better than expected – I homed in on the garlic mayonnaise as opposed to the ketchup and the never explained mild third sauce. We also tried an order of chicken wings three ways – two grilled with different barbecue sauces, plus a pair of traditional buffalo wings. Two of the grilled wings had a sweet and spicy barbecue sauce, two a vaguely Thai chili sauce that was in a very similar sweet and spicy groove – I’d like to see them use some grilling sauce with a different flavor, such as a Carolina mustard barbecue or rum- ginger sauce, just to add more range to the flavors. Snack items like these demand a beverage, and beside sampling a few wines (Parducci Pinot Nor and a much better Wild Horse Pinot), we tried chocolate mint and pomegranate martinis. My wife ordered both of those, actually – I would have expected both to be too sweet for my palate. They both nodded in that direction but were shy of sugary – the crushed mint candy around the rim gave just the right peppery flavor to the chocolate. My drinks palate still leans toward concoctions where you taste the spirits, but these were as good as sweet drinks get in my book. For main courses we took our server’s advice and ordered two more items that are on the shared plates menu – a half-rack of barbecue ribs and an order of grilled fish tacos. The ribs had been 2 | Page precooked and grill finished so they were fall off the bone tender, and the sweet and spicy barbecue sauce made them a tasty and rather messy treat. The spiciness was cumulative – what seemed sweet and mild had built up layers of spiciness by the time we were through. I prefer ribs that have the smoky flavor and coarser texture you get from slow-smoking, but these were quite decent. They were served with excellent house made potato chips that arrived hot, a tribute to the coordination of servers and kitchen given that the place was fairly full. The fish in the tacos had been grilled rather than fried, and though they were nicely cooked the balance seemed slightly off. Perhaps it’s that the cole slaw wasn’t tart enough, the chipotle cream too mild, but no flavor or combination of flavors was quite assertive enough for my tastes. (My wife liked them just as they were and would probably regard my idea of perfect fish tacos as too spicy, but there are some things in which the parties in any relationship just agree to disagree.) We were looking forward to trying the apple crisp for dessert, but on the only visit where we had enough room after the entrees, they had run out. We had churros with ice cream instead – premade ones, alas, but still tasty – and called it a night. We fully intend to come back to Establishment and try some more items, possibly one of the steaks or the cedar planked salmon, because the skill they have shown with the other items here was noteworthy. This establishment is open for business and serious about their food, and they set a standard for lounge dining in Hermosa. Establishment is at 1332 Hermosa Avenue in Hermosa Beach. Open daily for dinner only, full bar, street parking. Starters $8-15, mains $10-25. 3 | Page Tentative Future Agenda PLANNING COMMISSION City of Hermosa Beach FEBRUARY 18, 2014 Project Title Public Notice Meeting Date Date Rec’d Remarks  725 Cypress Avenue -- Private Text Amendment 2/6 2/18 12/19/13  3-11 Pier Avenue, Mermaid – Parking Plan 2/6 2/18 1/15/14  657 5th Street – CUP, PDP & VTPM #72618 for a 2-unit residential condominium. 2/6 2/18 1/15/14  824 1st Street -- CUP, PDP & VTTM #72447 for a 6-unit commercial condominium conversion. 2/6 2/18 1/15/14  1111 17th Street -- CUP, PDP & VTPM #72604 for a 2-unit residential condominium. 2/6 2/18 1/15/14 f:b95\cd\wpc - future agenda 1/16/14 8d Easy Reader Run Date: January 9, 2014 DISPLAY Acct: 7010-2110 City of Hermosa Beach PUBLIC NOTICE NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Planning Commission of the City of Hermosa Beach shall hold a public hearing on Tuesday, January 21, 2014, to consider the following: 1. Precise Development Plan and Conditional Use Permit for a 7,400+ square foot, three-story mixed-use building with commercial use on the ground floor, three apartments on the upper floors, and subterranean parking (replacing a mixed-use building occupied by a restaurant “La Sosta Enoteca” and two apartments), and Parking Plan to allow a snack shop within the commercial space with less than required parking, at 2700 Manhattan Avenue, and determination that the project is Categorically Exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (continued from the November 19 and December 4, 2013 meetings). SAID PUBLIC HEARINGS shall be held at 7:00 P.M., or as soon thereafter as the matter may be heard, in the City Council Chambers, City Hall, 1315 Valley Drive, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254. ANY AND ALL PERSONS interested are invited to participate and speak at these hearings at the above time and place. For inclusion in the agenda packet to be distributed, written comments of interested parties should be submitted to the Community Development Department, Planning Division, in care of City Hall at 1315 Valley Drive, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254 prior to Thursday, January 16, 2014, at 12:00 noon. All written testimony by any interested party will be accepted prior to or at the scheduled time on the agenda for the matter. IF YOU CHALLENGE the above matter(s) in court, you may be limited to raising only those issues you or someone else raised at the public hearing described in this notice, or in written correspondence delivered to the Community Development Department, Planning Division, at, or prior to, the public hearing. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, please contact the Community Development Department, Planning Division, at (310) 318-0242 or fax to (310) 937-6235. The Department is open from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Please contact a staff planner to discuss any project on the Planning Commission agenda. A copy of the staff report(s) in the Planning Commission packet will be available for public review at the end of the business day on Thursday, January 16, 2014, at the Hermosa Beach Police Department, Public Library, and on the City’s website at www.hermosabch.org. Relevant Municipal Code sections are also available on the website. Elaine Doerfling City Clerk f:95\cclerk\legads\display\2014\planning\pc01-21-14