HomeMy WebLinkAboutPC Resolution 09-21 - (1081-87 Aviation, Hotel)P.C. RESOLUTION 09-21
A RESOLUTION OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF
HERMOSA BEACH, CALIFORNIA, DENYING A PARKING PLAN AND
PRECISE DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR A THREE-STORY 40-ROOM HOTEL
WITH TWO LEVELS OF PARKING, CONTAINING 42 PARKING SPACES
WITH 32 OF THE 40 REQUIRED SPACES IN TANDEM TO BE MANAGED
WITH 24-HOUR VALET PARKING SERVICE AND TO ALLOW GREATER
THAN 30% COMPACT PARKING AT 1081, 1085 AND 1087 AVIATION
BOULEVARD, LEGALLY DESCRIBED AS LOTS 49 AND 50 AND SE 58 FT.
OF LOTS 47 AND 48, HERMOSA HEIGHTS TRACT BEING LOT 14
BLOCK 84 AND PART OF LOT 7 BLOCK 88 OF SECOND ADDITION TO
HERMOSA BEACH.
The Planning Commission of the City of Hermosa Beach does hereby resolve and order as
follows:
Section 1, An application was filed by Kenny A. Dewan, D.B.A. Monday One, seeking
approval for a three story 40-room hotel with two levels of parking, containing 42 parking spaces
with 32 of the 40 required spaces to be tandem spaces, to be managed with 24-hour valet parking
service, and to allow greater than 30% compact parking.
Section 2. The Planning Commission conducted a duly noticed public hearing to consider
the application for Parking Plan 08-6 and Precise Development Plan 08-5 on January 20, 2009, at
which time testimony and evidence, both oral and written, was presented to and considered by the
Planning Commission, at which time the Planning Commission provided the applicant an opportunity
to revise project plans to address issues identified in the Staff Report (attached hereto and
incorporated by reference) and at the public hearing, which was agreed to by the applicant, and the
public hearing was continued to the March 2009 meeting; and continued again to the June and July
2009 meetings at the request of the applicant and no revised plans were submitted.
Section 3. Based on the testimony and evidence received, the Planning Commission makes
the following factual findings with regard to the Parking Plan and Precise Development Plan:
1. The site is zoned C-3 General Commercial which allows hotels as a permitted use. The
project requires the approval of a Parking Plan because parking will be managed with a 24-
hour valet service, parking design exhibits stalls in tandem, and 20 proposed compact spaces
exceed 30% allowed pursuant to Hermosa Beach Municipal Code Chapter 17.44. The
project requires a Precise Development Plan because the 14,676 square foot hotel project
exceeds the 1,500 square foot threshold pursuant to Municipal Code Chapter 17.58.
2. The 7,922 square foot project site is an assembly of four rectangular shaped parcels fronting
on the north side of Aviation Boulevard. Parcels are developed with a single -story
commercial building and unpaved parking lots. Adjoining properties zoned C-3 are
developed with a two-story church, open parking lot, and single -story retail, offices,
restaurants and automotive repair uses. Properties to the north zoned C-3 are developed with
nonconforming residential uses and residential uses continue northward on R-1 lots along
Corona Street.
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3. The proposed 40-room hotel is a three-story building, above a fully subterranean basement
and surface level parking. The second and third floors share the same floor plan, each floor
containing 18 guestrooms. The subterranean basement encompasses the entire 7,922 square
foot lot area. The floor to lot area ratio is 1.85 to 1.
4. Parking is proposed in the basement and surface levels; each level provides 21 parking
spaces; the surface level also includes the valet parking service station, front desk lobby,
bicycle rental storage, and a breakfast area. The two levels are not internally connected and
there is one entrance/exit to each level.
The proposed project represents a scaled -down version of Precise Development Plan 08-5 for
a 76-room hotel on a 15,622 square foot site encompassing the same site plus 4 additional
lots adjoining Corona Street denied via Planning Commission Resolution 08-33, due to
incompatibility with residential uses, scale inconsistent with surrounding single -story uses,
floor to lot area ratio (FAR) inconsistent with other hotels in city, lack of parking for delivery
vehicles, loading or short term registration, building design lacking variation and articulation,
guest rooms overlooking residential lots would impact neighbors' privacy, lack of left turn
pocket on Aviation increased potential traffic on residential Corona Street, and noise, odor
and emissions from parking could impact residential uses.
Section 4. Based on the foregoing factual findings the Planning Commission makes the
following findings pertaining to the application for a Precise Development Plan pursuant to
Municipal Code Section 17.58.030.C:
1. The proposed development is inappropriately sized and designed to accommodate internal
and external circulation, may substantially interfere with the use and enjoyment of residential
uses in the area, and the proposed hotel is out of scale with and inappropriately designed in
relation to the surrounding vicinity as follows:
a) The close proximity of the project to existing residential uses has the potential to result
in substantial negative effects to the residential uses, particularly circulation impacts.
b) The project is designed at the 35-foot height limit over the entire building footprint
which exhibits a floor area ratio of 1.85:1. The intensity and size of the development is
inconsistent with the existing character of the City and other hotel projects in the main
corridors previously approved by the Commission. Existing hotels in the City have a
floor area ratio ranging from 0.77:1 to 1.6:1 with an average of 1.2:1 ratio. The
proposed project has a floor area ratio of 1.85:1 which is 50% greater than the current
average of existing hotels in the City;
c) The site and building design, although reduced in total size from the previous project, is out
of scale and is of inappropriate design in relation to the surrounding vicinity. Privacy
concerns relating to the three story profile, circulation issues as detailed herein, and
consistency with the profile and character of the area due to the massing and intensity of
use, remain concerns;
d) The parking levels are not internally connected, and information has not been supplied
to substantiate adequate turning radius within the garage, such that vehicles queued for
24-hour valet parking may be backed out onto Aviation Boulevard in order to be moved
to the other parking level, thereby creating a traffic hazard. In addition, the provision of
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19 compact spaces and inadequate spaces/area for vehicle queuing, loading, or short
term parking for service and delivery vehicles, may result in congestion on Aviation
Boulevard or spill over parking in the vicinity of the proposed hotel.
e) The project provides 42 parking spaces on the fully subterranean basement and surface
levels to meet the minimum parking requirement of the Municipal Code but the proposal
for 32 tandem spaces requiring 24-hour valet service lacks sufficient detail and
assurance that the valet program can be adequately managed.
f) The lack of a left turn pocket on Aviation Boulevard increases the potential for persons
accessing the site to cut through the residential streets in the vicinity and unnecessarily
increases traffic intrusion onto the residential streets; and
g) The proposed hotel use is permitted in the C-3 zone but is not compatible with
surrounding R-1 zoned residential uses for the reasons stated above.
2. The project does not satisfactorily incorporate measures to address traffic circulation issues
and concerns regarding consistency with the neighborhood character. A high level of
uncertainty remains regarding effectiveness of the proposed parking valet management
program to mitigate these impacts.
3. Due to the proposed high intensity of development for a small lot, and dissimilarity and
inappropriateness of design in relation to the surrounding vicinity, there are no known
conditions of approval which can be imposed that could achieve a reasonable level of safety
and adequacy related to circulation, compatibility and harmony with the existing surrounding
land uses, while still meeting the applicant's objective to develop a 40 room hotel. Despite
the opportunity provided by the Planning Commission to the applicant to revise project plans
to address issues identified in the Staff Report and at the public hearing, and despite a
meeting held between staff and the applicant, no revised plans were filed or presented at
continued public hearings in March, June and July 2009.
Section 5. The Planning Commission makes the following findings pertaining to the
application for a Parking Plan pursuant to Municipal Code Section 17.44.030.E:
1. Parking and circulation are inadequate to accommodate the high intensity of development
proposed on the subject site as follows:
a) The project does not include adequate parking or queuing area, loading spaces, or short
term parking for service and delivery vehicles, and both short-term registration spaces are
compact spaces, which may result in congestion on Aviation Boulevard or spill over
parking in the vicinity of the proposed hotel;
b) The lack of internally connected parking levels together with lack of queuing areas, and
lack of information to substantiate adequate turning radii within the parking garages, may
cause backing up of vehicles into the travel lane on Aviation Boulevard, thereby creating
a traffic hazard, and the project has not demonstrated compliance with Section
17.44.160.E which requires traffic circulation within off-street parking facilities to be
designed to ensure that vehicle need not back onto major streets or provide a turnaround
within such lot;
c) The lack of a left turn pocket on Aviation Boulevard increases the potential for persons
accessing the site to cut through the residential streets in the vicinity and unnecessarily
increases traffic intrusion onto the residential streets;
d) Over 47% of the proposed parking spaces are compact, versus 30% maximum allowed,
including both guest registration spaces, which is insufficient to ensure adequate parking
for a range of vehicle sizes within the parking structure;
e) The provision of tandem parking spaces for 76% of parking spaces (32 of 42 parking
spaces) is contrary to the Code which disallows tandem spaces for commercial
development, and the details regarding operation of the 24-hour free valet service
utilizing such spaces have not been satisfactorily provided to demonstrate that the service
will mitigate the parking and circulation concerns;
f) While the applicant states that two parking attendants will work at the valet service
station during peak business hours, as well as act as hotel registrars, the effectiveness of
the valet service to prevent queuing, parking overflow or backing onto Aviation
Boulevard, while performing both functions, remains at issue, and valet management and
parking problems are likely to be difficult to resolve once the hotel is in operation.
Section 6. Based on the foregoing, the Planning Commission hereby denies the request for a
Parking Plan 08-6 and Precise Development Plan 08-5.
Section 7. Pursuant to the Code of Civil Procedure Section 1094.6, any legal challenge to the
decision of the Planning Commission, after a formal appeal to the City Council, must be made within
90 days after the final decision by the City Council.
VOTE: AYES:
Comms.Allen, Darcy, Hoffman, Perrotti, Chmn.Pizer
NOES:
None
ABSTAIN:
None
ABSENT:
None
CERTIFICATION
I hereby certify the foregoing Resolution P.C. No. 09-21 is a true and complete record of the action
taken by the Planning Commission of the City of Hermosa Beach, California at their regular meeting
of August 18, 2009.
Ron Pizer, Chairman JeAhR 6s6r, Secretary
August 18, 2009
Date
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