Council denies optic shop appeals
The City Council denied at the Aug. 7 meeting two appeals that were filed in opposition to the conditional use permit for an optics shop on Forest Avenue.
In June, the Planning Commission approved a change to the CUP for the space, at 263 Forest Ave., so the potential tenant could put 2,000 eyeglasses on display in the store, with up to 1,000 of those allowed to be prescription sunglasses.
One appellant claimed that limit was not realistic. The second appellant claimed sunglasses should be limited to 20% of the display, as has been the case since 1998.
Appellant Alan Hall, who wanted the council to permit a display that was 60% sunglasses, said the commission’s limit meant no optics shop would move into the vacant shop, whose building is owned by his family.
Appellant Harjit Bagga, owner of Sunglass Gallery, said the increase in display from 20% percent to 50% would hurt the goal of diversity in the Downtown Specific Plan Area.
More than 35 stores already carry sunglasses downtown with the exact same brands and designers as the proposed applicant, Bagga wrote in his appeal.
However, the tenant who participated in the commission hearing regarding the amended permit decided shortly thereafter not to proceed with the project.
Hall described his request to increase the display total to 2,500, with up to 1,250 sunglasses, a minor adjustment to the commission recommendation.
Councilwoman Elizabeth Pearson, who had served on the Planning Commission when the 1998 permit was approved, said the amendment was appropriate and competition is not used as a basis for the permit approval.
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