Costa Mesa Planning Commission Wrap-up

Lolita Harper

Here are some of the decisions made by the Costa Mesa Planning

Commission at Monday’s meeting:

VICTORIA STREET PARKING

WHAT HAPPENED: The Planning Commission granted a change for parking

requirements at 248 Victoria St.

The property was formerly a 10-unit apartment building that was cited

for substandard housing conditions and ultimately abandoned. The owners,

South Coast R.E. Investments, bought the land with the intention of

improving the apartment building. However, city codes did not allow for

residential use on the property, so the builder submitted plans to

convert the building into a commercial use.

In order to run a business out of the building, the owner was

confronted with citywide minimum parking space requirements. Because of

the odd shape of the lot -- a deep and rectangular space -- the required

24 spaces are impossible to build, the owner said.

The applicant applied to build 16 spaces and an additional three

compact spaces.

Planning Commissioners Eleanor Egan and Bill Perkins were concerned

about changing the parking space requirements when parking is such a

problem in the city.

WHAT IT MEANS: South Coast R.E. Investments will be allowed to

build only 16 parking spaces to accommodate its business in the 200 block

of Victoria Street.

VOTE: 4-1, in favor of allowing fewer parking spaces.

WHAT WAS SAID:

“I’m going to fly solo on this one. I think parking is too big an

issue to make exclusions.”

-- Planning Commissioner Bill Perkins, who voted against the change

COUNSELING CENTER OPENING

WHAT HAPPENED: Planning commissioners approved the opening of a

counseling center in an industrial building at 2950 Airway Ave.

Conditions were placed on the facility, however, including a mandatory

staff member to supervise building and parking lot activities.

Discussions were heated about whether the counseling center should be

allowed to stay in the building on Airway Avenue.

People with businesses in the same building asked the commission not

to support the center, saying the clients were a nuisance. They said the

counseling center’s patrons were often drunk and urinated in the parking

lot. One owner suggested the commission require a security guard -- paid

for by the owner of the center -- to supervise the actions of the

clients.

Planning Commissioner Eleanor Egan agreed the center was a potential

problem and suggested the commission not approve the permit. Egan also

hoped other commercial landowners in the city would recognize the

business and not deny tenancy.

Chairwoman Katrina Foley argued that if the center were forced to move

out of the building, it could easily open in another commercial site,

without allowing the commission to place conditions on the business.

WHAT IT MEANS: Gold Coast Counseling will be permitted to run a

counseling center at 2950 Airport Ave., provided it meets the conditions

set by the Planning Commission, which will be reexamined in six months.

VOTE: 4-1, in favor of granting the conditional-use permit.

WHAT WAS SAID:

“If there is no support for these businesses, even in commercial areas

and these people are being mandated by the courts to get this treatment,

where do they go?”

-- Commissioner Bruce Garlich

CONVENIENCE STORE OPENING

WHAT HAPPENED: The Planning Commission unanimously approved the

conversion of a photo processing building at the Chevron station at 195

E. 17th St. to a convenience market.

The convenience market will not be allowed to sell alcoholic

beverages.

WHAT IT MEANS: A convenience market will take the place of the

photo processing shop at the gas station.

VOTE: 5-0 to approve the conversion.

FYI

* WHAT: Costa Mesa Planning Commission meeting

* WHEN: 6:30 p.m. Oct. 8

* WHERE: Costa Mesa City Hall, 77 Fair Drive