INSIDE CITY HALL Here are a few...

INSIDE CITY HALL

Here are a few of the items the commission discussed Monday:

CHANGE TO TOWN CENTER PLAN

The commission considered changes to the South Coast Plaza Town

Center preliminary master plan.

The 24.59-acre project was approved in February 2001 for

1.5-million square feet of office space, 5,145 square feet of retail

space, 516,000 square feet of hotel space -- which includes the

existing Westin -- and 43,090 square feet of restaurants, a health

club and plaza tower, city planning officials said.

Because of the bankruptcy of Edwards Cinemas, C.J. & Segerstrom

officials looked to reconfigure the project, noting that it made more

sense to demolish an empty building than an established restaurant.

So, Scott’s Seafood stays, the proposed hotel moves to 3400 Bristol

St., and the existing office buildings get revamped, losing 3,000

square feet.

Segerstrom officials are cutting back on office space to add a few

more rooms -- from 186 to 200 -- to the new hotel.

WHAT HAPPENED

The changes were approved unanimously. Commissioner Dennis DeMaio

absent.

WHAT IT MEANS

There will be more specific plans that will come forward for the

office building and the hotel, said Chairman Bruce Garlich.

OCC SWAP MEET

This was a delayed six-month review of the permit approval for the

Orange Coast College Swap Meet to operate Saturdays and Sundays. The

City Council approved the permit last December.

To date, no significant parking or traffic problems have been

observed, all the conditions of approval have been complied with, and

no complaints have been received.

WHAT HAPPENED

The commission voted to receive and file the report.

WHAT IT MEANS

There will be no more follow up mandatory feedback requirements

placed on the college.

WHAT WAS SAID

“The traffic management plan and the staff reports were convincing

that those thing were working, there were no complaints, none of us

who drive that area regularly see any problems with traffic,” Garlich

said .

PLANNING APPLICATION

The site is an existing commercial building constructed in 1963.

The property is within the city’s Downtown Redevelopment Project

Area, and the applicant is proposing to renovate the existing

building, which was formerly used as a furniture store and is now

occupied by an auto retailer.

As part of the renovation, a new 150-square-foot balcony/deck

would be constructed on the second floor of the building. Because the

setback of the proposed balcony/deck does not comply with code, the

applicant has requested an exception to the requirements.

The applicant prefers to use aluminum panels with painted gray

stucco accents for the building’s facade since the primary building

material in the area is stucco.

WHAT HAPPENED

The item was continued to Sept. 22.

WHAT IT MEANS

The applicant is going to bring back revised plans.

WHAT WAS SAID

“Some of the revisions shave to do with the second story balcony

and concerns that some commissioners had about the justification for

the variance for that,” Garlich said. “Other concerns had to do with

the architecture and being quite different than the overall style of

the storefronts in that area and in that immediate surrounding area,

being not an unpleasant building, but one that would be quite

different. The thought was maybe they should be a little more

responsive to the guidelines.”