Santa Monica, California
Planning Commission Mtg: January 18, 1995
TO: The Honorable Planning Commission
FROM: Planning Staff
SUBJECT:Development Review Permit 94-002
Address: 3110 Main Street
Applicant: Main Street Plaza
INTRODUCTION
Action: Application to amend a condition of DR 234 requiring that
parking at 3110 Main Street be provided free of charge to all
project tenants, customers, visitors and employees. The proposal
meets all applicable development standards.
Recommendation: Approval based on the findings and subject to
the conditions contained herein.
Permit Streamlining Expiration Date: January 20, 1995, by
extension.
SITE LOCATION AND DESCRIPTION
The subject property is a 205' x 150' (30,750 sq.ft., of which
17,518 sq.ft. is within the City of Santa Monica) parcel located
on the west side of Main Street and the east side of Nielson Way
between Marine and Navy Streets having a Main Street frontage of
205 feet. Surrounding uses consist of a vacant building in the
CM (Main Street Commercial) District to the north, a
residential/commercial building in the City of Los Angeles to the
south, a vacant lot in the CM District to the east and a
multifamily residential building in the OP4 (Ocean Park High
Multiple Family Residential) District to the west. Existing on-
site uses include residential, office and restaurant uses.
Zoning District: CM4 (Main Street Commercial) District
Land Use District: Service and Specialty Commercial District
Parcel Area: 205' x 150' (30,750 sq.ft., of which 17,518
sq.ft. is within the City of Santa Monica)
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
The applicant proposes to amend condition 13a of DR 234 which
currently requires that parking at 3110 Main Street be provided
free of charge to all project tenants, customers, visitors and
employees. As amended, the condition only require that
residential tenants and their visitors be allowed free parking
privileges. No physical changes to the building are proposed
with this application.
MUNICIPAL CODE AND GENERAL PLAN CONFORMANCE
The proposed project is consistent with the Municipal Code and in
conformity with the General Plan as shown in Attachment A.
CEQA STATUS
The project is categorically exempt from the provisions of CEQA,
pursuant to Class 1 of the State Guidelines in that the project
is an existing facility and the proposed modification to
eliminate commercial visitor and employee free parking privileges
will not result in an expansion of the building's use.
RENT CONTROL STATUS
No registered rent-controlled units exist on-site.
FEES
The project is not subject to any special Planning and Zoning
related fees.
PUBLIC NOTIFICATION
Pursuant to Municipal Code Section 9.04.20.20.080, within 30 days
after the subject application was deemed complete, the applicant
posted a sign on the property stating the following information:
Project case number, brief project description, name and
telephone number of applicant, site address, date, time and
location of public hearing, and the Planning and Zoning Division
phone number. It is the applicant's responsibility to update the
hearing date if it is changed after posting.
In addition, pursuant to Municipal Code Section 9.04.20.22.050,
notice of the public hearing was mailed to all owners and
residential and commercial tenants of property located within a
500 foot radius of the project at least ten consecutive calendar
days prior to the hearing. A copy of the notice is contained in
Attachment B.
ANALYSIS
Background
The subject parcel contains a complex of mixed-use retail,
restaurant, office and residential buildings which were approved
by the Planning Commission in 1984 pursuant to Development Review
Permit 234. Included in the conditions of approval for DR 234 is
condition 13a, which requires a parking and traffic management
plan allowing project tenants, customers, visitors and employees
to park on-site at no cost or through validation if desired.
Condition 13a currently reads as follows:
A parking and traffic management plan shall be prepared by
the applicant and submitted for approval by the Parking and
Traffic Engineer prior to issuance of a Certificate of
Occupancy. The plan shall incorporate the following
features:
a. On-site parking at no direct cost, but through
validation if desired, to all project tenants,
customers, visitors and employees.
The City Attorney has interpreted condition 13(a) to prohibit the
property owner from charging commercial tenants for customer
parking which is validated.
In 1992, the property owner filed DR 92-003 to amend condition
13(a) and an additional unrelated condition of DR 234. That
application was denied by the Planning Commission, appealed by
the applicant and then withdrawn prior to the City Council
hearing after a favorable interpretation was made by staff
regarding the unrelated issue. Condition 13(a) was never changed
and remains in DR 234 as it was originally written.
Proposed Amendment to DR 234
The applicant proposes to delete condition 13(a) and to replace
it with the following language:
a. Free on-site parking shall be provided to residential
tenants and their visitors.
The revised language would allow the applicant to directly charge
commercial tenants and their customers for parking on-site. As
the applicant states in Attachment D, this amendment is
consistent with the City's Transportation Management Ordinance,
which encourages employers to charge employees for on-site
parking if they do not carpool. If the amendment is approved,
the applicant will revise the required traffic management plan to
state that parking will be offered free of charge to employees
who carpool to the site. The City's Transportation Management
Coordinator has reviewed this proposal and finds the following:
Free parking is an incentive for employees and visitors to
travel to Main Street Plaza in single-occupant vehicles,
and, as such, directly conflicts with the purposes of the
City's TMP [Transportation Management Plan] Ordinance: to
reduce traffic congestion and air pollution. Upon
imposition of a charge for parking at the site, carpooling
will be encouraged as employees who carpool to work will
not be charged for parking. As long as all other
conditions of the approved (June 16, 1986) parking and
traffic management plan are maintained, I support the
proposed amendment to charge for parking at 3110 Main
Street. (Attachment F.)
Parking Study
The applicant has conducted a study of parking availability
within a 2-block radius of the site (Attachment E). The study
found that most of the residential areas within the vicinity of
the project site are governed by preferential parking
restrictions which would preclude use of these street parking
spaces by employees and/or visitors to 3110 Main Street. Among
the free street parking spaces which were available during the
study period, the report found that not all spaces were taken
during normal working hours.
Conclusion
The proposed amendment to DR 234 is consistent with the City's
Transportation Management Plan and will not adversely impact the
availability of parking in the area and therefore merits
approval. Staff recommends that the revision include language
which requires that parking be offered free of charge to
employees who carpool.
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the Planning Commission approve DR 94-002
to amend DR 234 based on the following findings and condition:
DEVELOPMENT REVIEW FINDINGS
1. The physical location, size, massing, and placement of
proposed structures on the site and the location of
proposed uses within the project are compatible with and
relate harmoniously to surrounding sites and neighborhoods,
in that no physical changes to the subject site are
proposed with this application, only a modification to the
free parking provision for commercial visitors and
employees in single occupant vehicles.
2. The rights-of-way can accommodate autos and pedestrians,
including parking and access, in that no change is proposed
to vehicular or pedestrian access to the site.
3. The health and safety services (police, fire, etc.) and
public infrastructure (e.g. utilities) are sufficient to
accommodate the new development, in that no new development
is proposed.
4. Any on-site provision of housing or parks and public open
space, which are part of the required project mitigation
measures required in Subchapter 5G of the City of Santa
Monica Comprehensive Land Use and Zoning Ordinance,
satisfactorily meet the goals of the mitigation program, in
that no development is proposed which would require on-site
provision of housing or parks and public open space.
5. The project is generally consistent with the Municipal Code
and General Plan, in that the proposed amendment to DR 234
to allow commercial visitors, tenants and employees to be
charged for parking is consistent with the City's
Transportation Management Plan and with Policies 4.1.2 (to
reduce vehicle trips), 4.1.4 (to conform with AQMD
standards), 4.16 (to encourage transportation alternatives)
and Objective 4.7 (encourage "alternative transportation
systems management programs").
CONDITION
1. Condition 13(a) of DR 234 shall be deleted and replaced
with the following language:
a. Free on-site parking shall be provided to
residential tenants and their visitors and to employees
at the site who carpool.
Prepared by: Drummond Buckley, Associate Planner
Attachments:
A. Municipal Code and General Plan Conformance
B. Notice of Public Hearing
C. Radius and Location Map
D. Project Description by Applicant
E. Parking Analysis
F. Memorandum from City Transportation Management Coordinator
G. Photographs of Site and Surrounding Properties
ATTACHMENT A
MUNICIPAL CODE AND GENERAL PLAN CONFORMANCE
Land Use
Category Element Municipal Code Project
Carpool/Vanpool
Parking N/A TMP encourages Amendment to
incentives for car- DR, by allowing
pooling fees to be charged
for parking, creates
significant
incentive for
alternative methods
of transportation