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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05-03-1993 PC MinutesMINUTES Planning Commission May 3, 1993 City of Orange Monday - 7:00 p.m. PRESENT: Commissioners Bosch, Cathcart, Smith, Walters ABSENT: None STAFF PRESENT: John Godlewski, Administrator of Current Planning; Bob Herrick, Assistant City Attorney; Gary Johnson, City Engineer; and Sue Devlin, Recording Secretary PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE IN RE: MINUTES OF APRIL 19. 1993 Moved by Commissioner Cathcart, seconded by Commissioner Smith, to approve the Minutes of April 19, 1993, as recorded. AYES: Commissioners Bosch, Cathcart, Smith, Walters NOES: None MOTION CARRIED IN RE: NEW HEARING CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT 2012-93 - MEHDI RAFATY A request to allow the operation of a billiard facility with the sale of alcoholic beverages in the C-TR zone. Subject property is located at 1988 North Tustin Street. NOTE: This item is categorically exempt from the provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) per CEQA Guidelines Section 15301. There was no opposition; therefore, the full reading of the staff report was waived. Mr. Godlewski explained the Commission. received a complete packet, including letters from the Police Department expressing concern. The applicant has also supplied the Commission with additional information. The public hearing was opened. Applicant Mehdi Rafaty, 3400 Avenue of the Arts, Costa Mesa, presented their proposal as a high end billiard facility and restaurant, rather than just a pool hall. Renderings and exhibits Planning Commission Meeting May 3, 1993 were displayed. They will be utilizing the services of a valet service for parking. There will be a reception area with a security person to check I.D. -- no one under 21 will be allowed in the facility. This use is geared towards the professional, business community for a recreational or leisure outlet. This center is one of the best in the City with an excellent location. In-house security will always be present when the business is open. They propose to be open seven days a week. He has read the conditions of approval and agrees with them. Commissioner Bosch clarified condition 5 requires a licensed, uniformed security guard be present during business hours. Mr. Rafaty did not have a problem with that. Commissioner Cathcart asked what the name of the business was? Mr. Rafaty said the name of the business is "Suede". A lot of the materials used in the interior is suede and they felt it was an appropriate name. Commissioner Bosch noted the plans illustrated no kitchen and the smaller book which shows 12 tables and a kitchen. Mr. Rafaty said the original plan was for a small kitchen to allow food to be delivered into and served at the business. However, after speaking with the Health Department, they needed a larger kitchen. They had to change their plans and provide for a kitchen. All parking requirements have been met. Those saeakinq in favor John Crow, 10141 Morning Star, Villa Park, has built shopping centers since 1969. They are good operating centers with good tenants. He was against having a pool hall at the center, but changed his mind when he saw the proposed plans and the actual business. He realizes there are some concerns regarding the Grove gang, but he did not know about them. He has investigated this very thoroughly and he is convinced this business will not cater to gang activity. The public hearing was closed. Commissioner Cathcart spoke to the owners of the coffee shop in the center this date. They were not aware of any problems in the area and were shocked with the concerns of the Police Department. The problem is across Tustin, to the east in the Grove Apartments. The owners felt this would be a wonderful use for the center. He felt the parking problem has been addressed with valet parking, and he would like to add a condition that there will be valet parking, as well as the change in age from 18 to 21 for conditions 6 and 7. He doesn't feel they should look upon the proposed use negatively because of a perception there could be a crime problem. 2 Planning Commission Meeting May 5, 1993 Moved by Commissioner Cathcart, seconded by Commissioner Walters to approve Conditional Use Permit 2012-93 with the conditions listed in the staff report, adding a new condition that there will be valet parking, and amending conditions 6 and 7, changing the age limit from 18 to 21. This project is exempt from environmental review. AYES: Commissioners Bosch, Cathcart, Smith, Walters NOES: None MOTION CARRIED Commissioner Bosch commented about the denial of the upscale pool hall establishment at the freeway off ramp and Santiago Boulevard adjacent to Nohl Ranch Road. The Commission anticipated there would be significant traffic from the freeway, and have a great impact upon the adjacent single family residential homes. They are open and willing to look at this type of commercial operation in the Tustin commercial district. This site is very compatible for this kind of use. There is no adjacent single family residential homes, the parcel is extremely deep with the commercial offices, storage and parking on its westerly side. The property use to the west is a well maintained apartment complex that appears not to have a significant crime or gang problem. The gang problem needs to be looked into and it seems to be focused east of Tustin Avenue. It happens to be in the same statistical reporting district for crimes and that does skew the statistics for this area. With the good management and the surrounding land uses that this could be one of the best locations within the Tustin commercial district for a pool hall. Commissioner Smith hoped the applicant has read condition 1 carefully, which calls for a monitoring of the facility if excessive or unnecessary activity resulting in high use of police services is found, and that the conditional use permit would be brought to review for a revocation process. That should be somewhat of an incentive to keep the house clean and to not be discriminatory with clientele, but very particular about behavior exercise there. IN RE: ADJOURNMENT Moved by Commissioner Cathcart, seconded by Commissioner Walters, to adjourn to their next regularly scheduled meeting. AYES: Commissioners Bosch, Cathcart, Smith, Walters NOES: None MOTION CARRIED The meeting adjourned at 7:20 p.m. sld 3