Honorable Chairman and Members of the Hermosa Beach Planning Commission
Regular Meeting of July 17, 2018
Title
Parking Plan 18-4, Parking Plan Amendment to delete the existing condition that prohibits use of an oven and stove at an existing snack shop with 758 square feet of interior space and 140 square feet of outdoor dining on a lot zoned C-2 (Restricted Commercial) at 25 Pier Avenue (ITA Italian Street Food) and determination that the project is Categorically Exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act.
APPLICANT: DV Imperia Inc.
Daniele Bonaiti
25 Pier Avenue
Hermosa Beach, CA 90254
OWNER: S and P Hermosa Parent, LLC.
8383 Wilshire Boulevard # 920
Beverley Hills, CA 90211
Recommended Action:
Recommendation
Adopt the attached resolution approving a Parking Plan Amendment to delete the existing condition that prohibits use of an oven and stove at an existing snack shop with 758 square feet of interior space and 140 square feet of outdoor dining on a lot zoned C-2 (Restricted Commercial) at 25 Pier Avenue (ITA Italian Street Food) and determine that the project is Categorically Exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
Body
Project Summary:
GENERAL PLAN: Recreational Commercial (RC)
ZONING: Restricted Commercial (C-2)
FLOOR AREA (EXISTING/PROPOSED): 758 sq. ft. / No change
PRIOR USE: Snack Shop
PROPOSED USE: Snack Shop
PARKING FOR 758 S.F. COMMERCIAL RETAIL
REQUIRED/EXISTING/PROPOSED: 3 spaces/ 1 space/ no change
PARKING IF 1,300 S.F. RESTAURANT:
REQUIRED/EXISTING/PROPOSED: 8 spaces/ 1 space/ no change
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION: Categorically Exempt, Section 15301, Class 1 Existing Facilities, as the project involves negligible or no expansion of an existing use.
Background:
The subject site, 25 Pier Avenue, is located in Downtown Hermosa Beach, on Pier Plaza, which is a pedestrian plaza west of Hermosa Avenue and east of the Pacific Ocean and the Hermosa Beach Municipal Pier, and south of 13th Court. The site is zoned C-2 Restricted Commercial and designated RC Recreational Commercial in the General Plan, and surrounding properties, comprised of commercial uses, are zoned C-2 Restricted Commercial.
Parking Plan 14-6 was approved by Planning Commission on August 19, 2014 which classified the use as a snack shop and allowed that required parking at the site be based on the retail commercial standard of 1 space per 250 square feet of gross floor area, rather than the higher standard required for restaurants of 1 space per 100 square feet of gross floor area, due to characteristics of the proposed use and location.
The applicant is seeking to amend the approved Parking Plan to delete an existing condition that prohibits use of a stove and oven with a snack shop use in order to accommodate a new establishment (ITA Italian Street Food) within the existing 758 square foot tenant space located within a multi-tenant building. While Planning staff is authorized to determine if the proposed use is consistent with the previously approved Parking Plan, the request to delete this specific condition of approval requires Planning Commission approval.
Analysis:
The retail/general office commercial parking standard requires one space per 250 square feet of gross floor area. The tenant space does not meet current parking requirements of 3 spaces because there is only one vehicular parking provided on-site for the tenant space, located to the rear of the building alongside the parking spaces allocated to the other tenant spaces within the building, with vehicular access from 13th Court. The tenant space is located adjacent to two public parking facilities: the 37-space surface parking lot (Lot B) located to the north and the 185-space multi-story parking structure also to the north.
Lot B has a three-hour limit ($1.25 per hour 10 am to 7:59 pm and $1.50 per hour 8 pm to midnight) enforced seven days per week except Wednesday 9 am to 6 pm, and no parking Monday 6 am to 7 am. The parking structure has a 24-hour limit ($1.25 per hour and $1.50 per hour from 8 pm to 2 am) enforced 7 days per week.
The food items sold at the establishment will be manufactured off-site and delivered frozen to the subject site. The “pizza boat” is made in Italy in Antonino’s certified Factory “Sorrento sapori e tradizioni”. All hot food items will be prepared with a ventless conveyorized oven and/or electric fryer with ventless hood. The proposed business hours are 11:00 A.M. to 11:00 P.M. Sunday to Thursday and 11 A.M. to 2:00 A.M. Friday to Saturday. With its location on Pier Plaza, a pedestrian plaza adjacent to The Strand, part of the Marvin Braude 22-mile, Class I bike trail, and as such, the establishment will rely on bicycle and foot traffic for their patron base.
In considering the request to amend the existing Parking Plan, it must first be determined that the proposed use is consistent with the existing snack shop determination pursuant to the snack shop definition set forth in HBMC Section 17.04.050. If the proposed use qualifies as a snack shop under that definition, it must next be determined if adequate parking is provided pursuant to the parking requirements for a snack shop set forth in HBMC Section 17.44.030(O). In granting a Parking Plan amendment, HBMC Section 17l.44.210 sets forth factors that the Planning Commission must take into consideration.
The proposed use is consistent with the characteristics of a snack shop.
The definition of a snack bar or snack shop as set forth in HBMC Section 17.04.050 Commercial Land Use Definitions is as follows:
"Snack bar or snack shop" means an establishment with twenty-five (25) or less seats that is distinguished from a restaurant as it does not include waiter/waitress table service, except queuing, (intermittent delivery of purchased goods) and does not serve full meals or have a kitchen capable of serving meals or have a kitchen capable of serving meals but instead serves snacks or nonalcoholic beverages for consumption on the premises or for take-out; specifically, items such as donuts and other baked goods, ice cream, yogurt, cookies, coffee, tea and juices are considered snacks.”
The proposed use and characteristics of the operation are consistent with the definition of snack shop in accordance with HBMC Section 17.04.050 for the following reasons:
• The establishment will provide two counters with seating for 10 people in the outdoor dining area, subject to approval of an encroachment permit for limited outdoor seating from the Public Works Department, and no seating will be provided within the interior of the tenant space. In no case will the total number of seats for the establishment exceed 25.
• The proposed use is a quick service pizzeria and customers will place and pick up orders at the counter; no waiter/waitress table service will be provided.
• The limited food menu will consist of pizza boat, arancini (stuffed rice balls), panzerotti (a savory turnover), focaccia sandwich, pizza romana, and delizia a limone (lemon sponge cake). In addition, the drink menu will consist of non-alcoholic drinks only such as teas and sodas.
• While the HBMC does not prohibit the use of ovens in a snack shop, it does require that the kitchen not be capable of serving full meals. The kitchen will not be capable of serving full meals as equipment will include an electric fryer with a ventless hood and conveyorized oven (batch oven that operates with product moving through it) for preparation and heating of the premade food items. In addition, the following equipment will be provided in the storage and handling of the premade food items: refrigerator, freezer, counters, and sinks. The front of the tenant space will include a cash register, counter to pick up orders, and a refrigerator with soft drinks.
• The food items and soft drinks will be served for consumption in the outdoor seating area or for take-out.
The proposed use may be considered as a retail use and the commercial retail requirement for parking may be applied.
A snack shop as defined in Section 17.04.050 may be considered as a retail use, and the retail commercial parking standard may be applied if it meets the criteria set forth in Section 17.44.030(O):
“Snack Bar/Snack Shop” The parking requirements for a snack bar and/or snack shop shall be the same as that for a restaurant, unless it can be shown to the Planning Commission that the characteristics of the building, its location, size and other mitigating factors such as limited service area relative to gross floor area and limited seating capacity result in less parking demand than for a restaurant use. In these cases the Planning Commission may consider the retail commercial requirement for parking, pursuant to Section 17.44.210 Parking Plans.”
The characteristics of the proposed use demonstrate it will result in less parking demand than that generated by a restaurant for the following reasons:
• The 758 square foot tenant space is relatively small with minimal seating, customary of a snack shop use, and the service area is limited in size and equipment which indicates the use will not function as a restaurant. The applicant proposes no expansion to the space.
• The proposed use with its limited menu items and minimal seating is not expected to generate a high proportion of destination-specific trips. The business is not visible from the nearest street (Hermosa Avenue) and will be reliant upon bicycle and foot traffic from patrons already traversing the Pier Plaza area (and presumably already parked).
The proposed use will also serve patrons already visiting nearby businesses (health and fitness studios, banks, beauty salons, medical services, restaurants, and retail shops) and the beach, who will likely utilize the adjacent public parking facilities.
• All the food items tend to be a quick serve product due to limited preparation time and minimal ingredients and food components, and these establishments tend to have quick turnover of patrons due to the “grab-and-go” nature of food and non-alcoholic drink items, as compared to a typical restaurant.
• The limited kitchen and storage service area with limited equipment and minimal seating with a total 10 seats within the limited outdoor seating area (not to exceed 25 seats in total) is not expected to create parking demand equivalent to that created by a restaurant use.
• The number of employees on the largest shift will be three employees, which is less than the number of employees required by a typical restaurant.
Adequate parking will be provided for customers, clients, visitors and employees
Pursuant to HBMC Section 17.44.210, a Parking Plan (or amendment thereto) may be approved by the Planning Commission to allow for a reduction in the number of parking spaces required. The applicant must provide information necessary to show adequate parking will be provided for customers, clients, visitors and employee, or when located within a vehicle parking district, the applicant shall propose an in-lieu fee according to the requirements of this section. Factors such as the following shall be taken into consideration:
1. Van pools;
2. Bicycle and foot traffic;
3. Common parking facilities;
4. Varied work shifts;
5. Valet parking;
6. Unique features of the proposed use;
7. Peak hours of the proposed use as compared with other uses sharing the same parking facilities, especially in the case of small restaurants or snack shops in the downtown area or in multi-tenant buildings;
8. Other methods of reducing parking demand.
Because the site is located on a pedestrian plaza located adjacent to a Class 1 bike trail, its customer base will rely primarily on bicycle and foot traffic from people already traversing the Pier Plaza area (and presumably already parked). Nearby common parking facilities accessed via 13th Court include the 37-space public parking lot to the north (Lot B) and the 185-space multi-story public parking structure to the north. Unique features of the proposed use include that it exhibits the characteristics of a snack shop, which typically generates a parking demand similar to that of a retail use rather than that of a restaurant. The previous snack shop use operated with the existing parking supply without significant impacts. As such, the existing parking supply will be adequate to serve the proposed use.
General Plan Consistency:
The site of the proposed establishment is located within the Recreational Commercial (RC) General Plan land use area, and the purpose of this designation is to offer a wide variety of recreational and coastal related services to serve both visitors and residents. Appropriate land uses include coastal-related uses and visitor accommodations such as restaurants, snack shops, entertainment, lodging, retail, beach rentals and other similar uses, while office and personal services are allowed on upper floors.
The site is also located within the Downtown District Character Area where the types of uses provide services and activities associated with the local beach culture to residents as well as visitors to the city. The mix of community and recreational uses are intended to serve a functional role in meeting the daily needs and activities of residents and visitors, and accommodate coastal-related recreation and commercial uses which serve the year-round needs of residents and visitors and are attractive and compatible with adjacent residential neighborhoods and commercial districts.
The proposed use is a visitor and resident-serving accommodation and is an appropriate use within the Recreational Commercial and Downtown District area. General Plan Land Use Goal 1.5 encourages a balance of resident and visitor needs through ensuring land uses and businesses provide for the needs of residents as well as visitors. General Plan Land Use Goal 8.4 encourages protection of the existing local inventory of conforming legal visitor-serving accommodations in the lower and middle cost ranges. The proposed use will provide residents and visitors with lower and middle cost food service options in the downtown. As such, the proposed use is consistent with the goals and policies of the General Plan.
Summary:
As noted in the analysis, and pursuant to applicable sections of the HBMC and policies of the General Plan, the proposed use meets the definition of and provides adequate parking for a snack shop. As such, the applicant’s request to delete the condition that prohibits use of a stove and oven for a snack shop is appropriate, and staff recommends approval of the requested Parking Plan amendment subject to the conditions set forth in the attached resolution of approval.
Attachments:
1. Proposed Resolution
2. Applicant Request Letter
3. ITA Italian Street Food Plans
4. Legal Posting
5. Radius Map
Respectfully Submitted by: Kathy Khang, Assistant Planner
Concur: Kim Chafin, Planning Manager
Approved: Ken Robertson, Community Development Director