News, Planning Commission, Ocean Park, Santa Monica, Housing

Ocean Park Bed and Breakfast Delayed

Planning OKs Two Requests, Holds One, Tables Another

Posted Apr. 26, 2011, 12:15 am

Parimal M. Rohit / Staff Writer

The Santa Monica Planning Commission directed staff to determine whether certain changes were accounted for before making a statement of official action on a conditional use permit for a bed and breakfast facility, while a two-year extension and a parcel map were jointly approved during the board’s meeting at City Hall on April 20.

Applicant John Heidt requested a the Planning Commission approve a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) for a bed and breakfast facility located at 2219 Ocean Avenue, a unique venue that is permitted to be built in the Ocean Park Medium Multiple Residential District should a CUP actually be approved.

The Commission did not vote on the matter, as Commissioner Jason Parry pointed out two of the conditions in the CUP request were not properly worded to accurately reflect what the board sought prior to approving the permit.

Specifically, Parry suggested both the third and fifth conditions of approval be revisited prior to the Commission taking action. The third condition relates to establishing a written agreement with an on-site manager, while the fifth condition pertains to the manager’s on-site hours and contact information.

“(The third condition) refers to a new residential lease agreement with the on-site manager. Instead, (it should read) ‘a contract requiring on-site manager of the bed and breakfast reside at the property,’” Parry stated in his motion to amend two of the 16 conditions. “In condition five, replace … ‘designated on-site manager’ with ‘secondary contact information for management or owner.’”

Commission Chair Jim Ries asked whether the conditions be changed to how it read “when we voted on them” yet was not worded as such in the statement of official action.

With Parry confirming as much, staff was directed to double check take a look at how the language of the conditions read when Commission voted them and whether there were any discrepancies in the wordage of conditions three and five.

In the consent calendar, commissioners approved an application by PRU/JSM Trino requesting a two-year for a Design Compatibility Permit and Development Review Permit.

“According to the applicant, due to the ongoing instability in the real estate and lending markets, there have been significant near-term challenges in obtaining construction financing which would have allowed for development of the property prior to the previous permits’ expiration,” Amanda Schachter, City Planning division manager, stated in her staff report. “ The application also states that the applicant has undergone new internal management and intends to proceed with development of the approved project as soon as feasible construction lending again commences.”

Both permits were originally approved by the Planning Commission on November 14, 2007, for the construction of a mixed-use project consisting of 125 condominium units, 7,520 square feet of commercial space, and four levels of subterranean parking.

The approved extension will expire on May 5, 2013.

Meanwhile, a request by Farzam Enterprises Corporation for an airspace subdivision to construct a new four-unit residential condominium at 1621 Franklin Street was also approved by the Commission.

“The project complies with applicable policies, including unit density and height standards for the subject land use designation (and) will not exceed land use designation limits to building height and unit density,” Schachter’s staff report stated.

A public hearing to consider Colorado Center’s fifth amendment to its Development Agreement (DA) for the Yahoo Center office development was tabled until April 27. The proposed DA amendment seeks “to revise the current parking ratio for office use on the site from the current requirement of one parking space per 322 (square foot) of office floor area to one parking space per 500 (square foot) of office floor area.”