Meeting Date: 12/11/13 05:30 PM
Meeting Type: Regular
Location: Will & Ariel Durant Library, 7140 Sunset Blvd., LA, CA 90046
Details: 1. Welcome, introductions and general comments on the PLUM Committee's operations by the committee's chairperson.
2. Review the draft minutes of the committee's meeting on October 9, 2013. The draft mintues are posted and available for your review on this website under the committee's meetings archive.
3. 1707 Las Palmas – Smokin Pig Restaurant
Lee Rabun filed an application with the State's ABC for the new operator, Mano Kattan, to sell beer and wine there when he opens his restaurant. Mr. Rabun also filed an application with the City's Planning Department for a conditional permit to sell a full line of alcoholic beverages for on-site consumption, and to sell 750 ml bottles of wine for off site consumption between 6 am and 2 am daily.
This is a continuation of a discussion at the committee's October meeting. It was agreed that a presentation would be made to the Area 3 committee. Open issues included whether the restaurant should begin with a CUP to sell beer and wine for on site consumption, whether the operator's plan for early morning operations should not allow any beer, wine or alcohol to be sold before 10:30 am, and whether off site sales of wine should be limited to picnic and gift baskets.
Since then, City Council Member O'Farrell told HHWNC's board that he would seek a temporary moratorium on new CUPS in CD 13's area. So, that is another open issue for discussion.
Lee Rabun will be presenting on behalf of Mr. Mano. Gary Benjamin, CD 13's Planning Deputy, also may be there to update us on this case and CD 13's current policy regarding new CUPs.
The Planning Department's case no. is ZA 2013-2342-CUB.
4. 1349 Gardner – a proposed small lot subdivision
Regina Minor will returning to make new proposal for developing the site after the committee provided generally unfavorable comments at the October meeting with regard to Ann Haber's still pending application with the Planning Department for approval for a 4-unit small lot subdiivision on the site.
The Planning Department's case no. is AA 2013-2337.
5. 1421 N. Stanley – a proposed small lot subdivision
Noesis Stanely 1421 LLC has filed an aopplication with the Planning Department to seek approval of a tenative tract map subdiving the current vacant lot into four parcels for a smal lot subdivision of four new three-story single family homes with garages.
The applicant is seeking discretionary approvals in the form of zoning administators' adjustments for reduced front yard setabacks on Stanley and on the east side of each home. The applicant also has asked for reduced back yards varying from 5' to 3" for the different houses.
One open issue is whether the requested adjustments would permit adequate fire fighting access?
The Planning Department's case nos. are AA-2013-2830-PMLA and ZA 2013-2968.
6. 1449-1451 Gardner -aka Gardner Junction – revised proposal for a restaurant
There was a November 7th Area 7 committee meeting to discuss the operators proposed plans.
Open issues still include(but aren't limited to):
(i) what the physical site will look like, including any open decks;
(ii) the proposed hours of operation;
(iii) whether the restaurant should get a conditional use permit for a full line of alcholic beverages for on site consumption, or instead start with a CUP to sell just beer and wine; and
(iv) a parking/valet parking plan. Both on-site and off-site parking arrangements for customers and the restaurant staff remain open for discussion. The sites and routes involved are to be discussed.
The Planning Department's case no. is ZA-2012-2019-CU.
Matthew Hayden will be presenting on behalf of the proposed restaurant's operators.
7. 7120-7130 Sunset and 1440 Detroit
An update regarding ongoing dicussions between the developer's group, led by Mike Cohnazad, and residents at 1436 Detroit, which is adjacent building.
The Planning Depatment's case no. is ZA 2013–1302(ZV)(ZAA)
Please see the minutes of the committee's June 26, 2013 meeting for more details.
8. In light of City Council Member La Bonge's motion in the City Council to ask the Planning Department to Study and report back as to how the small lot subdivision ordinance and the Planning Department's rules could be improved, a similar discussion in this committee seems appropriate as a starting point for making recommendations to the full HHWNC board and Council Member La Bonge.
9. Pulbic comments on any non-agendized items.
10. Adjournment.
1. Plum committee members Orrin Feldman, Jeff Papes, Jim Geoghan, Joshua Kopel and Mary Prange were present. Area 3 committee chair Robin Moreno and Area 7 committee chair Barbara Witkin also were present.
There was a quorum of voting members of the committee present when this meeting began at 5:30 p.m.. Approximately 25 stakeholders were present.
The committee reviewed the draft minutes of its October 9, 2013 meeting. The minutes were approved unanimously.
2. 1707 Las Palmas – Smokin Pig Restaurant
The Planning Department's case no. is ZA 2013-2342.
Lee Rabun made a short presentation on behalf of the Mario Kattan, the operator, who is seeking a coniditional use permit to sell a full ine of alcoholic beverages for on site consumption and to sell bottles of wine for off site consumption. Mr. Rabun stated that the case would need to come back to the Plum committee following additional conversations between Messrs. Rabun and Kattan with LAPD Hollywood Division and the City Council District 13 office.
The matter was tabled for further consideration at a subsequent meeting.
3. 1349 Gardner – a proposed small lot subdivision
The Planning Dept.'s case no. is AA 2013-2337.
Regina Minor discussed a revised site plan which she presented to the committee, and acknowledged that the revised plan would need to be revised further in order to comply with the driveway width requirements/rules in the Small Lot Subdivision Ordinance.
The matter was tabled for further consideration at a subsequent meeting.
4. 1421 Stanley – a proposed small lot subdivision.
The Planning Department's case nos. are AA-2013-2830-PMLA and ZA 2013-2968.
Daniela Bernhard, the project manager for NE Designs Inc., the consultant to Noesis Stanley 1421, LLC, asked the committee to table the consideration of this matter to a subsequent meeting.
The matter was tabled for further consideration at a subsequent meeting.
5. 1440-1451 Gardner – aka Gardner Junction – a revised proposal for a retaurant.
Matthew Hayden made a presentation on behalf of the two restaurant operators, who are Claudiu Marinescu and Steve Brown. .
Mr. Hayden explained the revised operating plan which they had presented to the Area 7 committee at its November 7th meeting. He explained that the restaurant's seating would be reduced from 69 to 61 seats, and that the restaurant's operators would agree to (i) reduce the hours of operations as well as alcohol sales, and (ii) withdraw its request for a zoning variance for off-site valet parking, but retain on-site parking for customers. He also explained how one patio would be removed and the other patio could be enclosed to reduce noise. He shared a drawing of how the Sunset facing facade and landscaping could be designed to soften the restaurant's appearance and emphasize that this would be a local restaurant, rather than a bar.
A substantial discussion followed Mr. Hayden's presentation.
Following the discussion, the Plum committee decided by a vote of (5-0-0) to recommend to the HHWNC board that the board vote to support the pending application for a conditional use permit to sell a full line of alcoholic beverages at the restaurant if the Planning Department were to require the applicant(s) to adhere to the following conditions:
(i) hours of operations would be limited to 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. on sundays through thursdays, and to 12 midnight on fridays and saturdays;
(ii) sales of alcoholic beverages would be made only to patrons who purchase food;
(iii) there would be no one seated for service any later than one half hour prior to the 11 and 12 midnight closing times;
(iv) patios would be designed to mitigate and/or eliminate noise which could disturb neighbors, and would close at 10 p.m. There will be no amplified music; only ambient background music would be permissible.
(v) there would be no outdoor signage for operating as a bar or serving particular brands of alcohol;
(vi) there would be off site parking arranged for employee parking;.
(vii) there would be an approved valet parking plan – including the proposal to use the spaces adjacent to the restaurant and at the next door residence for customer parking;
(viii) the remodeling and landscaping for the site would be consistent with what has been shown to the Plum committee;
(ix) there will be no happy hours or other similar promotions;
(x) there will be no promoters and no bar or nightclub operations;
(xi) in the event of a change of ownership, the Planning Department will review the change(s) to determine whether continuing the conditional use permit would be appropriate; and
(xii) there would be a Planning Department review of the restaurant's operations after one (1) year, and that the conditional use permit would be revocable in the event that the restaurant's operations have not complied with the department's requirements when the CUP is issued, including these requirements in this list of recommendations.
Messrs. Marinescu and Brown agreed to these conditions becoming requirements in the conditional use permit.
6. 7120-7130 Sunset Blvd. and 1440 Detroit
The Planning Department's case no. is ZA 2013-1302(ZV)(ZAA).
Mike Cohnazad made a presentation to update the committee and the residents in the neighboring building(s) with regard to his revised site plan and proposed building.
There will be 88 parking spaces for residents, and there will be 29 parking spaces for commercial businesses and guests. Several people expressed concern that the 29 spaces would be insufficient for the commercial businesses and guest parking.
There was a discussion of the space between this proposed building and the existing building to the south. Landscaping plans were discussed. Also, the street scaping along Detroit was described, as well as a change to move the garage entrance further north and away from the adjacent building.
Mr. Cohnazad also explained the new balcony design for the proposed building. There were questions about whether the new design would satisfy the concerns which Renee Weitzer, Council District 4's Planning Deputy, had expressed about the balconies's design(s) back at the August Plum committee meeting.
7. The discussion of City Counci Member La Bonge's motion in the City Council to ask for a study to make recommendations for improving the Small Lot Subdivision Ordinance and the guidelines which implement the ordinance was tabled due to lack of time.
8. There were no public comments on nonagendized items.
9. The meeting was adjourned at 7:50 p.m.