Inside City Hall

WHAT HAPPENED:

The Planning Commission on Monday denied a request by Holiday Inn to

install an illuminated 54-foot-tall sign on a 3.8-acre lot on Bristol

Street, south of the San Diego Freeway.

Planning staff had denied the request -- which was appealed to the

commission -- because the maximum height allowed according to city code

is 32 feet.

Holiday Inn representative Ken Person said a 65-foot sign is the

lowest height that can be seen from the freeway.

WHAT IT MEANS:

Holiday Inn will not be allowed to put up the sign. The hotel has up

to seven days to appeal its request to the City Clerk’s office.

WHAT THEY SAID:

“I don’t believe the lack of a sign will be a detriment to Holiday

Inn,” said Commissioner Katie Wilson. “I think the impact on business

will be minimal and the impact on residents [if we approved the sign]

would be maximum, considering they are already near the freeway and the

sign would be in their line of sight. The benefit to business would not

outweigh the impact on the residents, in my opinion.”

VOTE: 4 IN FAVOR / 1 AGAINST

WHAT HAPPENED:

The commission approved a revised plan to build five homes on an

Eastside lot at 2087 Garden Lane. The commission had approved the project

earlier this year, but developer Jim Cefalia revised the project after

the City Council denied it in June.

The new proposal includes more parking, more private open space and

architectural enhancements.

WHAT IT MEANS:

The council will take a second look at the project now that the

commission approved the revised plans. The original proposal was

submitted before the council put a temporary freeze on new single-lot,

multi-home developments on the Eastside. The new plans will still be

exempt from the moratorium.

WHAT THEY SAID:

“I think these homes will really enhance that street,” Cefalia said.

“I think everybody’s been pretty fair and I will do the best that I can.

I really did try to design the best quality home.”

VOTE: 5 IN FAVOR / 0 AGAINST

WHAT HAPPENED:

The commission approved a permit to increase student enrollment at

Page Private School, 657 Victoria St., from 160 to 250 students. The

permit also allows the school to construct a 21,000-square-foot building

that is 32.5 feet tall.

About 2,000 square feet of existing school buildings and five

apartment units east of the school will be demolished to make way for the

new building.

Planning staff had recommended requiring 52 parking places -- nine

more than the proposed 43 -- but school representative Bob Kraft said the

campus would have to decrease the playground area to add nine more

spaces. The school currently has 30 parking spaces. The commission

decided to require 43 spaces, adding a provision that nine more will be

built if staff finds a parking problem at the school in the future.

WHAT IT MEANS:

The school will be allowed to expand if the City Council approves the

permit.

WHAT THEY SAID:

“I’m not interested in eating up playground space for children, but I

am aware there could be a parking problem in the future, especially

without parking on Victoria,” Davenport said.

NEXT MEETING

6:30 p.m. Nov. 27 at City Hall, 77 Fair Drive.