INSIDE CITY HALL Here are some...

INSIDE CITY HALL

Here are some of the decisions made by the Costa Mesa Planning

Commission on Monday night:

CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT

The commission approved a permit for outdoor storage of vehicles

on a property near West 17th Street and Babcock Street. Katrina Foley

dissented. The city’s zoning administrator had approved the request

on Jan. 16, but Councilman Allan Mansoor appealed the decision,

saying he would like to see landscaping added to the lot to screen

the vehicle storage areas.

WHAT IT MEANS:

The owner can store the vehicles without having to add any

landscaping.

CHANGE MAKE-UP OF RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY

The commission approved a project in the 2500 block of Santa Ana

Avenue that includes nine small lots of separate single-family homes

with attached two-car garages and open parking in the driveways

leading to the garages.

WHAT IT MEANS:

The 12 rental units will be demolished and replaced with the nine

single-family homes, providing more opportunity for home ownership in

the city.

REHAB FACILIY CLIENT EXPANSION

The commission denied a request by the owner of an alcohol/drug

rehabilitation facility in a residential neighborhood to expand the

number of clients it serves from six to nine.

WHAT IT MEANS:

The facility now has to reduce its clientele to six to comply with

the city code. The city is embroiled in a lawsuit with the facility

for violating that code. The case is expected to go to trial in June

if the facility does not comply.

RETAIL BUILDING

The council unanimously approved a 21-foot master plan to

construct a building on property previously occupied by a Mobil gas

station on East 17th Street. A previous master plan for a 25-foot

building had been approved by the commission in 2001, but the

adjacent property owner appealed it. The council then approved the

plan with a reduced height of 18 feet, but since construction did not

start within a year, the plan expired.

WHAT IT MEANS:

The company can now build its 21-foot building.

-- Compiled by Deirdre Newman