Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout3/21/2001 - STAFF REPORTS (13) l� DATE: March 21, 2001 TO: City Council FROM: Director of Planning and Building CASE 5.0852: RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PALM SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA OVERRULING WITHOUT PREJUDICE A DECISION BY THE PLANNING COMMISSION TO ISSUE A CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT FOR A MOTORCYCLE RENTAL USE AT 490 SOUTH INDIAN CANYON DRIVE, ZONE "C-2" GENERAL COMMERCIAL. RECOMMENDATION That the City Council adopt the attached Resolution overruling without prejudice a decision by the Planning Commission to issue a conditional use permit for a motorcycle rental use at 490 South Indian Canyon Drive, Zone "C-2" General Commercial. SUMMARY During its meeting of March 7, 2001, the City Council conducted a public hearing to receive public comment on an appeal filed by the Historic Tennis Club Neighborhood. At the conclusion of the public hearing, the City Council directed staff to prepare a resolution overruling the Planning Commission's decision. The City Council requested that the denial of the Conditional Use Permit be without prejudice and that all fees paid for the subject application be applied to a future application by the same applicant for the same use at a different site. Lastly, the City Council directed staff to assist the applicant in finding a suitable site within the City for the proposed use. The attached resolution incorporates the direction provided by City Council. Of note, included in the resolution is wording that the fees will only apply to a future application if said application is received within one year of the date of the resolution. The reason for the time limit is to encourage administrative feasibility. The City Council may desire to delete or modify the time limitation. 6) Director of lanning and Building City Manager Attachments: 1. Resolution Martha Edgmon From: nookno@webtv.net Sent: Thursday, March 22, 2001 2:19 PM To: marthae@palm-springs.ca.us; nookno@webtv.net Subject: Bike Shop @ Indian/Ramon Dear City Council Members: It has come to my attention through an article in the Desrt Sun that you have postponed a final decision on a proposed bike shop at the corner of Ramon and Indian in Palm Springs. This is definitely not the "perfect location" for such a shop. Although the front stores on Indian have filled in nicely, the drug store location, as you know, has been vacant for some time and is directly adjacent to the corner under discussion. The store units from there going East are on the edge of acceptability, and the junk store in the back is definitely seedy. I hear nothing negative about Flaherty's Bar, but that could be an negative attraction if a bike shop were so close. I would not want to sit on the patio at IHOP for a meal with the noise and stench of motorcycles revving up and taking off. Would you? Traffic wise, crossing Indian on foot is now a hazard as motorists free turn on the red light from both lanes. Also, vehicles turning onto Indian at that corner, have to move quickly to the far left lane to get into one of the parking lots servicing business on Palm Canyon. This poses a further complication because bikers who would exit onto Indian would have to contend with cars scrambling for their lanes. Motorcyclists usually don't ease into traffic; especially drivers who are renting vehices that they are not familiar with. Another considertion would be the cyclist who wants to exit onto Ramon going East. He would have to enter between two-way traffic. Ramon is a nice wide street and motorists pick up speed in excess of legal limits. Eighty MPH is not unknown between Avenita Caballeros and Sunrise. Cyclists are no exception. I would consider it wise and prudent for the City Council to work towards the goal of upgrading this prime property. It does nothing for the community aesthetically now and for the amount of taxes the City would receive from the bike shop, it is not worth allowing this area to further slide down hill and cause further traffic and noise congestion. Please do not issue this permit. Thank you, Shirley McGovern P.O. Box 8365 1111 Ramon Rd. #34 Palm Springs, CA 416-7441 03/22/2001 11:36 7603258263 THE HOLLISTERS PAGE 01 March 22, 2001 Attention: Mayor will Kleiudieust, If you really had the interest of your client and the best Levenues f r the City in mind for the corner of Ramon and Indian Canyon, YOU would the make that a city parking lot (there is plenty of emptyspace abandonded filling station and the unoccupied dry cleaning establishment to make a sizable parking lot) and your meter maids could police it! When the lease runs out in 8 years or so, the Agua Calienties could run their shuttles out Ramon and up Indian to their casinos. Even a car rental lot would produce less noise pollution than a motorcycle rental business. Furthermore there are more citizens who have a legal automobile driver's license than carry a legal motorcyle license so a car rental would generate more business. At the Planning commission sessions we attended the partners of Eagle Rider Palm Springs said that the average rental for a day would be 2 motorcycles out of the inventory of 10 that they planned to house in the abandonded station. Financially we don't understand how a grown man could afford to sit there all day with that amount of business after he has paid your client, splashed on several coats of black metallic with orange Harley stripes, then purchased his inventory of 10 new Harley's, He said his normal day was approximately 2 rentals going out in the morning, being out of our earshot all day and then returning in the evening. He must have something else in mind for support unless he is financially secure already. Most of the owners at the Biarritz rent to the Saga group and the Saga clients are mostly from England and some of those Brits sit around the pool in shirt and tie. We do not have the condo we own in the Saga pool and this winter we rented to a Canadian couple who chose it so they could walk downtown and to the grocery store etc. . Most of the Saga group do not rent cars and are walkers as well and carry their groceries and provisions home from Ralph's at the corner of Sunrise and Ramon. 1 don't think the ladies at Clara B would be interested in renting a motorcycle - (or even the tourists who visit Palm Springs to enjoy being nudists. They'd have to be in heavy leather to avoid burning skin on a hot exhaust pipe, or freeze something else on the way to Joshua Tree National Park.) So We don't anticipate anyone we know in that area being interested in the bike shop. We don't anticipate anything of beauty to locate on that corner now or when the lease expires in several years - no matter how much black shiny material goes on the building or how beautifully landscaped, an abandonded gas station will always look like a gas station. But we do hope for something that wasn't as noisy as revving up motorcycles. Since the Police Department does not store their fleet of motorcycles on that corner their presence in the city is not a problem. There are many locations in Palm Springs for a motorcycle rental business. Many sites would welcome them as good neighbors. page 1 of 2 03/22/2001 11:36 7603258263 THE HOLLISTERS PAGE 02 Not changing the subject, but as an example: the swallows have not returned as yet, to San Juan Capistram this year! And even if they do their numbers are getting smaller. They certainly wouldn't arrive during their Festival on March 17, 18 and 19 - its too noisy say the locals. The environmentalists say their supply of twigs for building nests is dwindling since the orange groves are gone and replaced with the City of Orange, So, when we get enough motorcycle rentals to make that corner a financial success the winter visitors who come to our small hotels, rent blocks of condos, and do not find the ambience they have experienced in the past, they too will they would find new zone motor cyclerentals in an industrial area, notcommercialdow town• nests somewhere else. r Desert We commend you for having the interests of your client in mind and the concern of revenues for Palm Springs, but 1 would also appreciate it if you made some consideration for the neighborhoods. Sincerely, Aw� Agnes L. Hollister F. Martin Holl ter 432 So Monte Vista Drive palm Springs, California 92762 Phone and/or Fax 760-325 .8263 cc: Ron Oden Deyna Hodges Jeanne Reller--Spurgin Jim Jones page 2 of 2 'Per-lard Maakertz Casa Bernardo 575 Calle Santa Rosa Palm Sprinoc. CA 9226��t �� Q { � Alit �r-A 9\(e -� vl EGG RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PALM SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA OVERRULING WITHOUT PREJUDICE DECISION BY THE PLANNING COMMISSION TO ISSUE A CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT FOR A MOTORCYCLE RENTAL USE AT 490 SOUTH INDIAN CANYON DRIVE, ZONE "C-2" GENERAL COMMERCIAL. WHEREAS lawful action taken by the Palm Springs City Council on November 1, 2000 amended the Palm Springs Zoning Ordinance so as to permit Motorcycle Rental in the"C-1" and "C-2" zoning districts subject to the issuance of a Conditional Use Permit by the Planning Commission; and WHEREAS, the Planning Commission conducted a public hearing during its meeting of December 13,2000 and January 10,2001 forthe purpose of considering an application for Motorcycle Rental on property zoned "C-2;" and WHEREAS,the Planning Commission public hearing of December 13, continued to January 10, 2001, was duly noticed in accordance with State and local requirements, and WHEREAS, the Planning Commission considered the application as well as all testimony presented during the public hearing of December 13,2000 and January 10,2001 and found that the findings necessary forthe issuance of Conditional Use Permit to be met given the accompanying Conditions of Approval; and WHEREAS, the Historic Tennis Club Neighborhood filed an appeal of the decision of the Planning Commission in accordance with Section 2.05 of the Municipal Code; and WHEREAS, the Palm Springs City Council conducted a public hearing during its meeting of March 7, 2001 to receive testimony regarding the request for a Conditional Use Permit; and WHEREAS, at the conclusion of the public hearing,the City Council found thatthe findings necessary for the issuance of a Conditional Use Permit were not met due to the proximity, less than 300 feet, of the proposed location to both the Historic Tennis Club and the Vista Santa Rosa residential neighborhoods; and WHEREAS, at the conclusion of the public hearing, the City Council found that the finding necessary for the issuance of a Conditional Use Permit were not met due to the noise impacts associated with the proposed use; NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Palm Springs Section 1: Based upon the evidence presented atthe meeting of March 7,2001,the City Council finds thatthe site forthe intended use is in conflictwith the adjacent residential neighborhoods of Vista Santa Rosa and the Historic Tennis Club due to noise and safety impacts; and «40 Section 2: The decision of the Planning Commission to issue a Conditional Use Permit for a Motorcycle Rental Use at 490 South Indian Canyon Drive is overruled. Section 3: The request for a Conditional Use Permit for a Motorcycle Rental Use is denied without prejudice. Section 4: The staff is directed to assist the applicant in identifying alternative sites within the corporate limits that will meet the needs of the business while satisfying the findings necessary for the issuance of a Conditional Use Permit. Section 5: All fees paid to the City for the processing of the subject Conditional Use Permitshall be applied to afuture Conditional Use Permit application bythe same applicant for the same use at a different location provided such application is made within one year of the date of this resolution. Adopted this _day of March, 2001. AYES: NOES: ABSENT: ATTEST: CITY OF PALM SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA By: City Clerk City Manager REVIEWED AND APPROVED AS TO FORM: ��.Z