SUBJECT: PRECISE DEVELOPMENT PLAN AMENDMENT 99-6

LOCATION : 1301 MANHATTAN AVENUE

APPLICANT : J.R.RANT

145 PIER AVENUE

HERMOSA BEACH, CA 90254

PURPOSE: TO RECONSIDER THE PLANNING COMMISSION DECISION TO DENY A MODIFICATION TO AN ARCHITECTURAL FEATURE ON THE COMMERCIAL BUILDING AT 1301 MANHATTAN AVENUE

Planning Commission Recommendation

To sustain the Commission's decision to deny the request.

Background

The developer is appealing a Planning Commission decision regarding the substitution of an iron railing for a concrete balustrade railing originally approved for the subject project. The Precise Development Plan (PDP) for the project was approved by the Planning Commission on March 19, 1996. The approved plans included concrete balustrades along the stairway and second floor landing on the front (east) façade of the building. Condition No. 1, Section 1 of the PDP provides that : The development and continued use of the property shall be in conformance with submitted plans. Modifications to the plan shall be reviewed and may be approved by the Community Development Director . In October of 1998 the developer submitted plan modifications to staff which included the subject iron railing. Staff approved changes to the railing which were not visible from the street (west side) as minor modifications , but requested Commission direction on the change along Manhattan Avenue (east side). The Commission indicated that the change along the building frontage was not a minor modification . The developer subsequently installed the iron railing on the east elevation without City approval. (The subject request to amend the PDP was received in February, 1999 after the iron railing was installed).

At their meeting of February 16, 1999 the Planning Commission denied the request to amend the PDP by a vote of 3:2 indicating their preference for the originally design. Commissioner Pizer did not object to the railing, and Commissioner Perrotti, while preferring the concrete railing, stated the decision should be the builder's.

Analysis

The attached plan and photographs show the iron railing substituted for the approved concrete balustrades. The developer requested this change in conjunction with another change to provide a return along the south elevation for the exterior crown molding on the parapet. (The plan and photos also show this extension of the crown molding to the south facing elevation).

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