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HomeMy WebLinkAbout903 California Drive - Staff Report, � MEMO T0: PLANNING COMMISSION FROM: SUBJECT: CITY PLANNER P.C. 7/11/83 ""��A���,�' � �,.�,..., USE DETERMINATION FOR A CAR RENTAL AGENCY IN THE C-2 DISTRICT AT 903 CALIFORNIA DRIVE Duncan Downing is requesting a use determination from the Planning Commission for a car rental agency at 903 California Drive. Code Sec. 25.38.030 referring to 25.36.030 describes the need for a use determination stating "other uses similar in character to those enumerated in this section which will not be obnoxious or detrimental to the neighborhood in which they are located". The applicant is requesting to operate a fleet of 42 car rentals from this site. The 450 SF upstairs office would operate 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. Monday through Thursday, 8:00 A.M. to 7:00 P.M. Friday; three full time employees would be on site during office hours. Five on-site parking spaces would be provided for the car rental use; overflow and two employee cars would be parked on the east side of California Drive. Shuttle service is used to deliver and pick up most cars. City staff have reviewed this request. The City Engineer (May 31, 1983 memo) recommends that without adequate on-site parking this application not be approved. The Fire Marshal (May 24, 1983 memo) objects to the increase in tenants in this building before an approved monitor on the sprinkling system connected to the central station is installed. The owner has been notified by the Fire Department but has not yet complied. The Chief Building Inspector (June 3, 1983 memo) had no comments. The presence of the car rental use at this location was discovered by the city Business License department. A letter (June 20, 1983) from the property owner of 909 California Drive, Leslie S. Mayne, protests the use of a portion of the site for a car rental agency unless the agency can provide enough space off street to park all its cars. He is opposed to using on-street parking on the east side of California Drive which is needed by employees. The applicant, Duncan Downing, letter of May 16, 1983, addresses his request. He points out that Agency Rent-A-Car deals primarily with insurance rentals while peopl;e's cars are in the shop. They provide a pick-up and delivery service such that cars often do not come back to the office but go directly from one rental to the next. They try to have 90% of their cars out rented at all times. Five parking spaces are provided on site, the remainder are parked on the street on the east side of California Drive which is not used by anyone else. They sublease the premises from La Body Shop. They share on-site parking with La Body Shop. La Body Shop does some repair work for the applicant, and he rents cars to some of La Body Shop's customers. He feels the site is adequate: they are a small car rental operation, customers do not come and go, he tries to keep cars away from his neighbors, and he parks the overflow on California Drive out of everyone's way. A letter (May 13, 1983) from Michel Chatard, owner of La Body Shop, supports Agency Rent-A-Car's request. -2- At the study meeting the Commission asked the following items to be addressed (Planning Commission minutes June 13, 1983): - Number of parking spaces available There are, according to the applicant, five spaces on site available for his car rental agency. He has 2.4 employees on site and a minimum of 10% of his fleet, 4.2 cars, on site at one time. Therefore, based on his application, he has an on-site parking need for eight cars. Two employees park on the east side of California Drive. He also points out his overflow cars are parked on the east side of California Drive. The Burlingame Municipal Code does not provide for off-premise parking; therefore an applicant cannot use parking which is not on his site to meet his on-site parking need. Random observations of staff have shown as many as ten cars with Agency Rent-A-Car stickers parked on California Drive (east and west sides) in the vicinity of the business. Also employees have been observed vacuuming cars parked at the curb on California Drive in front of the business. - Safe crossing of California Drive The aerial photograph shows that the closest safe crossing of California Drive in the vicinity of Agency Rent-A-Car's place of business is at the Majilla Avenue intersection. - Sprinkler system The staff report has been given to the applicant. In it is the Fire Marshal's memo on the sprinkler system, as well as a review of his comments in the staff report. Staff considers this adequate notification of the sprinkler system problem to the applicant. The City Planner recommends against this request for a use determination to locate a car rental agency at 903 California Drive. Clearly the site is inadequate for the extent of business anticipated. On-street parking is not intended for the storage of vehicles which are a part of a business operation. In the past the city has been particularly strict about the availability and requirement for adequate off-street parking for car rental uses; even going to the extent of threatening to withdraw use permits if abuses such as on-street parking occur and are not corrected. The Planning Commission should hold a public hearing on this request. If the Planning Commission wishes to consider this use at this location staff recommends that the following conditions be considered: 1. that the car rental business at this location be run as described in the applicant's letter of May 16, 1983 and in the car rental agency questionnaire dated May 16, 1983; 2. that no fewer than eight on-site parking spaces be assigned to this business; 3. that no Agency rent-a-cars be parked on street on California Drive or Majilla Avenue or any other public street in the City of Burlingame;and 4. that this permit be reviewed in six months time and be revoked if all conditions are not complied with at that time. ��� � Margaret Monroe cc: Duncan Downing City Planner MM/s--6/30/83 Richard J. & Hilda Faziola (property owners)