The project was reviewed pursuant to the guidelines of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and determined to be Categorically Exempt pursuant to Section 15301, Class 1: "Existing Facilities" of the CEQA Guidelines because the proposed retail store selling pre-owned merchandise will operate within an existing building without any exterior alterations to the building.

That the Planning Commission approve:

A RESOLUTION OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF LA HABRA APPROVING CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT 22-27 TO OPERATE A RETAIL STORE SELLING PRE-OWNED MERCHANDISE AT 551 WEST WHITTIER BOULEVARD, MAKING THE APPROPRIATE FINDINGS, AS PER THE APPROVED PLANS AND SUBJECT TO CONDITIONS
 

The applicant, Man Chu Wu, is requesting Conditional Use Permit 22-17 to establish and operate a retail store selling pre-owned merchandise (PTA Thrift Shop) within an existing tenant suite at 551 West Whittier Boulevard. The subject property is 0.15 acres and developed with a 2,400 square foot commercial building that was divided into two tenant suites (551 and 553 West Whittier Boulevard) as shown outlined in red on Exhibit 1. The adjacent tenant space in the building at 553 West Whittier Boulevard is currently vacant.  The property is generally located on the north side of Whittier Boulevard; between Kirby Drive and North Walnut Street. To the north of the property, are single-family and multifamily residential units; to the east is a multi-tenant commercial retail center and a gas station; to the south, across Whittier Boulevard, is Walnut Elementary School; and, to the west, are several commercial buildings. The General Plan designates the subject property for Corridor Mixed-Use 1 land use, and it is located in the C-2 (Commercial) Zone with a Mixed Use Overlay, which implements the General Plan Corridor Mixed-Use land use designation.

EXHIBIT 1

PTA Thrift Shop has served the La Habra community since 1958. The store provides affordable clothing options to local families and their children. PTA Thrift Shop also helps to provide free clothing to families in the La Habra City School District, the Lowell Joint School District, as well as the Fullerton Joint Union High School District. Unlike traditional retail stores, PTA Thrift Shop obtains their goods through donations. They routinely accept donations, which must be sorted; retaining items that can be re-used and discarding any junk items. The PTA Thrift Shop relies on volunteers to staff the store and usually has one to two volunteers per shift. To ensure compatibility with nearby residences, staff has added conditions regarding business hours of operation and limiting truck deliveries (i.e., donation trucks, etc.) to daytime hours only.

The hours of operation are proposed as follows:

Monday - Friday: 9:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Saturday: 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Sunday: Closed

The floor plan for the store is provided below as Exhibit 2. The majority of the suite is reserved for retail display area, but there are two existing dressing rooms provided as well. In the rear of the suite there is a small storage area, an office, and an employee restroom. The applicant is not proposing any exterior and/or interior tenant improvements that would require a building permit. No additional square footage is being added.

Pursuant to La Habra Municipal Code (LHMC) Section 18.06.040.A, approval of a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) is required for the establishment and operation of a retail store selling pre-owned merchandise. In order to grant the CUP for this request, the Planning Commission must make the findings below. Following each finding, staff has provided justification to make said finding.

1. The granting of such conditional use permit will not be detrimental to the public welfare and will not unreasonably interfere with the use, possession and enjoyment of surrounding and adjacent properties and will not impair the character of the zone in which it is to be located.

The resolution to approve CUP 22-27 includes conditions of approval to ensure that the proposed use will not be detrimental to the public welfare and will not unreasonably interfere with the use, possession, and enjoyment of surrounding and adjacent properties. In this case, a condition was added to limit the hours of operation to ensure compatibility with the existing nearby residences. Furthermore, a condition was also added to limit truck deliveries to daytime hours to reduce impacts to nearby residences. Through compliance with the conditions of approval, the operation of the proposed use at the subject site will not impair the character of the C-2 (Commercial) Zone.

2. The subject site is physically suitable for the type of land use being proposed.

The subject 1,200 square foot tenant space was formerly occupied by a clothing retailer. The proposed thrift store will primarily provide retail services. Therefore, the same tenant space is adequate in size, shape, and topography to accommodate the thrift store. Per La Habra Municipal Code Section 18.14.060.B.5, retail and general commercial requires four parking spaces per 1,000 square feet of gross floor area. At this ratio, five parking spaces are required for the 1,200 square foot tenant space. There are five parking spaces provided in the rear of the site, so it complies with the City's off-street parking standards for retail and general commercial uses.

3. The use is conditionally permitted within the subject zone and complies with the intent of all applicable provisions of this title.

The subject site is located in the C-2 (Commercial) Zone, which conditionally allows for the operation of retail stores selling pre-owned merchandise. With the incorporation and implementation of the conditions of approval, the use will be harmonious with the surrounding land uses. The proposed use does not involve any exterior modification to the site, so the site remains in conformance with all applicable requirements of the C-2 (Commercial) Zone.

4. The granting of the Conditional Use Permit is consistent with the General Plan.

Granting CUP 22-27 to allow for the operation of a thrift store will be consistent with La Habra’s General Plan Policy LU 11.1 which encourages “the development of a broad range of uses in La Habra’s commercial centers and corridors that reduce the need to travel to adjoining communities, and capture a greater share of local spending.” The subject property is situated on West Whittier Boulevard and there are no other thrift stores along this commercial corridor. By adding a thrift store at this site, PTA Thrift will add to the range of surrounding uses and provide another choice for affordable clothing to La Habra residents. Granting CUP 22-27 is also consistent with General Plan Policy LU 3.2 which promotes “uses that meet daily needs... within walking distance of residences.” The subject property is conveniently located adjacent to existing single-family and multifamily dwelling units to the north. The addition of a thrift store along Whittier Boulevard adds more options within walking distance to the adjacent residences as well as the greater La Habra area.

Related Cases

The Applicant has paid for the processing costs associated with the Conditional Use Permit, which total $6,252.00.

The Applicant's proposal has been reviewed pursuant to the requirements of the City's National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Municipal Permit, the Local Implementation Plan (LIP), and the Model Water Quality Management Plan (WQMP), Section 7.2. Since no disturbance of soil will occur, the project is exempted by the Water Quality Ordinance from the preparation of a WQMP.

The proposed project is related to the following General Plan policies:

The proposed project is related to the following City Council Goal and Objective: