This project was reviewed pursuant to the guidelines of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and determined to be categorically exempt pursuant to Section 15301(e), Class 1: "Existing Facilities" of the CEQA Guidelines. Class 1 consists of the operation, repair, maintenance, permitting, leasing, licensing, or minor alteration of existing public or private structures, facilities, mechanical equipment, or topographical features, involving negligible or no expansion of use. The subject site contains an existing 2,078-square-foot building, previously used as a nursery school, and an associated 400-square-foot garage used for storage. The project does not include any major modifications or additions to these existing structures, exterior remodeling, and/or structural rehabilitation. Use of the property for a general business office is a negligible expansion of the existing use. 

The project is not subject to any of the exceptions for exemption under Section 15300.2 of the CEQA Guidelines. The cumulative impact of this project, and the approval of other projects like it in the vicinity, is not expected to have any significant environmental impact. The project is not located along any state-designated scenic highway nor within any designated hazardous waste site. The project will not cause a substantial adverse change in the significance of any historical resource as there have been several improvements to the structure and modifications to the lot over the years that have resulted in an inability for the building and site to convey any historic significance. Staff does not expect any significant impacts or unusual circumstances related to the approval and construction of the project. Therefore, the project is categorically exempt from CEQA.

RESOLUTION NO. 25-26 - A RESOLUTION OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF LA HABRA, CALIFORNIA, MAKING THE REQUIRED FINDINGS AND APPROVING CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT 25-0012 (CUP 25-0012) TO ALLOW THE ESTABLISHMENT AND OPERATION OF A GENERAL BUSINESS OFFICE LOCATED AT 2100 EAST LAMBERT ROAD, AS PER THE APPROVED PLANS AND SUBJECT TO CONDITIONS, AND MAKING THE DETERMINATION THAT THE PROJECT IS EXEMPT FROM THE CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT (CEQA) PURSUANT TO SECTION 15301, CLASS 1: “EXISTING FACILITIES” OF THE CEQA GUIDELINES

The Applicant, James Sandoval, on behalf of the Property Owner, Aram Grigoryan, is requesting the approval of Conditional Use Permit 25-0012 (CUP 25-0012) to allow the establishment and operation of a general business office for a non-emergency medical transportation service company known as "All Town Ambulance" (the "Project"). The Project is located on a 0.38-acre property that currently contains a 2,078-square-foot commercial building and 400-square-foot garage, located at 2100 East Lambert Road (the "Project Site"), and situated approximately 400 feet east of the southeast corner of Lambert Road and Palm Street (see Exhibit 1 below and Attachment 2).

The General Plan designates the Project Site for Light Industrial land use, which is characterized by manufacturing, wholesale, and warehouse uses with off-street parking that can be developed in close proximity to residential uses without serious conflict due to development standards that regulate things such as noise, vibration, setbacks, and landscaping. The Project Site is also located within the M-1 (Light Manufacturing) Zone, which implements the General Plan Light Industrial land use designation, and is "intended to provide for the development of industrial uses which include fabrication, manufacturing, assembly or processing of materials that are in already processed form and which do not in their maintenance, assembly, manufacture or plant operation create smoke, gas, odor, dust, sound, vibration, soot or lighting to any degree which might be termed obnoxious or offensive to persons residing in or conducting business in either this or any other zone", as described in Section 18.38.010 (Generally) of the La Habra Municipal Code (LHMC).

The southern property line for the Project Site is the City's boundary with the City of Brea. To the south of the Project Site is property owned by the Pacific Electric Railroad Company, within the City of Brea, a portion of which is anticipated to be part of the future expansion of the O.C. Loop recreational trail. The General Plan designation, zoning, and existing land use for the site and each of the surrounding properties are provided in Table 1 below:

As described in the Applicant's Letter of Business Operations (see Attachment 3), All Town Ambulance provides non-emergency interfacility patient transports and has contracts with healthcare facilities across Orange, Los Angeles, and Ventura Counties. The business intends to utilize the existing 2,078-square-foot building as an office and call center, where two dispatchers will speak with clients/customers and direct EMTs/paramedics/nurses to each service location and oversee daily operations. While a shift manager will be on duty from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily, the proposed business would like to operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to provide service for early-morning appointments, interfacility transports, transitions to specialized care facilities, and late-night discharges that often do not align with a standard business schedule. The 400-square-foot garage will be used to store medical tools and equipment, which includes transportation equipment (i.e., scoop stretchers and stair chairs), breathing and oxygen support equipment (i.e.,oxygen tanks, bag-valve-masks, ventilators, and/or suction units), cardiac equipment (i.e., AEDs, defibrillator/monitor, ECG machines), monitoring devices (i.e., multi-parameter patient monitors, pulse oximeters), and wound care supplies (i.e., bandages, gauze, tourniquets, trauma shears). Other vital items to be stored include immobilization equipment, I.V. pumps, and various first-aid and trauma kits. Paramedics and nurses will access the storage room, which will be managed by the shift manager, and take the necessary tools and equipment for each medical service appointment. The medical staff will travel to appointments using one of the 10 company ambulances (Mercedes Sprinters or Ford Transits), which will be returned to the Project Site following each visit and parked when not in service. The ambulances only provide non-emergency medical transportation and feature company livery and lights but no sirens. No clients or customers will be visiting the site. 

The Project Site was first developed in 1955, with a 2,000-square-foot single-unit residence and 400-square-foot detached garage, addressed as 12072 East Ocean Avenue, within unincorporated Orange County. On August 15, 1963, the City of La Habra annexed the Project Site from the County, changed the property's address to 2100 East Lambert Road, and also changed the property's zoning designation from residential to M-1 (Light Manufacturing). On October 11, 1963, the La Habra Planning Commission approved CUP 63-11 to remodel and convert the residential building into a nursery school, also referred to as a preschool or daycare business, and classified in the LHMC as an "educational institution." Over the next 60 years, these types of educational institutions have occupied the site, including Kiddie Kastle Preschool beginning in 1988, Miss Lucy's Schoolyard beginning in 1997, and Colleen's Cuddle Bugs Child Care (see Exhibit 2 below and Attachment 4) beginning in 2010. Each subsequent daycare and preschool that occupied the site operated within the original building with only a minor 78-square-foot expansion to the rear of the existing building that was completed in 1988, along with modifications made to the rear yard and side yards of the site to accommodate an outdoor play area. After Colleen's Cuddle Bugs Child Care ceased operations in 2024, the building became temporarily vacant. In 2025, the property was purchased by Aram Grigoryan.

Vehicle access to the 0.38-acre Project Site is via a driveway from Lambert Road. The driveway leads to one standard parking space and two additional loading-only spaces for drop-offs and pick-ups that are located in front of the 2,078-square-foot building at the north end of the property and a five-foot-tall white vinyl fence/gate, that limits access to the rest of the property. There is approximately 60 feet of queuing area from the public right-of-way to the gate. The driveway continues from the gate to a 400-square-foot garage, located approximately 115 feet south of the northern property line. A playground area is located south of the main building while a tricycle track is located between the garage and the existing entrance gate. The eastern property line is bound by an existing industrial building on the adjacent property that was constructed with a zero setback from the Project's eastern boundary. An eight-foot-tall CMU block wall is located along the western property line. The area south of the garage and the playground area is undeveloped. While there is no fence or block wall along the southern boundary, there is an existing chain-link fence approximately 10 feet north of the property line. A condition of approval has been included to remove the existing fence and construct a six-foot-tall CMU wall along the southern property line.

As shown in Exhibit 3 and Attachment 5, the Applicant proposes to replace the existing playground area and improve approximately 3,600 square feet of undeveloped land at the southern end of the site to create an expanded 21-foot-wide driveway and 17-space parking lot. Additionally, because the previous preschool and daycare businesses were only required to have residential standard trash bins, this Project has also been conditioned to require that the Applicant construct a commercial standard trash enclosure along the rear of their main building. No other changes are proposed to the exterior of the Project Site.

 

As mentioned above, the rear lot of the site will be demolished, graded, and paved to create a new parking lot with 17 parking spaces. As shown in Table 2 below, the proposed parking lot will accommodate the number of spaces (seven) required by LHMC Section 18.14.060 (Number of [Parking] Spaces Required), for a general business office use, as well as 10 parking spaces for the 10 company ambulances (Mercedes Sprinters or Ford Transits) that are used by the business.  One parking space will be designated as an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) parking space with a dedicated path-of-travel. While the City does not have established dimensions for parking spaces for "oversized" vehicles, the Applicant has proposed 10’x20’ parking spaces as opposed to the standard 9’x18’ parking spaces to provide slightly more space for maneuverability of the large vans. 

Table 2: Parking Calculations

Use	LHMC Parking Requirement	Floor Area	Spaces Required	Spaces Provided
General Business Office	3.3 spaces per 1,000 SF	2,078 SF	7 spaces	7 spaces
Company Ambulances	n/a	10 Vans	10 spaces	10 spaces
Total			17 spaces	17 spaces

The Applicant proposes to secure the lot by replacing the existing five-foot-tall white vinyl fence/gate at the front of the property with a new six-foot-tall wrought-iron electronic swing-open gate equipped with a Knox box for emergency access. The gate will be set back 20 feet from the public right-of-way to allow for an adequate vehicle queuing area. 

The Project's Conceptual Landscape Plan features three 24-inch box Fruitless Olive trees and six Agave Americana trees at the southern end of the site with two additional Agave Americana trees at the rear of the main building. The remainder of the rear landscape area, which is not visible from surrounding properties or the public right-of-way, will be finished with decomposed granite. The front and side setback areas will be maintained with the existing Poaceae groundcover. Pursuant to LHMC Section 18.14.070.D.3.a (Parking Lot Design [Landscaping]), a minimum of seven percent (549 square feet) of the site must be landscaped and also include one tree per every 10 parking spaces. Fifteen percent (15%) of the Project Site (1,184 square feet) is proposed to be landscaped and planted with eleven trees, satisfying both the City’s landscaping and tree count requirements for this proposed Project. The Conceptual Landscape Plan was reviewed and satisfies the landscape requirements for the site as proposed. Landscape conditions have been included as part of the conditions of approval. These include enhanced paving treatments and the use of decorative pottery or other structured methods of protecting plant materials (see Exhibit 4 below and Attachment 6). 

 The Applicant is also proposing interior building improvements. The current layout is proposed to be modified as shown in Exhibit 5 and Attachment 7. Proposed modifications will result in a total of four offices, a break room, two bathrooms, and a kitchen. Three offices are anticipated to accommodate two regular staff persons with computer desks/chairs, while the fourth office will be reserved for use by the Supervisor and Shift Manager. The break room will have direct access to the kitchen. The overall square footage of the building will remain the same, at 2,078 square feet. 

As shown below in Table 3, the proposed Project complies with the development standards for the M-1 Zone. In addition, the LA County Fire Department reviewed the proposed Project and has determined that an existing hydrant provides adequate fire flow to the site.

Pursuant to LHMC Section 18.66.040.B, in order to approve a CUP, the Planning Commission must make the findings listed below. Staff has provided justification in support of each of the required findings:

1. 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 and will not impair the character of the zone in which it is to be located.

The Project Site is located in the M-1 Zone, which, pursuant to Section 18.38.010 of the LHMC, is "intended to provide for the development of industrial uses which include fabrication, manufacturing, assembly or processing of materials that are in already processed form and which do not in their maintenance, assembly, manufacture or plant operation create smoke, gas, odor, dust, sound, vibration, soot or lighting to any degree which might be termed obnoxious or offensive to persons residing in or conducting business in either this or any other zone." From 1963-2024, the Project Site was occupied by various educational institutions serving young children, including Kiddie Kastle Preschool, Miss Lucy's Schoolyard, and Colleen's Cuddle Bugs Child Care. The proposed general business office use (All Town Ambulance) would occupy the same two existing buildings as the previous educational institutions. The 2,078-square-foot main building would be used as a call center, where two dispatchers would speak with clients/customers and direct EMTs/paramedics/nurses to each service location and oversee daily operations. The 400-square-foot detached garage would be used to store medical tools and equipment, which includes transportation (scoop stretchers and stair chairs), breathing and oxygen support (oxygen tanks, bag-valve-masks, ventilators, suction units), cardiac equipment (AEDs, defibrillator/monitor, ECG machines), monitoring devices (multi-parameter patient monitors, pulse oximeters), and wound care (bandages, gauze, tourniquets, trauma shears). The existing playground area would be replaced with a parking lot for the business’s employees and ambulances, and additional exterior landscaping and interior building improvements would also occur with the proposed Project. The proposed general business office use will not be obnoxious or offensive to surrounding properties because it provides enough parking to accommodate employees and ambulances that provide non-emergency medical transportation. Further, the proposed business will not create any excessive smoke, gas, odor, dust, sound, or vibration, etc. as there will be nothing manufactured on the site. The parking lot will be used to store company vehicles that only feature company livery and lights but no sirens. Therefore, there would not be any significant noise impact on the surrounding properties. The hours of operation for the business will be 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with a shift manager on duty from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily that could respond to any operational complaints during business hours. No clients or customers will be visiting the site. Therefore, 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 or impair the character of the M-1 Zone.

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

The CUP does not necessitate any modifications to the footprint size of the existing buildings. However, the portion of the Project Site that is currently used as a playground will be demolished, graded, and paved to create a new parking lot with 17 parking spaces. The proposed parking lot will accommodate the number of spaces (seven) required by LHMC Section 18.14.060 (Number of [Parking] Spaces Required) for a general business office use, as well as 10 parking spaces for the 10 company ambulances (Mercedes Sprinters or Ford Transits) that are used by the business. One parking space will be designated as an ADA parking space with a dedicated path-of-travel. While the City does not have established dimensions for parking spaces for "oversized" vehicles, the Applicant has proposed 10’x20’ parking spaces as opposed to the standard 9’x18’ parking spaces to provide slightly more space for maneuverability of the large vans. In addition, no clients or customers will be visiting the site. The proposed Project also includes landscape improvements and a new CMU block wall at the southern boundary of the property, which will both further enhance the Project Site. Therefore, the subject site is physically suitable for the type of land use proposed.

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

The Project Site is located within the M-1 Zone. Per Table 18.06.040.A (Land Use Matrix) of the LHMC, a general business office use is subject to the approval of a CUP in the M-1 Zone. Staff reviewed the Project plans and Letter of Business Operations and determined that the proposed use complies with all applicable LHMC requirements and the development standards of the M-1 Zone, as outlined in the table below:

Therefore, the proposed use is conditionally permitted within the M-1 Zone and complies with the intent of all applicable provisions of the Zoning Ordinance.

4. The proposed use is consistent with the comprehensive general plan.

The General Plan designates the Project Site for Light Industrial land use, which is characterized by manufacturing, wholesale, and warehouse uses with off-street parking that can be developed in close proximity to residential uses without serious conflict due to development standards that regulate things such as noise, vibration, setbacks, and landscaping. The proposed general business office use would not be obnoxious or offensive to surrounding properties because it provides enough parking to accommodate employees and ambulances that provide non-emergency medical transportation. The vehicles only feature company livery and lights but no sirens. There will be no excessive vibrations caused by the business as no manufacturing will occur onsite. The existing building is also consistent with the required setbacks for the M-1 zone. Lastly, 15% of the Project Site (1,184 square feet) is proposed to be landscaped and planted with eleven trees, satisfying the City’s minimum requirement of seven percent (549 square feet) for this Project. The hours of operation for the business will be 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with a shift manager on duty from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm daily that could respond to any operational complaints during business hours.

The proposed Project is consistent with the following General Plan policies:

LU 3.2: Uses to Meet Daily Needs: Encourage uses that meet daily needs such as grocery stores, local-serving restaurants, and other businesses and activities within walking distance of residences to reduce the frequency and length of vehicle trips.

- The proposed general business office use will involve the reuse of an existing building and site to provide local residents with non-emergency medical transportation services for early-morning appointments, interfacility transports, transitions to specialized care facilities, and late-night discharges that often do not align with a standard business schedule. These residents will no longer need to contact transportation service providers from neighboring cities. 

LU 4.1: Development Compatibility: Require that development is located and designed to assure compatibility among land uses, addressing such elements as building orientation and setbacks, buffering, visibility and privacy, automobile and truck access, impacts of noise and lighting, landscape quality, and aesthetics.

- The proposed general business office use will utilize existing buildings on a site that had been occupied by educational institutions for young children for over 60 years. The proposed Project is consistent with the development standards of the M-1 Zone related to setbacks, parking, and landscaping. Further, business operations will take place fully within the enclosed buildings and not pose any excessive noise or light-related nuisances to the adjacent properties.

LU 11.1: Diversity of Uses: Provide for and encourage 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 proposed general business office use would be located within an existing building along a primary thoroughfare that already features a variety of light manufacturing uses, restaurants, light-industrial warehouses, and automobile service/repair facilities, but no similar non-emergency medical transportation businesses.

Therefore, the proposed use is consistent with the General Plan.

The Applicant has paid for the processing cost associated with the Conditional Use Permit, which totals $6,982.00.

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 the proposal will constitute the disturbance of more than 5,000 square feet of soil, a conceptual Water Quality Management Plan (WQMP), which addresses the topography, stormwater collection basins, and proposed water drainage paths for the site, has been reviewed and approved by the City’s Public Works Department. Project-specific conditions pertaining to stormwater discharge and infiltration have been included as part of the conditions of approval.

The proposed Project is consistent with the following General Plan policies:
 

LU 3.2: Uses to Meet Daily Needs: Encourage uses that meet daily needs such as grocery stores, local-serving restaurants, and other businesses and activities within walking distance of residences to reduce the frequency and length of vehicle trips.

- The proposed General Business Office use will involve the reuse of an existing building and site to provide local residents with non-emergency medical transportation services for early-morning appointments, interfacility transports, transitions to specialized care facilities, and late-night discharges that often do not align with a standard business schedule. These residents will no longer need to contact transportation service providers from neighboring cities. 

LU 4.1: Development Compatibility: Require that development is located and designed to assure compatibility among land uses, addressing such elements as building orientation and setbacks, buffering, visibility and privacy, automobile and truck access, impacts of noise and lighting, landscape quality, and aesthetics.

- The proposed general business office use will utilize existing buildings on a site that had been occupied by educational institutions for young children for over 60 years. The proposed Project is consistent with the development standards of the M-1 Zone related to setbacks, parking, and landscaping. Further, business operations will take place fully within the enclosed buildings and not pose any excessive noise or light-related nuisances to the adjacent properties.

LU 11.1: Diversity of Uses: Provide for and encourage 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 proposed general business office use would be located within an existing building along a primary thoroughfare that already features a variety of light manufacturing uses, restaurants, light-industrial warehouses, and automobile service/repair facilities, but no similar non-emergency medical transportation businesses.

The project is consistent with the following City Council goals and objectives: