The Planning Commission on Monday, July 15, approved a minor use permit for a proposed take-out on restaurant on PCH. The vote was unanimous. City staff had recommended approval.
Background
“Steve Holguin is requesting to establish a take-out restaurant, Seal Beach Teriyaki, within a 1,000-square-foot commercial suite located in PCH Plaza at 456 Pacific Coast Highway on a lot zoned General Commercial (GC),” according to the staff report prepared by Assistant Planner Samuel Funes and co-signed by Community Development Director Alexa Smittle.
“The commercial space was operated as City Cleaners for 22 years, from July 2001 through June 2023,” according to the Funes-Smittle report.
“The tenant improvements proposed by the applicant will be minor, and generally include interior partitions, plumbing, and electrical conveyance improvements while avoiding any expansion of the structure,” according to the report.
The report also said the project is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act.
“The change in commercial use triggered the need for Community Development to verify sufficient parking was available on-site to accommodate the new use,” according to the report.
The city code requires one parking space for each 300 square feet of floor space, according to the report.
“Seal Beach Teriyaki would be required to provide three parking spaces. PCH Plaza currently provides 43 standard-size parking spaces, 2 of which are for disabled person parking. Currently, the five total combined commercial uses call for a requirement of 39 parking spaces. With the addition of Seal Beach Teriyaki, the parking requirements increase to 42,” according to the report.
“The proposed take-out restaurant, Seal Beach Teriyaki, will specialize in chicken bowls with rice and vegetables,” according to the report.
Business hours, according to the report, would be 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Monday to Friday; and 6:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday and Sunday.
“No on-site dining is allowed as that would modify the parking demand under the Zoning Code, therefore indoor dining tables have been prohibited in the conditions of approval. It is anticipated a limited number of chairs may be made available to customers waiting for their take-out meals,” according to the report.
“The business is flanked to the west by the single-family neighborhood of Bridgeport and to the east across the PCH by the single-family neighborhood known as The Hill,” according to the report.
“PCH Plaza is screened to the west by a 6-foot-high cinder block wall and vegetation that provides a buffer from Bridgeport. To the east, The Hill is screened by a 10-foot cinder block wall that protects against noise pollution, and vehicular or pedestrian intensity of use traffic impacts,” according to the report.
