The owner of Soulful Vegan Events applied for a conditional use permit to operate a permanent flea market and an associated banquet facility at 1200 East Little Creek Road, planning staff told the council. The site is currently retail and the applicant has used temporary weekend flea-market permits under the zoning code.
Under the application, the flea market would operate 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday–Saturday and 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday; the banquet facility would operate 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. seven days a week. The applicant has proposed no alcohol and no entertainment for the banquet facility and said the space would be used for small events and private functions tied to flea-market vendors.
Why it matters: Neighbors and neighborhood civic leagues raised concerns about traffic, parking and a prior police response to an event the owner had hosted. Staff said the applicant has exhausted available temporary flea-market permits and that the civic league had not yet had full opportunity to review and comment on the banquet proposal; a special civic-league meeting is scheduled for Sept. 11 to hear the applicant.
Staff findings and next steps: Planning staff showed proposed layouts that retain required parking spaces at the front of the building rather than blocking them as the applicant did for temporary events. Staff said the application could be split into separate reviews for the flea market and banquet facility if council desired. The Planning Commission has not yet been recorded as making a final city-council recommendation in the transcript; staff said they would coordinate with the civic league and that additional community input will inform the public hearing.
Ending: Council members asked staff to ensure the civic league and neighbors have a full chance to review the banquet proposal and for staff to clarify parking, traffic-management, and any required permits before the item is scheduled for a council public hearing.