Planning commission approves extra tier and roof for automated parking at 13126 South Western Ave.

The Gardena Planning Commission on an uncontested vote adopted Resolution PC 16-25 to approve a modification to Conditional Use Permit (CUP) No. 6-21, Site Plan Review No. 5-21 and Environmental Assessment No. 14-25 to add one additional tier and a roof to two automated parking structures at 13126 South Western Avenue.

Assistant Planner Diana Neville told commissioners the application seeks to add a seventh tier and a roof to each of two previously approved six-tier automated parking structures and that the modification would not change the approved structure height of 50 feet. Neville said the applicant’s revised plans show 58 parking stops per structure and that the original entitlement had not accounted for spaces needed for vehicle retrieval. “Staff recommendation is to open the public hearing, receive testimony from the public, and adopt Resolution number PC 16-25 … subject to the attached conditions of approval and direct staff to file a notice of exemption,” Neville said.

Neville told the commission the project site is in the M-1 (Industrial) zone in the northern portion of Gardena and is categorically exempt from CEQA under Class 32 (infill development). She said the project was noticed in the Gardena Valley News and mailed to owners and occupants within 300 feet of the site on Oct. 9, 2025, and that no public comments had been received.

Commissioners pressed the applicant and staff on operational details. Vice Chair Khan asked about the structure’s current height and how the system operates; Neville said the drawings show an existing height of about 47.5 feet and that the revised proposal remains within the previously approved 50-foot limit. Commissioner Langley asked about power outages and backup measures; applicant Lee Johnson of West Realty Group said the project plans to keep portable, wheeled generator-style systems on site to allow retrieval of vehicles during outages. “We have different, I guess, portable systems now … that can be wheeled right up and the system could be plugged into it for a temporary use to get the vehicles out,” Johnson said.

Johnson described typical vehicle-sizing plans for the automated system: a mix of SUV and sedan spaces, with taller vehicle clearance on the lower and upper levels and sedan-sized spaces in the middle levels. He said electric-vehicle charging would be concentrated on the first level and that bicycle parking would be provided in an enclosed room. On rates, Johnson said parking would typically be about $55 per space per month and approximately $75 per month for a space with charging; he said typical room rentals in the single-room-occupancy building would be roughly $2,000 per month.

Neville described conditions added to the approval: the property owner must repair physical damage (cracks, holes, chips, paint) within 72 hours of identification; the owner must provide tenants acceptable alternative transportation at the owner’s expense if vehicles cannot be retrieved within 15 minutes; and the owner must include these conditions in tenant lease and rental agreements. Neville also noted an LA Fire Department requirement that railings be yellow, reflected in the renderings.

The commission opened and closed the public hearing with no speakers present. Commissioner Khan made the motion to adopt Resolution PC 16-25 as recommended; Chair Reitschher seconded. The motion passed 4-0 (Chair Reitschher, Vice Chair Khan, Commissioner Sherman and Commissioner Langley voting yes; Commissioner Henderson was absent). Neville read the appeal instructions: the decision is final unless a written appeal and fee are filed with the city clerk within 10 calendar days or the City Council calls the matter for review within the same period.

The project remains under construction for the residential building; Neville said foundation permits for the parking structures were applied for the prior month but that the parking structures had not yet been built. Staff and the applicant were available to answer additional detailed operational questions after the hearing.