Planning Commission conditions approval of revised project at 3415 Palm Drive after applicant drops 50-foot plan

The Hermosa Beach Planning Commission on Sept. 16 approved a revised development plan for 3415 Palm Drive after the applicant withdrew an earlier 50.5-foot proposal and offered a lower-height alternative.

Staff had recommended approval of a precise development plan (PDP24-08) for a 50.5-foot, five-unit apartment building under Government Code section 65589.5 (commonly described as the builder’s-remedy provisions of the Housing Accountability Act) and determined the project qualified for a CEQA categorical exemption (Class 3). City staff’s analysis noted the site is a 2,553-square-foot interior lot currently developed with a legal nonconforming four-unit building (permitted in 1956) and that the proposed five-unit project would increase density from about 68 to 85 dwelling units per acre. Staff reported the project was inconsistent with several R-3 development standards (height, coverage, open space and parking) but that state law limits the city’s ability to deny a qualifying builder’s-remedy application unless the city makes a written finding of specific, objective public-health or safety impacts that cannot be mitigated.

The applicant told the…