Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Use topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
La Habra planning commission approves lot-line consolidation and CUP for Salinas auto service at 201–221 E. Whittier Blvd.
Summary
The La Habra Planning Commission approved a lot line adjustment to merge three parcels and a conditional use permit allowing expanded auto service and audio installation at Salinas Tires and Salinas Audio, subject to conditions and a CEQA Class 1 exemption.
The La Habra Planning Commission approved a lot line adjustment to consolidate three parcels into one and a conditional use permit (CUP) allowing automobile service and audio-installation work at 201–221 East Whittier Boulevard, commissioners said at a public hearing. The action, moved by Commissioner Michael Manley and seconded by Vice Chair Ramsland, passed 5–0; the lot line approval is final and the CUP becomes final in 10 working days unless appealed to the City Council.
Senior Planner Ash Sade told the commission the 1.6-acre site includes two buildings—Salinas Tires and Wheels, which opened in February 2004, and Salinas Audio, which opened in 2016—and lies in the C-2 Commercial zone at the northwest corner of Whittier Boulevard and Orton Street. Sade said a previously approved lot line adjustment from 2006 was never recorded and expired in 2008, and that in February 2024 staff learned of outdoor vehicle servicing and an interior conversion that created a fifth service bay without permits.
“The site has been operating in this state of legal nonconformance ever since,” Sade said, and because the work amounted to an expansion the business must now conform to current C-2 requirements, which include obtaining a CUP for automotive service uses. Staff recommended approval subject to conditions of approval, including measures to limit outdoor storage and lighting and to prohibit certain types of work.
Under the approved conditions: no full engine removal or vehicle painting will be allowed on site; there shall be no outdoor vehicle repairs; outdoor storage in the rear lot will be limited to 6 feet and fully screened with the existing concrete masonry unit wall and new mesh screening on the wrought-iron gate; and security lighting shall not exceed 0 foot-candles at the northern property line and 0.5 foot-candles along the western property line and street-facing sides. The commission approved removal of the westernmost driveway on Whittier Boulevard and the creation of four parking spaces to meet the required 26 on-site spaces. Business hours will remain 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday–Saturday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.
Hector Montoya, identified as an employee at Salinas, told commissioners the site does not perform oil changes, painting or engine removal. “Just to clarify, we don't do the oil changes. No painting, no engine remove,” Montoya said, echoing staff’s representations about the scope of permitted work.
Commissioner Manley, who made the motion, noted familiarity with the site and said the approval cleans up a long-standing entitlement issue. Chair Maye Cha and other commissioners expressed support and said they were glad conditions address aesthetics and neighborhood impacts; no speakers opposed the project during the hearing.
The commission also discussed receiving regular updates on project entitlements and building and safety plan-check statuses; staff said a weekly update distributed by Veronica to the City Council can also be provided to the commission. The planning commission adjourned with the next meeting scheduled for Monday, 08/25/2025.
Votes at a glance: Lot line adjustment 25-00001 and Conditional Use Permit 25-00003 — motion to approve passed 5–0; lot line adjustment final immediately, CUP final in 10 working days unless appealed to City Council.
