Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Neighborhood Restaurant topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commission approves Champa Garden restaurant at 613 Faxon with street-tree and neighborhood-mitigation commitments
Summary
The commission granted discretionary approval for Champa Garden (613 Faxon Ave), rejecting a neighbor's Doctor request after the sponsor pledged street trees, weekly sidewalk power-washing, increased trash pickup and coordination with the Ocean Avenue CBD and MTA on parking enforcement.
The Planning Commission approved a discretionary review for a proposed neighborhood restaurant, Champa Garden, at 613 Faxon Avenue after the sponsor, property owner and local business district pledged a package of neighborhood mitigation measures in response to a Doctor request filed by an adjacent resident.
The 2,000-square-foot restaurant (approximate) will seat up to 50 patrons and serve beer and wine; it included design input from an accessible-entrance standpoint and no proposed outdoor dining. A nearby resident objected to noise, trash, parking and loitering; she described sidewalk parking and dust conditions she said had worsened in recent months.
Sponsor and neighborhood supporters described community outreach and concrete measures: the property owner agreed to plant street trees and a physical barrier to reduce sidewalk parking, the sponsor committed to weekly pressure washing and targeted trash pickup, and the Ocean Avenue Association and the City's Office of Economic and Workforce Development agreed to coordinate with MTA on intensified enforcement of no-parking zones. The sponsor also agreed to cutoff times for alcohol sales and to act as a local liaison.
Commissioners discussed curb-cut removal (a condition of the site permit) and whether additional parking or one-way conversion should be pursued by MTA; the Planning Department said curb cut removal will be required during site-permit processing. Commissioner Sugaya moved to take discretionary review and approve subject to street trees on the property side and the sponsor's mitigation commitments. The motion passed unanimously.
Why it matters: The decision clears a long-vacant site for a small, locally oriented restaurant while placing several enforceable neighborhood-oriented conditions on upkeep and nuisance control.
Next steps: Sponsor to coordinate tree planting with Friends of the Urban Forest and the Ocean Avenue CBD, carry out enhanced trash and sidewalk cleaning, and proceed to building-permit and signage review as applicable.
