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Council approves amended CUP to allow adult day health care at Wesley Center
Summary
La Palma City Council unanimously approved an amendment to CUP No. 35 (CUP No. 398) to allow a state‑licensed adult day health care facility in the Wesley Center at 811 Walker Street, subject to conditions limiting drop‑offs, enforcing a circulation plan and requiring corrective measures if neighbors complain.
The La Palma City Council voted unanimously March 3 to amend Conditional Use Permit No. 35 (CUP No. 398) to permit a state‑licensed adult day health care (ADHC) facility on the ground floor of the Wesley Center at 811 Walker Street, the church campus of La Palma United Methodist Church.
City staff presented the application and recommended approval with conditions. Stephanie Tomiano, the community development manager assigned to the project, said the proposed facility would occupy about 5,700 square feet, operate weekdays with most on‑site activity ending around 1:30 p.m., and have a maximum state license capacity of 120 participants. She said program activities would be conducted primarily inside a multipurpose room and that the operator anticipates employing roughly 20–25 on‑site staff.
The applicant and consultant described operational details and transportation plans. Harold Pian, who identified himself as the project consultant and an ADHC administrator, told the council he has run adult day programs for 24 years and said most participants do not drive: “About 98 percent of the individuals at all centers do not drive.” Staff said the facility expects to provide vans (a maximum of five‑passenger vans) for participant transport and showed a circulation plan that directs van traffic away from the single‑family neighborhood.
To address neighborhood concerns raised during an earlier, withdrawn application, staff recommended several conditions of approval. Notable conditions adopted require (1) no participant drop‑offs between 8:00 and 8:30 a.m. to avoid conflicting with nearby school traffic, (2) strict adherence to the submitted circulation plan and designated loading area, and (3) a process allowing the City to require an operator to implement a corrective plan if complaints about parking, circulation or noise are received. Staff also concluded the project qualifies for a Class 1 CEQA exemption for existing facilities.
Councilmember Janet Keo Conklin moved to approve the amendment; the motion passed on a unanimous roll call. The resolution approving the amended CUP includes the conditions described in the staff report and will be filed with the city’s planning records.
Next steps: with the council’s approval, the applicant may finalize permits and licensing required by the state to begin ADHC operations, subject to compliance with the approved conditions of the CUP and any building or licensing requirements.
