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Calabasas council approves Kia dealership after requiring 'no‑left‑turn' driveway condition
Summary
The City Council approved a proposed two‑story Kia dealership at 24460 Calabasas Road with conditions to address driveway safety and tree mitigation; council voted 5‑0 after requiring a no‑left‑turn restriction on the new driveway and authorizing staff to approve a future shared‑driveway if parties agree.
The Calabasas City Council voted 5‑0 on June 25 to approve a multi‑permit application for a new two‑story Kia automobile dealership and a detached car wash at 24460 Calabasas Road, while adding a condition to reduce potential traffic conflicts at the site driveway.
The project, proposed for the vacant former Sperling Nursery site, includes a 45,780‑square‑foot dealership building, a 2,117‑square‑foot car wash, and associated grading, frontage improvements and signage. Jacqueline Rackerby, the city planner, told the council the proposal meets the Commercial Limited zoning standards and the various overlay requirements; the planning commission had recommended approval.
The decision came after extensive public comment and council questioning about driveway spacing, truck loading areas, and oak‑tree impacts. Megan Jacabe, finance and sales operations director for Bob Smith BMW, told the council that the proximity of the Kia driveway to Bob Smith’s secondary driveway raised safety and operational concerns, citing deliveries, tow trucks and service vehicle movements. The applicant’s team said loading would occur in a designated curbside loading zone and that the design was intended to keep the development footprint compact to avoid impacting the steeper oak woodland on the southern portion of the site.
To address council safety concerns, the council required the developer to post a no‑left‑turn restriction for vehicles exiting the Kia driveway; the city’s traffic engineer, Tom Miracle, said the council can impose turn restrictions and that a posted restriction was a practicable mitigation. Council members also asked staff to ensure sight‑distance improvements (removal or lowering of existing vegetation and a 20‑foot right‑of‑way dedication to align sidewalks with adjacent properties) are implemented before final sign‑off.
The project proposes removal of three coast live oak trees — including one heritage oak with a 46‑inch diameter — and encroachment into the protected zones of 21 additional oaks. The applicant’s oak tree report and the staff recommendation call for mitigation plantings (inch‑for‑inch replacement) and a five‑year monitoring program; staff said most encroached trees are not expected to suffer long‑term impacts if mitigation measures are followed.
Council members pressed the applicant and staff on alternatives such as a shared driveway with the adjacent dealership; staff said the parties did not reach agreement during consultations. The council also authorized the director of development services to approve a shared‑driveway arrangement in the future if the property owners later agree.
The council’s vote approved the site plan review, oak tree permits, scenic corridor permit, lot merger, sign program and sign permit, and adopted the related mitigated negative declaration as documented in the staff report. The final motion and vote were recorded as 5‑0 in favor.
