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Commissioners require lighting, maintenance and enforceable cleanup conditions as part of Alibi approval
Summary
As part of the Alibi conditional use permit, the commission directed staff to include plaza improvement expectations—primarily sidewalk lighting, daily cleaning, weekly power washing and cigarette receptacles—and accepted a 24‑month phasing window with director oversight for delays.
Commissioners used the Alibi hearing to press for plaza enhancements and clear maintenance obligations that they said would improve safety and the public realm on the Arcadia Plaza.
Several commissioners urged modest, proportional improvements rather than an onerous suite of upgrades. One commissioner said lighting would "change the vibe" and make dark facade areas less seedy; another proposed paint, power washing and increased transparency in storefronts. Senior Planner Delo Freitas noted the code already allows for plaza‑scale amenities as a community benefit and recommended measures be proportional to the limited physical scope of the proposed work.
Staff read the property‑maintenance condition into the record: the operator must regularly remove litter generated by business operations from the site frontage and adjacent public areas; sidewalks shall be cleaned daily prior to 8 a.m. and washed on a weekly basis; and the applicant shall maintain cigarette receptacles at the entrance and in outdoor patio areas. Commission discussion also supported adding a condition to require exterior lighting to illuminate the sidewalk and alley to the satisfaction of the zoning administrator or community development director. Staff said the city maintains a complaint portal and has active code compliance meetings to assist enforcement.
Commissioners emphasized proportionality: because this proposal reinstates a prior use with minimal physical changes, plaza improvements should be reasonable in scale (flower beds, window boxes, down‑shielded lighting). The commission recorded consensus direction to include the lighting and maintenance items as conditions of approval.
The added conditions will become part of the permit the applicant must satisfy before full operations proceed; persistent violations may lead to enforcement actions up to revocation.
