31F - 2520 S. BIRCH ST. - Laserfiche WebLink

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Conditional Use April II, 2005 Page 2 Permit No. 2005-03 right in the M-1 zoning district. The leased warehouse space is located on the north side of the building with access to the business occurring from Central Avenue. The applicant is requesting a conditional use permit to use approximately 2.88 acres of the site as a location where owners of ice cream, delivery and packaged grocery vehicles can park their trucks when they are not conducting business, whether in Santa Ana or other communities. The site will be striped to accommodate up to 212 independently owned and operated vending vehicles. The trucks will be tandem parked, one behind another, leaving a central drive aisle for access and vehicle circulation. Employees will use spaces vacated by the vending trucks for parking. Trucks can purchase packaged food items and uncut produce from the on-site grocery warehouse. Trucks will leave the site daily to conduct their normal business activities, returning in the late afternoon and evening to park their vehicles (Exhibits 2 and 3) . Electrical hook-ups will be provided in the parking area to supply the electrical power necessary to keep refrigeration units operating while the trucks are parked at the facility. A trash enclosure large enough to accommodate four trash bins is provided on site. All potholes and deteriorated paving will be repaired and the site will be slurry coated and restriped to meet City standards. Lighting will be added to the site to comply with Police Department codes and requirements. The site is screened from view by a masonry wall along Birch Street. Slats and vines will be installed to cover an existing chain link fence that will screen the site from Central Avenue. No vehicle repair or washing will take place at the facility. These activities, when necessary, will take place off site at independent repair and wash facilities. Analysis of the Issues Many of the vending vehicles that operate daily within the City of Santa Ana are owned or operated by individuals who live in the community. These vehicles are often parked overnight on City streets and in residential areas, partly due to the lack of safe, enclosed, off street parking facilities for them. Currently there are four sites in the City that serve as commissaries for produce and ice cream trucks (Exhibit 4) . The City's zoning code does not specifically designate a zoning district where vending vehicles can be stored or parked overnight. The Planning Division has reviewed the zoning code and has made the determination that the parking of vending vehicles is a use similar in nature to a freight, bus and truck terminal, which allows the storage and dispatch of larger 31 F-3