31A - CUP 2009-19 - 202 EAST FIRST STREET

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Conditional Use Permit No. 2009-19 October 26, 2009 Page 2 the carwash equipment and customer restrooms while the second floor will contain approximately 425 square feet of administrative office with the remaining area to be used for HVAC equipment and storage. Twenty-five parking spaces have been provided to allow vehicles entering or exiting the carwash to dry and/or vacuum their vehicles. Landscaping has been provided in excess of the City's requirements along First Street, Cypress Avenue and Walnut Street with space for decorative trellises and vine pockets along the building's eastern wall facing the alley. These vines and trellises comply with the City's recently adopted graffiti mitigation design guidelines. The Site has been designed with driveways on both First Street and Cypress Avenue to allow vehicles to circulate through the site from either driveway. These driveways will feature decorative stamped paving to further enrich the entrances to the site. The building will feature a variety of materials including burnished and precision cut block to complement the horizontal lapped siding. The second story will feature a row of six-foot windows allowing light into the carwash tunnel as well as adding height and visual interest to the building. The roof of the building will be curved metal with angular metal columns extending down to the base of the building. Arched canopies have also been provided in the parking area to complement the roof design of the building and provide a shaded area for customers to dry/vacuum their vehicles (Exhibits 3 through 6). The proposed hours of operation for the carwash will be 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., seven days a week. Analysis of the Issues The property's zoning designation allows automated car wash facilities subject to a conditional use permit per section 41-377.5(b) of the Santa Ana Municipal Code (SAMC). This conditional use permit requirement allows staff and decision makers to review projects on an individual basis to determine its compatibility with the surrounding area and apply appropriate conditions to ensure that the proposed business does not negatively affect the surrounding properties or community. As part of the analysis process for conditional use permit requests staff analyzes a variety of issues relating to proposed project in order to ensure a quality development and to provide justification for the findings needed to recommend approval. These include the extent to which the proposed project provides a needed product or service to the community; a finding that the project will not be detrimental to the health, safety or welfare of the community; that the project will not cause economic instability in the area; that the project complies will all of the 31 A-4