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Conditional Use Permit No. 201 1-18 August 31,201 1 Page 2 Proiect Background Soto Business Services is an independently owned retail and service use which has been operating at this location since February 2009. The applicant operates a small retail water store, offers small business services and offers small grocery items to its customers. Soto Services intends to expand its customer base by offering an additional check cashing service as part of its business operation. General Plan and Zoninn Consistency The General Plan land use designation for the site is General Commercial (GC). General Commercial districts provide highly visible and accessible commercial development along the City's arterial transportation corridors and provide important neighborhood facilities and services, such as this check cashing service. The project site is consistent with this General Plan land use designation. The parcel is located within the Planned Shopping Center (C4) zoning district. The C4 zoning district allows for retail and service uses such as check cashing, making the proposed use consistent with the zoning code. Proiect Analysis In 1999, the City Council adopted Ordinance No. NS-2412, which defined check cashing facilities and allowed their use subject to issuance of a conditional use permit in commercial zones. Check cashing businesses require a license from the State of California and are subject to a number of regulations as found in the California Civil Code. These regulations are aimed at preventing money laundering and other financial improprieties. Check cashing establishments, because of their very nature, are considered as having serious objectionable characteristics, particularly when several of them are concentrated under certain circumstances, due to their deleterious effect upon adjacent areas. Special regulation of these uses was necessary to ensure that these impacts would not contribute to blight or downgrading of surrounding neighborhoods due to their concentration in any one area of the city. As a result, the Santa Ana Municipal Code (SAMC) was amended to allow for the orderly regulation of these establishments through a conditional use permit and requires a minimum separation of 1,000 feet from another check cashing establishment. Tlie conditional use permit allows City departments to appropriately review proposals and devise conditions of approval to mitigate possible impacts from the proposed business operation. Conditional Use Permit requests are governed by Section 41-638 of the SAMC. Conditional Use Permits may be granted when it can be shown that the following can be established: That the proposed use will provide a service or facility which will contribute to the general well being of the neighborhood or community.