200 S. Anaheim Blvd.
Suite #162
Anaheim, CA 92805
Tel: (714) 765-5139
Fax: (714) 765-5280
www.anaheim.net
ITEM NO.
PLANNING COMMISSION REPORT
City of Anaheim
PLANNING AND BUILDING DEPARTMENT
DATE: FEBRUARY 28, 2022
SUBJECT: DEVELOPMENT PROJECT NO. 2022-00008
LOCATION: 920 South Beach Boulevard (Travel Inn)
PROPERTY OWNER: The property owner is The Ping Liu Family Trust, represented by Pravin Ahir.
REQUEST: This is a City -initiated request for revocation or modification of a conditional use permit (CUP) for an existing motel.
RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends that the Planning Commission adopt the attached resolution , determining that this request is categorically exempt under the California Environmental Quality Act (Class 1, Existing Facilities; and Class 21, Enforcement Actions by Regulatory Agencies), and modifying Conditional Use Permit No. 2494.
BACKGROUND: With the support of the City Council, the mul ti-departmental “Rebuild Beach ” effort was launched in 2021 to improve the Beach Boulevard corridor and the quality of life for surrounding West Anaheim neighborhoods . The effort includes examining the significant and persistent challenges associated with problematic motels and other businesses , prosecution of criminal activity, enforcement of codes and land use entitlements , and community education. A Commercial Improvement Program is also underway to improve the streetscape .
Staff conducted a Rebuild Beach workshop at the February 14, 2022 Planning Commission meeting.
The criminal activity along Beach Boulevard primarily originates from problematic motels, where the privacy and anonymity afforded by the abundance of cheap rooms create an environment for drug dealers, illegal gambling halls known as “slap houses”, and prostitution. These criminal activities lead to the assaults, shootings, drug overdose deaths, human trafficking, and property crimes that plague Beach Boulevard. Currently, there are 18 motels in the 1.4-mile stretch of Beach Boulevard located within the City of Anaheim.
DEVELOPMENT PROJECT NO. 2022-00008
February 28, 2022
As part of the Rebuild Beach effort, staff has identified several motels approved by conditional use permit (CUP) that contain few or no conditions of approval . The lack of conditions of approval hinders the City’s ability to enforce operational practices designed to improve property maintenance and reduce criminal activity. Staff has identified two motels as candidates for CUP modification or revocation, the Anaheim Lodge and the Travel Inn, both of which appear on tonight’s agenda.
The 32-room Travel Inn , located on a 0.51-acre property near the intersection of Beach Boulevard and Ball Road, was approved in 1975 and was granted two expansions by CUP as follows:
• 1975, CUP 1582 to permit a 22-room motel
• 1983, CUP 2494 to permit a 10-room expansion
• 1989, CUP 3179 to permit a 9-room expansion (approved, but not exercised)
Aerial Photo
The Travel Inn was selected as a priority site in the Rebuild Beach effort because of the poor maintenance of the property and because, as described below, the significant amount of criminal activity that has occurred on the property has been harmful to public health and safety. The Travel Inn CUP 2494 included one condition:
DEVELOPMENT PROJECT NO. 2022-00008
February 28, 2022
“The subject property shall be developed substantially in accordance with plans and specifications on file with the City of Anaheim marked Exhibit Nos. 1 through 3; provided, however, that kitchen efficiency units may not be installed in no more than twenty -five percent (25%) of the motel units, with a maximum of 6 -cubic foot refrigerators, two -burner stoves excluding oven and baking facilities, and single compartment sinks, except that the manager’s unit will be allowed to have full kitchen facilities.”
Amending the CUP to provide additional conditions of approval will address site and public health and safety issues stemming from operation of the motel.
DISCUSSION:
According to Police Department , Code Enforcement, and Anaheim Fire & Rescue statistics, the Travel Inn has some of the most significant criminal, code enforcement and medical emergency related activity.
Police Activity: As shown in the table below, there has been a dramatic increase in arrests and calls for service at the Travel Inn in the last two years. Of the 18 motels on Beach Boulevard, the Travel Inn had the third highest calls for ser vice in 2021. Arrests at the property jumped 67% compared to 2020. Police statistics show that, between 2017 and 2021, five out of 18 motels in the Beach Blvd area account for 65% of total arrests, with the Travel Inn accounting for 12% of those arrests.
Travel Inn Crime Statistics
2019 2020 2021
Arrests 5 12 20
Calls for Service 30 174 259
The criminal activities include illegal gambling, assault, battery, drug use, firearms possession, and carjacking. On December 28, 2021, the Police Department observed an illegal gambling facility, known as a “slap house,” in a motel room as depicted in the photos below.
DEVELOPMENT PROJECT NO. 2022-00008
February 28, 2022
Travel Inn Slap House, December 28, 2021
The Police Department states that most of the crime goes unreported; therefore , while these statistics are a good indicator of the crime levels, they are not wholly representative of the problems at this location.
Code Enforcement: There has been a significant amount of Code Enforcement complaints on the property that constitute a public nuisance . Code violations observed included illegal gambling, homeless encampments, overflowing dumpsters , illegal dumping, overgrown vegetation, construction without permits, holes in walls, pest control, missing window screens, and lack of smoke detectors. The pictures below are examples of general property maintenance violations that create a blighted condition of the property.
Code Enforcement Inspection; Trash and Rodent Observed
Fire Department: Anaheim Fire & Rescue personnel generally responds to fires and medical emergencies. Since 2019, Anaheim Fire & Rescue responded to 42 calls for service for various medical emergencies. There have been calls for service related to drug overdoses /poisoning, assault, mental/emotional/psychological issues, unconscious or unresponsive individuals, near drowning/diving/water related injury , flooding inside the building, and cardiac arrest. Anaheim Fire & Rescue notes that a significant amount of resources are spent on Beach Boulevard including at the Travel Inn which limits the availability of resources to other parts of the City.
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February 28, 2022
Persons with drug paraphernalia at the Travel Inn
On January 4, 2022, City staff met with the owners of four motels, including the Travel Inn . At this meeting, staff prese nted the owner with recommended guidelines for operation. This effort was an attempt to gain voluntary compliance with practices that would improve the motel property and operations so that they may reduce activities detrimental to public health and safety. While staff is encouraged by the owner ’s expressed willingness to implement the recommended guidelines, staff believes it is prudent to memorialize these recommendations in the CUP to ensure long-term quality operations, and diminish public health and safety issues . Further, these conditions would remain with the property in perpetuity, ensuring consistent requirements if the property were to be sold to another entity. Accordingly, staff is recommending modification of the CUP to incorporate many of the aforementioned guidelines, as well as other operational requirements.
Revocation or Modification of Discretionary Permits: The Planning Commission may revoke or modify a conditional use permit if it finds that any of the following conditions exist:
1) That the approval was obtained by fraud;
2) That the use or variance for which such approval is granted is not being exercised within the time specified in such permit;
3) That the use or variance for which such approval was granted has ceased to exist or has been suspended or inoperative for any reason for a period of six (6) consecutive months or more;
4) That the permit granted is being, or recently has been, exercised contrary to the terms or conditions of such approval, or in violation of any statute, ordinance, law, or regulation;
5) That the use or variance for which the approval was granted has been so exercised as to be detrimental to the public health or safety, or so as to constitute a nuisance;
DEVELOPMENT PROJECT NO. 2022-00008
February 28, 2022
6) That the use or variance for which the approval was granted has not been exercised and that, based upon additional information or due to changed circumstances, the facts necessary to support one or more of the required findings for the original approval of such entitlement, as set forth in this chapter, no longer exist; or
7) That any such modification, including the imposition of any additional conditions, is reasonably necessary to protect the public peace, health, safety, or general welfare, or necessary to permit reasonable operation under the permit as granted.
A notice of this hearing before the Planning Commission on the proposed revocation or modification was mailed to the property owner on February 4, 2022. In accordance with Finding Nos. 4, 5, and 7, staff believes that the motel has been operating in a manner detrimental to the public health or safety, so as to provide a nuisance, and that the imposition of additional conditions is reasonably necessary to protect the public peace, health, safety, and general welfare.
Staff recommends adding conditions to the CUP to ensure operations that encourage property maintenance and discourage criminal activity . A draft resolution with a complete list of recommended conditions has been included as Attachment 1 . Conditions include, but are not limited to, the following:
• Provide a Security and Operations Plan for Police Department approval with annual review • Ensure minimum age of guest renting a room is 21 years • Ensure provision of 24-hour on-site management
• Ensure provision of daily cleaning service
• Prohibit short duration room rentals (12-hour minimum) • Ensure regular maintenance including landscaping, and removal or graffiti, trash, and drug paraphernalia
• Provide a letter requesting termination of CUP 3179, which was never exercised
Environmental Impact Analysis: Staff recommends the Planning Commission find that the effects of the proposed project are Categorically Exempt from the requirements to prepare addi tional environmental documentation per California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines, Section 15301, Class 1 (Existing Facilities) and Section 15321, Class 32 (Enforcement Actions by Regulatory Agencies) . The Class 1 exemption consists of the rep air, maintenance, and/or minor alteration of existing public or private structures or facilities, involving negligible or no expansion of the use beyond that existing at the time of this determination. The Class 21 exemption consists of actions by regulatory agencies to enforce or revoke a lease, permit, license, certificate, or other entitlement for use issued, adopted, or prescribed by the regulatory agency or enforcement of a law, general rule, standard, or objective, administered or adopted by the regul atory agency. The proposed project is a request for revocation or modification of a conditional use permit for an existing motel therefore there is no expansion of the existing use in this enforcement action of an existing entitlement. Pursuant to Sections 15300.2 (c), 15301, and 15321 of Title 14 of the California Code of Regulations, there are no unusual circumstances in respect to the proposed project for which staff would anticipate a significant effect on the environment and, therefore, the proposed project would be categorically exempt from the provisions of CEQA.
DEVELOPMENT PROJECT NO. 2022-00008
February 28, 2022
CONCLUSION: Staff believes that the lack of property maintenance and operation of the Travel Inn is detrimental to public health and safety, and recommends the Planning Commission modify the CUP to add new conditions of approval. In the event the property owner does not comply with these conditions, staff will continue to pursue compliance through Code Enforcement, CUP revocation, and/or the City Attorney’s office as necessary.
Prepared by, Submitted by,
Nick Taylor, AICP Niki Wetzel, AICP
Senior Planner Deputy Planning and Building Director
Attachments:
1. Draft Planning Commission Resolution
2. Original Planning Commission Resolutions
SP 2017-1
R-M
DEV 2015-00014
TRAVEL INN MOTEL
RS-2
SFR
SP 2017-1
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COVERED WAGON MOTEL
SP 2017-1
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RAINBOW INN
SP 2017-1
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ANAHEIM LODGE
SP 2017-1
R-M
SAHARA MOTEL
SP 2017-1
R-M
ARAB AMERICAN
COMMUNITY CENTER
SP 2017-1
R-M
ROBIN HOOD MOTEL
SP 2017-1
MU- M
APARTMENTS 49 DU
SP 2017-1
MU- M
RETAIL
SP 2017-1
MU- M
RETAIL
SP 2017-1
R-M
COBBLESTONE
APARTMENTS
34 DU
SP 2017-1
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LYNROSE MANOR
APARTMENTS
72 DU
SP 2017-1
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LYNROSE MANOR
APARTMENTS
72 DU
SP 2017-1
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COBBLESTONE
APARTMENTS
30 DU
SP 2017-1
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SHADOW PARK INN
& SUITES
SP 2017-1
N-C
CAR WASH
SP 2017-1
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SERVICE STATION
SP 2017-1
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RETAIL
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RETAIL
SP 2017-1
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RETAIL
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RETAIL
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RETAIL
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SP 2017-1
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RELIGIOUS USE
SP 2017-1 (MHP)
N-C
TRAILS END MOBILEHOME PARK
SP 2017-1
N-C
RETAIL
SP 2017-1
N-C
RETAIL
SP 2017-1
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RETAIL
SP 2017-1
N-C
PICK YOUR PART
AUTO RECYCLER
SP 2017-1
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MEDICAL
OFFICE
SP 2017-1
N-C
RELIGIOUS
USE
RS-2
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SINGLE FAMILY
RESIDENCE
RS-2
SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENCE
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SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENCE
RS-2
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W BALL RD
S BEACH BLVD
S BEACH BLVD
S HAYW
ARD ST
W ROME AVE
W LYNROSE DR
S GAYM
ONT ST
W. BALL RD
W. ORANGE AVE
S. DALE AVE
S. KNOTT AVE
. CERRITOS AVE
S. M
AG
NOLIA AVE
S. W
ESTERN AVE
920 South Beach Boulevard
DEV No. 2022-00008
Subject Property APN: 126-261-18
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Aerial Photo:
May 2021