CITY OF COMMERCEAGENDA REPORT CITY OF COMMERCEAGENDA REPORT
CITY OF COMMERCE
AGENDA REPORT
CITY OF COMMERCE
AGENDA REPORT
TO: Honorable City Council Item No.______
FROM: City Manager
SUBJECT: Public Hearing – Appeal of the Planning Commission’s Decision to Approve Conditional Use Permit No. 25-02 (“CUP-25-02”) to allow a hotel use in the City’s Unlimited Commercial (“C-2”) zoning district at 500 Citadel Drive in the City of Commerce (“Subject Property”).
MEETING DATE: June 24, 2025
RECOMMENDATION:
That the City Council conduct a public hearing, receive input from the public, and continue this item to the City Council meeting of July 8, 2025, at which time, the City Council will consider the staff presentation, as well as information discussed herein and affirm, overturn or modify the Planning Commission’s (Commission) decision to approve CUP-25-02.
PUBLIC NOTICE REQUIREMENTS:
Chapter 19.39.220 of the Commerce Municipal Code (“CMC”) requires the City of Commerce (the “City”) to publish a notice of the appeal including the time and place of the public hearing in a newspaper of general circulation in the City not less than ten (10) days prior to the date of the public hearing. Said notice was published in the Los Cerritos Community News on June 13, 2025. In addition, staff mailed out a notice to property owners within 500 feet of the Subject Property.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
The City Council of the City Commerce (the “City Council”) will consider an appeal by UNITE HERE Local 11 (“Local 11”), of the approval by the City of Commerce’s Planning Commission (the “Commission”) of a “CUP” for a conversion of an existing four-story office building into a hotel. On May 21, 2025, the Commission determined that the required findings under the CMC to approve a CUP were met and approved CUP No. 25-02. The “Local 11” submitted a letter dated June 3, 2025, to the City appealing the Commission’s approval to the City Council. The City Council will now hold a public hearing to consider the merits of the appeal. The City Council will base its decision on information presented including, relevant City Staff Report(s), public testimony, and testimony provided by City staff and members of the Commission during Commission hearings, and the Project Applicant and all testimony and facts provided to the City Council as part of the appeal process.
CONCERNED LOCAL 11 FILES APPEAL:
The Concerned Local 11 appealed the Commission’s approval on June 4, 2025. (Attachment 3). In the letter of appeal (“Appeal Letter”), the Concerned Local 11 argues that the Commission’s approval erred in providing the aforementioned approval. The Concerned Local 11 stated that the Class 1 Existing Facilities exemption is inappropriate, and the City should consider a more robust CEQA review where it can properly assess the Project’s VMT and GHG impacts, which could be lessened via project-specific mitigation imposed through an adequate CEQA review, such as a mitigated negative declaration (“MND”).
BACKGROUND:
CUP-25-02 was submitted by Scott Van Boxtel (“Applicant”) to convert an existing office into a hotel and construct a 1,803 square foot addition. On April 16, 2025, the Commission held a public hearing and heard public testimony regarding CUP-25-02. At that meeting, the Commission voted 5-0-0 to continue the public hearing for this project to the May 21, 2025 meeting and asked the Applicant to provide justification of the project’s California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) determination and further evaluation of traffic impacts.
At a continued public hearing on May 21, 2025, the Commission voted 5-0-0 to approve CUP-25-02 after reviewing the Applicant’s justification for the CEQA determination and evaluation of traffic impacts.
On June 4, 2025, Jordan R. Sisson, attorney for UNITE HERE Local 11 (“Appellant”), submitted a letter appealing the Commission’s approval to the City Council stating that the CEQA determination was inadequate.
Pursuant to CMC Chapter 19.39.220, a notice of public hearing was published on June 13, 2025 scheduling this matter to be heard before the City Council on June 24, 2025. After the publishing of the notice, the Appellant requested that this matter be continued to the City Council meeting of July 8, 2025. Therefore, staff is requesting the City Council to continue this public hearing to the July 8, 2025 City Council meeting.
FISCAL IMPACT:
This activity can be carried out without additional impact on the current operating budget.
RELATIONSHIP TO STRATEGIC GOALS:
This agenda report relates to the 2016 strategic planning goal: “Protect and Enhance the Quality of Life in the City of Commerce”.
Recommended by: Jessica Serrano, Director of Economic Development and Planning Department Approved as to form: Noel Tapia, City Attorney
Respectfully submitted: Ernie Hernandez, City Manager