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HomeMy WebLinkAbout5e - Correspondence_Guerrero_PA2013-034To: ZONING ADMINISTRATOR Subject: Additional Materials Received Item No. 5e: Additional Materials Received Zoning Administrator April 11, 2013 Eat Chow Outdoor Dining Permit (PA2013 -034) From: John Guerrero [ mailto :john.guerreroCalus.ibm.com] Sent: Wednesday, April 10, 2013 11:45 AM To: Zdeba, Benjamin Cc: Cosylion, Matt Subject: Eat Chow Outdoor Dining MUP Hello Ben Zdeba, I am writing to you to express my concerns regarding the proposed outdoor dining area at the Eat Chow restaurant located on 62nd street in Newport Beach CA. Additional dining capacity at Eat Chow will exacerbate the insufficient parking situation at the restaurant and further adversely affect residents of the Newport Shores community. The Eat Chow restaurant does not have adequate parking capacity for its patrons and employees. I raised this issue with the owner of Eat Chow, prior to the restaurant's opening. The owner stated to me, that his employees would not be parking in front of homes in the Newport Shores community and thus would not adversely affect the neighborhood. Rather, his employees would park on 61 st street behind the JEL Studios, Army Surplus, and Harbor Catering businesses. As an act of good faith, I took the owner at his word. However, since opening week of the restaurant, Eat Chow employees have continued to park on the residential streets of the Newport Shores community. I informed an Eat Chow employee that was parked in front of homes on 62nd street, that the owner of Eat Chow said employees were to be parking behind the businesses on 61 st street. The employee said "I will ask the owner ". The employee did not move his car and has since, continued to park in front of the homes on 62nd street. A week later, I spoke with the manager (Jessica) at the Eat Chow restaurant regarding the statement made by the owner about employee parking. Jessica stated that she would send out an email to employees, to remind them to park behind the businesses on 61 st street. Many weeks have passed and there has been no subsiding in the number of Eat Chow employees parking on the residential streets of the Newport Shores community, despite availability of parking behind the businesses on 61st street. Several weeks after speaking with the manager, I raised this issue with the owner of Eat Chow, his statement to me was "They aren't parking on 61 st street? They should be! It is in their employee hiring packet." Weeks have passed since this discussion with the owner and there still has been no noticeable change in employee parking behavior, despite available parking behind the businesses on 61st street. As mentioned above, Eat Chow does not have adequate parking capacity for it's patrons. This is particularly evident during the evening hours of operation. To mitigate this situation, Eat Chow has initiated a valet parking service during the evening hours of Friday, Saturday and Sunday. However, Eat Chow does not have a designated area for valet parking on their property. Thus, the valet parking service utilizes the residential streets of the Newport Shores community for valet parking. The valet service utilizing public streets is not only a probable city code violation but has now created a public safety issue. On multiple occasions I have witnessed the valet attendant speeding thm the community in an effort to reach open parking spaces. As an example, on the evening of February 18th, I was driving Eastbound on Newport Shores Ave, when the valet attendant abruptly pulled out in front of me from 62nd street, despite the fact that I had the right of way and he was supposed to stop at the stop sign on 62nd street. �i t � t h� ob Q` hPp Newparl Beach ryG6 Ptor rry ReaMm and FO /gyp Real "ale Broker D, — TI Eat Ch" �S �o ~" The Outpost fill 4q w 200 1 O - r'la •., Sash cc" s fumy & Navy P6011!Il Jafro Newparl Map data 02013 He obviously had seen the open parking space on the Southbound side of 62nd street, one car length in from Newport Shores Drive. He continued Eastbound on Newport Shores Drive at a very high rate of speed before quickly turning left on 61 st street. At the time, I was unaware that the driver of the vehicle was a valet attendant. I too saw the open parking space on the Southbound side of 62nd street. I turned left down the alley between 61st and 62nd street. This route is a "shortcut" back to 62nd street. Despite the shorter distance, as I traveled less than three quarters down the alley, I saw the vehicle driven by the valet attendant speed past the end of the alley! There is no way he could have covered that much distance without speeding down 61 st street. He then raced to the open parking space near the end of 62nd street. Seconds later he was backing into the parking space as I turned onto 62nd street. When I spoke with the valet attendant later that evening he admitted "I am racing everywhere to park these cars." There are many children in the Newport Shores community. There is a children's park on 61st street. This is the same street that the valet attendant was speeding down. I frequently take my 4 and 6 year old children to this park. Our community also has a good amount of pedestrian and bike traffic, even in the evenings. In the evenings, Newport Shores is a dark community as we do not have street lights. The inherent hurried nature of the valet parking service is adversely affecting traffic safety in our community. I ask that you consider the safety and well being of the residents of the Newport Shores community and not allow the insufficient parking situation at the restaurant to continue or worsen. I also ask that the owner of Eat Chow, work with the City, neighboring businesses and affected residents of the Newport Shores community to find an amicable solution to the restaurant's insufficient parking situation. As a solution, I suggest that Eat Chow put together a parking management plan and share it with the community. More specifically, I suggest Eat Chow not utilize residential streets to supplement it's insufficient business parking but work with neighboring businesses and make use of existing commercial parking immediately adjacent to the Eat Chow restaurant. The neighboring businesses include JEL Studios, Harbor Catering, the John Wayne Foundation, South Coast Army and Navy, and the Outpost. I am open to a dialogue with Eat Chow to address and resolve the insufficient business parking situation. I also welcome the existence of the Eat Chow restaurant and the services it can provide. However, expanding the dining capacity for a business that already has insufficient parking capacity for it's employees and patrons, will exacerbate the burden on a residential beach community already challenged with parking from beach goers, existing businesses, and multi tenant residences. Regards, John Guerrero Home Owner and Resident of Newport Shores