The Planning Commission unanimously approved a request for a permit to make the iconic water tower from a hotel on Tuesday, Jan. 16.
Some commissioners were initially concerned about parking but ultimately supported the application
The first planning meeting of 2024 Tuesday, rather than Monday, due to the observance of Martin Luther King Day.
Staff recommended that the commission approve the application for a conditional use permit.
“The applicants and property owners, Gregg and Mary DiNicola, filed an application with the Community Development Department for Conditional Use Permit 23-5 to use the single-family residence commonly known as the ‘Water Tower House’ as a single-unit hotel in addition to continuing to use the building as a private residence,” according to the staff report by Associate Planner Marco Cuevas Jr. and Community Development Director Alexa Smittle.
“The lot is currently developed as a unique five-level single-family residential structure that once served as a water tower,” Cuevas and Smittle wrote.
Why didn’t the DiNicola’s apply for a short term rental permit?
Later in the report, Cuevas and Smittle wrote: “This application is a unique circumstance. Although the ‘water tower’ is a residence, the City’s short-term rental program (Section 11.4.05.135) does not apply to it because the property is not located in a residential zone. In order to offer overnight accommodations, the owner must obtain approval of a CUP for a hotel use.”
Background
“The Sunset Beach Water Tower was built in 1940 and served as a functional water tower until 1976, when it was decommissioned,” Cuevas and Smittle wrote.
“The City first addressed historic structures pursuant to Ordinance No. 1101, adopted on August 10, 1981, which adopted provisions for authentic restoration of historic structures through the Conditional Use Permit process,” Cuevas and Smittle wrote.
“On March 17, 1982, the Planning Commission approved the restoration of the tank and tower pursuant to historic Conditional Use Permit CUP 2-82(H), authorizing the renovation of the water tower structure by allowing the installation of a circular multi-story, single-family residence on the tower platform,” Cuevas and Smittle wrote.
“In adopting CUP 2-82(H), the Commission declared that the tank and tower have been a community landmark for over 40 years, and that the proposed project was in character with the surrounding community,” Cuevas and Smittle wrote.
“The original CUP, by assigning a historic designation to the tank and tower, created a mechanism to guide the renovation and preservation of the tower in the future,” Cuevas and Smittle wrote. Their report went on to say that the commission’s approval of the historical CUP allowed the re-purposing of the tower as a home.
“The current owners of the subject property are requesting that the residential structure be allowed to operate as a small-scale, single-unit hotel, whereby guests would be allowed to rent the facility for overnight lodging on a short-term basis.
“The owners are not proposing any changes or renovations to alter the residential structure, as the owners wish to maintain and preserve the current visual appeal and architectural integrity of the structure as it exists,” Cuevas and Smittle wrote.
Their report also said that the historical CUP will remain in effect even if the hotel permit request were approved.
“The residential structure provides a single unit accommodation with three bedrooms total. The CUP seeks to allow a hotel/motel use similar to a short-term rental of a single-family residence in a residential zone, in addition to the unit’s existing ability to function as a standard residence,” Cuevas and Smittle wrote.
“Over the course of the last eight months, the City has issued 29 short-term rental permits within residential zones in accordance with the City’s new short-term rental program. Thus far, the program and associated permit conditions have been successful, with no requests to date for code enforcement intervention,” Cuevas and Smittle wrote.
Parking
The Municipal Code requires hotels/motels to have one space per unit plus two spaces for a registration office and once space for a conference room, according to the staff report. But the hotel has neither an office nor a conference room. The property has two one-space garages and two open spaces adjacent to each garge, according to the staff report. The resolution approving the permit requires the owners to maintain the four parking spaces and to have their guests use those spaces, according to the staff report.
