Stop 1410-1422 Main Street

Height, Mass, and Scale

• Height of 57’10” — nearly double the 30-foot limit for this subarea of the Venice Coastal Zone.
• FAR of 2.95 — a 96.6% increase over the allowed FAR of 1.5.
• Zero-step-back plane — eliminates the required 45-degree step-back, creating a five-story vertical wall adjacent to 1-2-story homes.
• Roof access structure of 15 feet, where 10 feet is the maximum allowed.
• Roof access structure footprint of 176 sq ft — where 100 sq ft is the maximum allowed.
• Incompatibility with historic context — the massing creates a five-story wall next to the Lost Venice Canals Historic District with no meaningful transition.

 

Setbacks

• Zero front yard setback — where 5 feet is required. Removes space for trees, landscaping, or pedestrian refuge, placing a tall façade directly at the sidewalk.
• 5-foot side yards — where 8 feet is required on both the northwest and southeast sides.

 

Lot Consolidation

• Illegal three-lot consolidation — the Venice Land Use Plan allows a maximum of two-lot consolidation. Three-lot consolidation requires meeting exception findings for neighborhood compatibility and adequate on-site parking. The applicant does not meet these findings.

 

Open Space

• Zero usable open space — a 100% reduction where 2,525 square feet is required. Complete failure to meet Specific Plan and Coastal Act standards for livability, light, air, and outdoor access.

 

Alley Access and Traffic Safety

• All access via a 14-foot non-conforming alley — vehicle traffic for 19 residential units, four restaurants, deliveries, trash trucks, and rideshare, all funneled through a substandard alley.
• Life-safety hazard — LUPC identified unsafe conflicts with pedestrians, cyclists, children, and people with mobility devices.
• No traffic or alley circulation study — required analysis not provided.
• “2’–6′ alley dedication (TBD)” — listed on application with no engineering plan or justification.

 

Parking and Coastal Access

• Only 28 parking spaces — inadequate for 19 residential units plus four restaurant spaces, office use, and roof deck.
• Improper use of AB 2097 — the developer appears to be invoking AB 2097 to avoid providing adequate parking, despite proposing high-intensity restaurant uses that rely on a substandard alley.
• Traffic analysis omitted restaurant uses — artificially understating project trips.
• Coastal access impacts — overflow parking will burden surrounding streets used for beach access, an effect the Coastal Act explicitly prohibits.

Mello Act Violation

• Demolition of two existing residential structures — replaced by a predominantly commercial project.
• No required findings — the Mello Act prohibits demolition or conversion of residential units into non-residential uses unless the City proves residential use is infeasible. This has not been demonstrated.

 

Coastal Act and CEQA Compliance

• Coastal Act compliance analysis is missing.
• CEQA review inadequate — the applicant is requesting a categorical exemption despite the scale of excavation, commercial intensity, and coastal hazards.
• Venice Specific Plan analyses are missing.

 

Application Deficiencies

• No ZIMAS Parcel Profile Report — despite being listed as included.
• No Change of Use filing — required when residential homes are replaced by multi-level restaurant/commercial uses.
• Misrepresentation in the application — describes “ground floor commercial” but the plans show restaurants on the upper floors.
• “Special designation” box checked — with no supporting documentation.
• Incomplete filing — the City does not have the basic information required to evaluate the project.

Noise and Construction Impacts

• No noise study — required for rooftop deck and outdoor dining impacts on adjacent residential properties.
• No geotechnical or construction impact analysis — excavation for 28 underground parking spaces adjacent to century-old buildings.

 

Noticing Violations

• Improper noticing — multiple residents within the required 300-foot notification radius report they were not notified and learned of the project through word of mouth.

 

• City Planning Case File
• VNC Letter of Denial 
• Flyer 1
• Flyer 2