At the Tuesday night Burbank City Council meeting the Council voted 3-2 to impose more rigorous rules to any developers seeking to build grocery stores in the Rancho area.  

The vote was motivated by the community uproar against Whole Foods trying to build at the site on the corner of Main St. and Alameda Ave.  The old Martino's bakery site.

The community, which is known for it's equestrian neighborhoods, was concerned about the amount of traffic the store would have generated as well as limited parking and the possibility of spooked horses.  They felt the quality of life for the area would go down from the increased traffic and the scores of refrigerated trucks which would need to queue on the adjoining streets.  Overall, activists said the size of the store was too large for the location.

The new process makes it more difficult for a new project to go in as it adds an added level of scrutiny by requiring the new business to apply for a conditional use permit.  Conditional use permits, as the name implies, do add certain conditions which must be adhered to or the business can lose it's permit to operate.

The new rules are being touted as providing more protection for the local residents and possibly sending out mixed messages to developers.  I know that the Trader Joe's in Toluca Lake, on Riverside Drive, operates under a conditional use permit.  When residents feel that the store is not adhering to it's preset conditions they meet with the Trader Joe's management and their Los Angeles City Council representative to iron out any issues.  I understand from talking to local residents,and from being involved in the process, that for the most part the arrangement has worked well in that the community has been able to gain concessions in terms of when and where the delivery trucks are allowed to stage and how the parking was to work for the location.  They also requested a one way alley to reduce possible accidents.

It will be interesting to see what happens next!  Hopefully, the appropriate business can be found for this location where both the business and local residents will be happy.

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