Monday Morning Bullpen: Car Wash Blues

After last week’s consent calendar-only meeting, the City Council is back with a stronger agenda on Monday.

Let’s hope the kerfuffle over the demand for an apology by Mayor Victor Gordo for remarks he made about some public commenters has passed.

The mayor reaffirmed his belief that everybody has a right to their opinion and called on interested parties to walk the city with him. It would be interesting to know if any of the activists who say they want to build bridges have accepted his invitation.

Anyway, expect the same callers on matters not on the agenda to make the same demands that the Council cannot legally take up.

Moving on.

The Lincoln Avenue Specific Plan and the Redistricting Task Force and recommendation are both on Monday’s agenda.

Both are extremely important, but redistricting is always one to be watched in my opinion.

If adopted, District 2, represented by Felicia Williams, could now extend below Colorado Boulevard along with District 4.

This item could draw a mix of callers from people calling for a new downtown district, and those praising the task force for making minimal changes based on the census data.

Interesting, but I don’t really expect any surprises. The City Council showed little appetite when the task force came back for additional guidance.

But the influx of new housing that is bound to happen will have a strong impact on redistricting in 10 years.

The sleeper item this week that will draw comments and public comment will happen at the Hearing Officer’s meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday at the Board of Zoning appeals.

Local residents living near 2030 E. Colorado Blvd. have been pushing back for over a year against a Wild Wash Car Wash.

The big issue here is traffic impacts.

Staff recommended approval of the Conditional Use Permit and the Hearing Officer approved it, but Vice Mayor Andy Wilson has called it up for review.

To make way for a Wild West Express car wash, four buildings would be demolished, an existing driveway approach on East Colorado Boulevard would be removed, two approaches on San Marino Avenue would be modified, a 3,490 square-foot car wash tunnel along the East Colorado Boulevard frontage would be constructed, two queuing lanes would be built to allow vehicles to make payments at a new 75 square-foot kiosk prior to entering the car wash tunnel, and two vacuum equipment structures of 168 and 212 square feet in the parking lot would be built, according to a staff report on the project.

By the city’s estimates, the project is not expected to generate more than 300 daily trips, and a project that generates less than 300 daily trips is exempt from providing a traffic study.

But according to one Pasadena land-use attorney, if the business operated from 7 to 8 p.m. with 30 parking spaces, 300 daily trips would equate to less than one car per parking space being washed every hour. According to his analysis, the car wash could result in 990 daily trips.

The Monday Morning Bullpen, which highlights important issues related to city government, appears every Monday in Pasadena Now.