The Hermosa Beach City Council saw the light at its Tuesday meeting, agreeing to grant a variance that will allow a beloved local church to put a new, more visible sign in the public right-of-way.
Council members were unanimous in their appreciation for the community contributions of St. Cross Episcopal Church, but divided over whether the house of worship met the technical requirements needed to receive an exemption to zoning code. A resolution instructing city staff to provide for a variance passed 3-2, with Mayor Hany Fangary and Mayor pro tem Justin Massey in opposition.
St. Cross is proposing to erect a new sign about two feet from the sidewalk; the existing sign is about 15 feet away, according to Community Development Director Ken Robertson. The public right of way along Monterey Boulevard where the church sits is 100 feet wide, meaning it extends well past the sidewalk. Some of the church’s existing structures, including a brick wall and stairs to the main building, are already within the right-of-way.
Debate turned on the “extraordinary circumstance” finding required for a issuing a variance: that physical conditions on the property meant that “strict application” of city code would impose a hardship.Councilmember Carolyn Petty successfully argued that the unusual width of the right-of-way along Monterey — in other parts of the city it is up to 30 feet narrower — gave the church adequate reason to go beyond private property.
The church seeks the new sign in to combat what parishioners and clergy described as frequent confusion on the part of visitors to the church about its location. In addition to regular weekly services for the church and adjoining Temple Shalom, the facility often hosts events that draw newcomers, including funerals and meetings of addiction support groups.
It sits on Monterey just south of 19th Street; Loma Drive to the east runs parallel to Monterey for much of its length, but bends west just south of the church and spills into Monterey, confusing many drivers. The Reverend Rachel Nyback called it a “public safety hazard.”
The move by the council reverses an earlier decision by the Planning Commission, which had accepted the church’s petition to exceed requirements about the sign’s size, but had rejected the plan to build on the right-of-way. Such encroachments are a hot topic presently, with the council last month voting to remove several along 8th Street to make the thoroughfare more pedestrian friendly.
Council members had no problem distinguishing the situations.
“This couldn’t be more different than 8th Street,” said Stacey Armato, noting the width of the existing walkway. “This is a double-stroller dream.”
