Approved Mother’s Market Site Design
August 21, 2017At the most recent Signal Hill Planning Commission meeting the proposed site design plan for the new Mother’s Market was approved. To learn more about the project and the Planning Commission’s decision continuing reading the article below published by the Signal Tribune.
SH Planning Commission approves Mother’s Market site design
Anita W. Harris – Staff Writer 8/19/17
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Mother’s Market
The commission approved proposed site design changes to the Mother’s Market and Kitchen location at 2475 Cherry Ave., formerly occupied by Fresh & Easy.
Senior Planner Colleen Doan presented the commission with detailed plans of the site’s design, including moving existing parking spaces to accommodate a new 1,011-square-foot outdoor eating area, abandoning two oil wells on the site and changing the signage.
Aesthetic changes to the building include a new roof design, brick accenting, additional external wall art (and retaining existing ceramic wall art) and mountain scenery in the windows.
Doan contextualized the site in terms of the City’s vision for a central business district.
“The subject site is part of a larger vision established by the City’s General Plan since 2001,” she said. “The General Plan vision is for Heritage Square, a unique downtown mixed-use central business district.”
The central business district was envisioned at that time to include specialty retail, public open space and residential development.
In 2010, a Fresh & Easy market was constructed on the site, becoming an anchor tenant for the development, until its corporate office closed the store in 2016.
In 2017, Doan said, the City refined the Heritage Square vision in conjunction with Signal Hill Petroleum (SHP), which owns part of the site, and the city council approved their updated plan.
“The refined vision continued to incorporate specialty retail, view restaurants, open space and a high-density residential component, and very earth-toned materials, such as stone, wood, metal and glass,” Doan said. “The design modifications for this existing building have taken into account the refined design theme.”
In addition to site design, Doan also shared a request with the commission that the conditional-use permit (CUP) for Mother’s Market include the sale of alcoholic beverages for on-site consumption. The CUP for Fresh & Easy had only allowed the sale of alcoholic beverages for off-site consumption.
The council adopted a resolution recommending that the city council approve this request. The council will evaluate the CUP at its Sept. 12 meeting, Doan said.
Representatives of Mother’s Market were on hand to express to the commission their keen interest in opening a Mother’s Market in the area. Several Signal Hill residents in the audience also publically voiced their support of the store, lauding the quality of its produce and prepared foods.
Debra Russell, vice president of community relations for SHP, said that the property had been left vacant since Fresh & Easy closed in 2016.
“Although we’ve had interest from other prospects, we have held out, without rent, to make sure that we bring the best use to our community, which we feel is Mother’s Market and Kitchen,” Russell said. “Bringing in a quality grocery store has been a top priority for our residents and visitors and businesses.”
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