HomeMy WebLinkAbout0134.094January 20, 1994
HONOP~LE CITY COUNCIL
~alo Alto, califnrnia
Request of the Red Cross for Fee Waiver for
.Conti; ticna1 Use Permit Applicatj on
Members of the Council~
Report in Brief
10
City staff has id~ntified. and is implementing. a way for the Red
CroBS to use a portion of the train station building for storage
of emergency supplies without needing a conditional use permit.
The Red Cross ,.,auld not need to pay any City fees and, thus,
there is no need for further consideration of the requested fee
waiver.
Background
The univeI:sity Avenue train station is zoned Public Facilities
(PF). This zoning district identifies pe~tted uses (i.e., uses
that do not need a conditional use permit) as facilities own~d or
leased and operated or aSed by a government agency. The request
of the Red Cross to lease the former baggage room in the train
station for storage of emergency supplies thus required a use
permit, for which the Municipal Code establishes a $1,aOO
application fee. On January lB. 1994, the City Council
considered a request from the Red Cross for waiver of th~ use
permit application fee. The Council continued the item to
January 24. to allow time for staff to search fer a way for the
Red Cross to occupy the storage room without having tc secure a
use permit.
Resol 11tiQn of the Fee Issue
The Red Cross works closely with the City of Palo Alto's Police
and P'jre Department.s in planning for. a."1d responding to ..
emergencies. The City also maintains vario'.lS supplies and
equipment for use primarily in emergencies. The resolution of
the fee issue will involve having the City'S Fire Department
become the prime occupant of the former baggage room. As part of
the ongoing cooperatior. betwten the City and the Red Cross~ the
Fire Department will all~~ the Red Cross to store eme~ency
supplies in the same room. This ar~ang~ment will be formalized
as part of t.b~ forthcoming update of the Cityr s Emergency
Response Plan. Having the City be the prime occupant results in
the storage use being permitted rather than conditional, and t.hus
no use permdt is required+
Respectfully submitted,
;fi,?Uu;d"' ;f~~;'
KENNBTII R" S CHRBIB!!R '/
Director of Planning and City Manager
Community Bnvironment
cc: Margaret Donohoe, Executive Director,
Palo Alto Area Chapter of the American Red CroBs
1/20/94
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