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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda Packet - January 9, 1979 - CC t ?, /1_9 AGENDA ITEM DATE: JANUARY 9, 1979 TO: MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL FROM: CITY ADMINISTRATOR RE: SWAP MEET PARKING PROBLEM At the last City Council meeting, the City Administrator was directed, along with the Police Chief, to investigate a complaint received at the Council meeting, of parking problems on Sundays in connection with operation of the swap meet at Edwards Drive-In Theater. As a point of information, the swap meet operates through a business license, for which they pay $3, 600 per year. The theater itself operates under a Conditional Use Permit. If the swap meet is considered by the City Council to be a nuisance and not in the best interests of the public health and welfare, the license may be revoked after notification of the operators and a hearing before the City Council if they choose to appear. That is not recommended at this time. In connection with the investigation, a meeting was held in my office on January 4, attended by Mr. James Edwards, owner of Edwards Theaters, Myrl Kavanaugh, Vice-President, Larry Hoffer, Edwards Theater management, Mr. John Lawton, manager of the local drive-in theater and swap meet, and his assistant manager. Also in attendance were the Police Chief and Planning Director. We indicated the problem raised by Mr. Lyle Moritz in the Council chambers of swap meet patrons not having parking available within the confines or adjacent to the swap meet, and therefore parking on private parking lots of business establishments nearby. The swap meet operators pointed out that they presently lease from Azusa Square Shopping Center a large vacant area at the N/W portion of that property, adjacent to the railroad tracks, for parking. They also, with Mr. Krem's permission, rope off certain areas out near Foothill Boulevard and provide guards directing people who will be going to the swap meet to the rear of the shopping center, rather than in the stalls, which would be left available for Thrifty, Boys' Market, etc. They admit that this is not foolproof, that many people park there and either ignore the guard a - 2 - or indicate they're going to Thrifty or the Boys' or MacDonald's and then go to the swap meet. They also indicated that their guards maintain an area near the bowling alley for bowling patrons, and that they have been in contact with the manager of the bowling alley and report that he indicates no problem to them, yet he was present, voicing a complaint at the Council meeting. They pointed out that they are attempting to acquire use, on Sundays, of the Avery Label parking lot and will advise us if they are successful in obtaining this use. In addition to the area mentioned in Azusa Square, the theater owns the triangle immediate- ly south of the theater, so that parking is actually provided by them and is well utilized. They indicated that last week they started providing ushers to Royal Smorgasbord and to Mountain View Plaza, which is owned by Mr. Moritz. I suggested that Mr. Lawton establish contact with Mr. Moritz so that communication could be established on use of ushers, and whether it was working to keep his lot free of swap meet patrons. They seemed genuinely interested in cooperating in any manner possible to alleviate the situation, and I think they should be given a chance to make it work. The situation will have to be watched closely, and I'm sure if it isn't working, we'll receive complaints. I am enclosing for your information a copy of their new rules for sellers and swappers. You will note, on Item 11, in the list of things that cannot be sold, swapped or displayed, they have included some items that the Council has had serious concerns about in the past, not only at this location but in other businesses in the City. Respectfully, OHN R. DANGLEIS City Administrator JRD:jg U a - 3 - P. S. Attached is a letter received from Edwards Theaters after my letter was typed. I only take exception to Item 3 of their proposed improvements. The landscaping was a require- ment when the drive-in theater was built, and I am sure that the importance of same has not diminished. If Edwards has a plan to utilize some of that space for parking by paving it, I think we should approve any change, to insure that the area is aesthetically presentable the other six days of the week. 1J OHN • Edwards Theatres Circuit, Inc. 300 newport center drive east, newport beach, california 92660 • (714) 640-4600 RECh/VED JAN 11 1978 - = CMADMINISTRATOR January 8, 1979 Mr. John Dangleis City Administrator City of Azusa 213 E. Foothill Blvd. Azusa, Calif. • Dear Mr. Dangleis: I appreciate the opportunity to have met with you last Thursday, January 4, 1979. Following up on the discussion about the parking situation for the Foothill Drive-In Swap Meet, Mr. Lawton took a car count of all the cars in the existing parking areas provided by us and he came up with the following figures: the vacant lot to the west of the theatre - 220 cars, the east driveway of the theatre - 180 cars, the lawn area in front of the theatre - 57 cars, and the triangle area across the street - 101 cars, for a total of 558 cars. Also Mr. Lawton informs me that we have an usher posted at the Mountain View Shopping Center and absolutely no swap-meet cars parked in the shopping center parking lot. Further, the Bowling Alley parking area is also controlled with ropes and guards so that no swap-meet parking customers can enter the Bowling Alley parking area. In reviewing the situation we can do the following to dramatically increase the number of swap-meet places:. I . We will utilitze the back lot of the theatre to provide a 100 new parking spaces. 2. We will have a professional parking lot company make an orderly lay out including grading and striping of the parking area west of the theatre. Mr. Lawton says that the number of cars could be easily doubled in this area alone (220 to 400+). 3. We will remove the lawn and shrubbery in the front of the theatre and pave that area for swap-meet parking. 4 t Edwards Theatres Circuit, Inc. 300 newport center drive east, newport beach, california 92660 • (714) 640-4600 Page -2- } Mr. John Dangleis r 1 4. We will have the parking lot company lay out additional parking places in our east driveway and the triangle area across the street. I feel that this alone will substantially increase the number of parking spaces that we can provide. Further, it was reminded to me that sometime ago we had signs indicating swap-meet parking lots and areas that were prohibited to the swap-meet customers. Since that time, these signs seem to have grown legs and walked away. We are now in the process of having new signs made that will indicate very clearly those areas for the swap-meet parking and those areas which will be prohibited to the swap-meet customers. We are very concerned about the swap-meet parking situation and are eager to correct this situation. If there are any other businesses affected by the swap-meet parking, we will be more than pleased to control their areas with an usher and sign. We are on top of the situation now and as soon as we receive the parking lay outs from the contractor, we will forward them on to you for your consideration. • Best regards, EDWARDS THEATR IRCUIT, INC. W. J• e Edwards, Ill Vice-President wje:sh cc: Mr. Carl Elkins, Chief of Police Mr. Ralph Fitzsimmons, Planning Director Mr. Myr! Kavanaugh , Edwards Theatres Circuit Mr. James Edwards, Pres. Edwards Theatres Circuit Mr. Frank Haffar, Asst. to the Pres. Edwards Theatres Circuit Mr. John Lawton, Foothill Drive-In Swap-Meet Manager Mr. Arthur T. Villareal, Asst. Foothill Drive In Swap Meet Manager AZUSA FOOTHILL SWAP MEET 675 E. FOOTHILL BLVD., AZUSA, CALIFORNIA RULES FOR SELLERS AND SWAPPERS --- tifECTIVE 8/25/78 to Sale of spaces begins at 5:30 a.m. for those who are selling on a weekly basis. Other sellers wishing to purchase a pre-paid monthly (reserved) space may do so in the Swap Meet Office located in the Snack Bar. Requests for monthly reserved spaces will be accepted from 9:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. on Sundays only. 2. All spaces are offered on a day-to-day basis. No permanent space exists. Mo;:ithly pre-payment of a space does not establish any right to that space beyond the Monthly pre-payment. 3. All sellers who have monthly reservations must renew their spaces by the last week of the month or the spaces will be sold on a first come-first served basis. New reservations and payment of existing reservations will be accepted from 9:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. on Sundays only. 4. You may purchase only the space(s) you will be using yourself. 5. No exchanging of space(s) is permitted. Space(s) are not transferable. No refunds, no rainchecks and no re-entry passes will be furnished. 6. A maximum of one vehicle (a trailer is a vehicle) per space is permitted. The vehicle must be of appropriate size to be accomodated within the space(s) purchased. All merchandise must enter with the seller. 7. Sellers are admitted through the designated sellers entrance only: monthly reserves through the southwest gate and one time sellers through the box office entrance. Reservations expire at 8:00 a.m. if i::nclaimed and will thereafter be re-sold without further notice or refund. 8. Upon entry, sellers must go directly to their assigned space(s). Proof of purchase for space(s) must be readily available and furnished by the seller upon arrival at his designated space(s). After setting up your space, place your proof of purchase of that space face up on the dashboard of your vehicle and leave it there throughout your selling day. 9. Do not stop or park in the aisles, or otherwise block or impede traffic. Np driving in excess of 5 m.p.h. will be permitted in the selling area nor.will excessive speed anywhere in or around the swap meet area be permitted. There will be no vehicle pick up prior to 1 p .m. without written approval fro?n the management. 10. Plan to stay until you have finished selling for the day. If you leave and return, you will have to pay to re-enter. (CONTINUED ON REVERSE SIDE) (TEAR ON DOTTED LINE) An application for Reserved Space has been furnished on the reverse side for your convenience. Please retain the above copy of Swap Meet Rules for reference. Thank you. ROW SPACE GOOD ONLY DATE 11. The following are among the items that CANNOT BE SOLD, SWAPPED OR DISPLAYED at this Swap Meet: a. Guns, ammunition, fireworks or explosives of any kind. L. Hash or water pipes, roach clips or any other paraphernalia commonly associated with the use of narcotics or drugs, etc. c. Nothing illegal, pornographic or otherwise objectionable in the opinion of the management. a. Food or drinks or other edible items, except for certain produce. Note: produce may be sold after obtaining approval from the management and with the required L.A. County Health permits. e. Alcoholic beverages of any kind. f. Magazines featurning sexually explicit material (i.e. Playboy, Penthouse, Playgirl, Oui, etc.) 12. Each seller/swapper is responsible for the actions of his employees and/or associates. Space(s) shall be maintained in a clean and orderly manner; sellers are required to take any trash with them when they leave. If your space is left in a disorderly condition, a $10.00 per space clean up charge will be assessed against you. No pets are allowed. 13. Music and other sounds or noises must be kept at a level that will not disrupt other sellers and/or the Swap Meet in general. 14. No skateboard riding, bicycle riding, motorcycle riding or rollerskating will be permitted. 15. Any person found to be intoxicated will be removed from the premises. 16. All sellers/swappers must begin packing up by 3:00 p.m. and all space(s) must be vacated no later than 5:00 p.m. 17. VIOLATION OF ANY OF THE FOREGOING RULES WILL BE CAUSE FOR IMMEDIATE REMOVAL FROM THE SWAP MEET PREMISES, WITH NO REFUND DUE. THE MANAGEMENT RESERVES THE RIGHT TO REFUSE SERVICE TO ANYONE AT ANYTIME AND/OR TO DISALLOW THE SALE, SWAP OR DISPLAY OF ANY ITEMS WITHOUT REFUND TO THE SELLER OF ANY PORTION OF HIS FEE. THE DECISION OF THE SWAP MEET MANAGER ON ALL MATTERS IS FINAL. Let us take this opportunity to thank you for choosing the Azusa Foothill Swap Meet and we hope you have a very sucdessful enterprise. We are a family-oriented Swap Meet and wish to keep our reputation as being one of the finest. Thank you for your cooperation in helping us keep it this way. We would appreciate any comments/ suggestions that you feel may help to improve our operation. Please direct them to: J. G. Lawton, Swap Meet Director 300 Newport Center Drive East Newport Beach, CA 92660 TEAR ON DOTTED LINE TEAR ON DOTTED LINE APPLICATION FOR RESERVED SPACE (PLEASE PRINT) APPLICANT'S NAM DATE(S) WANTED STREET ADDRESS CITY STATE ZIP PHONE ( ) DRIVER'S LICENSE # WHAT STATE? VEHICLE LICENSE #1 MAKE/MODEL #1 #2 #2 TYPE OF MERCHANDISE I have received a copy of the Swap Meet rules and agree to abide by them. (SIGNATURE) (DATE)