Hope Chapel to Use Former Albertsons Building for Youth Activities

The building that once housed an Albertsons grocery store on the corner of Pacific Coast Highway and Artesia Boulevard will now house up to 300 children.

The Hermosa Beach Planning Commission voted unanimously at its Tuesday night meeting to approve Hope Chapel's use of its empty building for youth activities from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., seven days a week. The permit will also allow the church to use adjacent parking spots for its members.

"The resolution will bring outdoor activities that have previously been disruptive to neighbors indoors," said Commissioner Peter Hoffman. He said he hopes the resolution will mitigate the noise problem.

One neighbor expressed her concerns that the resolution could do just the opposite. "I didn't sign up for a playground or a skate park or a day care," said May Gordon, who has lived in the nearby Victorian apartment complex on Prospect Avenue since 1998. "When I thought of a church, I thought of organ music on Sundays."

Gordon said she deals with noise from the alley behind the church "day in and day out." She said many of her neighbors share the same noise complaints.

Hope Chapel administrator Dale Turner said he wants to solve the noise problem. "We just want to be good neighbors," he said. "There have been noise issues with the church, so we want to move it indoors, get the kids out of the alley and contain them."

The commission turned down a permit application that would have allowed Watermans Safe House for Surfers, a restaurant at Pier Plaza, to stay open extended hours for live entertainment, to charge for admission and to change its alcoholic beverage prices.

"Our decision was consistent with policies that we have been following for four or five years, and it is consistent with a recommendation from the chief of police," Hoffman said.

Police Chief Greg Savelli has recommended staggered closing times for bars and nightclubs to avoid large crowds spilling out at 2 a.m., Hoffman said.

The commission also discussed a parking plan for the Verizon parking structure at 911 First St. The plan proposes using 15 spaces on the first floor of the structure for equipment and 49 spaces on the second floor for commercial use. The unused space would be converted into storage. The commission decided to continue discussion after a motion to deny and a motion to approve the plan both failed to get seconded.