Monrovia : Parking Expansion Eased

The City Council has approved an ordinance allowing commercial establishments to extend their parking lots into abutting residential areas by simply obtaining a conditional use permit. Previously, it had been necessary to obtain a zone change and an amendment to the city’s general plan.

Although such requests are rare, both Armstrong Garden Centers on Huntington Drive and the Sizzler restaurant on Foothill Boulevard own residential lots next door that their owners want to turn into parking lots.

Armstrong wants to create 20 parking spaces on property to the north and has had no complaints from neighbors, said general manager Michael Kunce. Sizzler wants to add 24 spaces on a lot to the south, but that move is opposed by neighboring homeowners.