Hermosa Beach Says No to Cycle Shop

To the satisfaction of residents fighting the opening of a motorcycle sales and parts store on Pacific Coast Highway, the Hermosa Beach City Council this week delayed for at least six months any possibility that the owners of South Bay Cycles will be able to sell Harley-Davidsons at their shop.

“It’s just plain discrimination against bikers,” said Maiko Saravia, who, with co-owner William Campbell, had planned to run an upscale, pink-walled “motorcycle boutique,” specializing in Harley-Davidson sales, in a building at 640 Pacific Coast Highway that had been an auto parts and sales store.

Saravia and Campbell said they had been assured by city staff that they would have no problem obtaining permission to sell motorcycles at their shop, since the city’s General Plan allowed auto sales--a similar use--on that strip of the highway. Moreover, the owners noted, their store is flanked by auto dealerships.

But homeowners near the commercial strip objected vehemently, contending that the area is already noisy enough without the roar of revving engines that would surely accompany the opening of South Bay Cycles. The uproar--including opposition by the wife of former Planning Commissioner Jerry Compton--prompted the Planning Commission last week to deny Saravia and Campbell the conditional use permit they needed.

Saravia and Campbell had intended to appeal that decision to the City Council next month. Having invested nearly $250,000 in building renovations, the owners said they are losing about $7,000 a month in mortgage and overhead because of the delays.

But on Tuesday, the council decided that the General Plan should be amended to specifically include--or disallow--motorcycle sales on that section of the highway. Such amendments require public hearings and legal procedures that normally take months to complete.

“There is a strong difference between motorcycles and cars--the noise level,” Councilwoman Kathleen Midstokke said.

Councilman Roger Creighton noted too that there are no other motorcycle stores in the area, nor have there been in recent memory.

“It’s a relatively new use for the area,” he said, “and it’s a use that needs to be reviewed and stringent standards set.”

But Saravia said the city’s public officials are persecuting his business at the behest of a political crony.

“There has to be something illegal about this,” he said, adding that he is considering a lawsuit against the city.