NEWPORT BEACH : Business Permit Law Reviewed

The city wants to keep the quaint mom-and-pop atmosphere of its business districts--but is having trouble defining just what that is.

At the request of merchants and residents, the Planning Commission tonight will review its recently streamlined permit process for small restaurants and an entrepreneur’s proposal to open a Coast Highway shop that would display statues, fountains and cast-iron patio furniture outdoors.

The city’s Specialty Food Ordinance, revised in April, 1994, reduced red tape for people wanting to open food shops with 20 or fewer seats. It also eased parking requirements for businesses such as ice cream or coffee shops.

Some established businesses complained in February when Starbuck’s, a chain of coffee shops, won a permit to open on Marine Avenue. Their objection was that the franchised operation would change the character of the area. They learned, however, that the city has no appeals process for challenging such a decision.

A change before the Planning Commission would require the city to notify property owners within 100 feet of any site for which a restaurant permit is issued. Nearby residents and businesses would then have 10 days to seek a review.

Also set for review is Wendy Wong’s request to open a business called The Silk Road that would feature home and garden accessories. Some members of the Bayshores Community Assn. contend that the business would create traffic hazards and parking problems in their neighborhood adjacent to the site.