Planning Commission to review four-story commercial and office building proposed in downtown Huntington Beach

The Huntington Beach Planning Commission on Tuesday will consider a request to construct a four-story commercial and office building with underground parking on a .19-acre vacant lot at 321 Third St.

Under applicant Jeff Bergsma’s plan, the proposed building would provide 1,660 square feet of retail space on the ground floor — with the other three floors serving as a local business’s headquarters and a roof deck.

“This proposed project will be owned and operated by a sole company using it as their corporate headquarters; thus, there will be no leasing to office subtenants and ownership will be able to dictate staggered arrival and departure times,” according to a parking management plan Bergsma provided to the commission.

As proposed, the project would provide 41 parking spaces in a two-floor garage — including one level of underground parking — that will be managed by a valet service.

Vehicles would access the parking garage from Olive Avenue. To maximize parking on the site, the applicant proposes using mechanical lifts to elevate some vehicles, allowing others to park below them, according to the staff report.

Subterranean parking would be accessed via a car elevator operated by the valet service.

Parking attendants — two on the ground floor and another pair on the subterranean level — would be available during operating hours throughout the work week, though that setup could be revised if necessary, the proposal states.

It’ll take an estimated three minutes and 20 seconds to use the car elevator and about one minute and 45 seconds for the mechanical lift, according to the parking plan.

Although the proposal would provide the necessary amount of spaces required, city staff could still implement other strategies to help avoid impacts to pubic access and parking.

If approved, the new development would join other commercial spaces and some single-family residences in the surrounding area.

Tuesday’s meeting begins at 6 p.m. at City Hall, 2000 Main St.

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