Council looks at cooking up new grill law

GLENDALE — The City Council will consider an ordinance Tuesday that would legalize outdoor grilling at commercial establishments — some of which operate against city code now.

Codes currently mandate that all commercial food preparation be done indoors, though there are some banquet halls and restaurants that grill outdoors now, Councilman Ara Najarian said.

The issue of outdoor grilling was brought forth during a number of study sessions held within the last year on the regulation of banquet halls in the city, City Planning Director Elaine Wilkerson said.

Some restaurants and banquet halls complained that the city’s current code was causing problems for businesses that use outdoor grills to prepare food, city staff members said.

At the same time, residents around these businesses expressed concern over the smoke outdoor grilling causes, and the effects it has on quality of life, Najarian said.

“I think staff and the council realized this was one area we can tackle and try and put some restrictions and regulations down on the amount of smoke,” he said.

So at a June study session, council members directed city staff members to come up with an ordinance that would allow outdoor grilling for commercial establishments, said Timothy Foy, a principal planner for the city.

Under the proposed ordinance, outdoor grills that are 10 square feet or larger would require a conditional-use permit, unless they are located more than 200 feet from a residential neighborhood, Foy said.

Outdoor grills of less than 10 square feet would not require any conditional-use permit regardless of their proximity to residential homes, he said.

The proposed ordinance also calls for the construction of 5-foot screen walls around the grilling area — regardless of the size of the grill — and would place restrictions on the hours outdoor grills could be operated, Foy said.

The ordinance also includes some suggestions city planning commissioners made during their August meeting, Wilkerson said, such as the 200-foot threshold for the conditional use permit and stricter limited hours of operation for smaller grills.

“We had input both from residents and from businesses…. We tried to strike a balance between the two interests,” Foy said.

Officials from the Glendale-based Restaurant and Banquet Owners Assn. — which represents such Glendale banquet halls as Anoush and Yepremian Hall — said they would not comment on the ordinance until after Tuesday’s meeting.

Najarian said he hopes the council can strike a balance between the rights of neighbors who live near these businesses and the rights that those businesses have to operate and serve the public.

“We’ve made several assumptions in the course of this…. I’m hoping those are right,” he said. “In the end, the final proof is going to be when the facilities start using these under 10-foot barbecues or 200 feet away from the homes, whether the complaints will continue or not.”

Outdoor grilling is strictly regulated by other agencies as well, like the Air Quality Management District and the County Health Department, Najarian said.

QUESTION

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