Outdoor grill ordinance is introduced

CITY HALL — A city ordinance that bans commercial outdoor grilling could soon be a thing of the past.

The City Council introduced an ordinance on Tuesday that would legalize outdoor grilling at commercial establishments — like restaurants and banquet halls — but under certain conditions.

Current city codes mandate that all commercial food be prepared indoors, though some businesses operate against code now.

“The city is changing, the different tastes of the community are changing,” Councilman Rafi Manoukian said. “Some community members prefer certain foods prepared in certain ways and we have to deal with it.”

The ordinance — which will be voted on at the next meeting — OKs grills 10 square feet or less and proposes that grills larger than 10 square feet be limited to operating between 10 a.m. and 9 p.m.

Those hours could be extended to 11 p.m. on the weekends if the grill is more than 200 feet away from a residential zone, City Principal Planner Tim Foy said. If it less than 200 feet from a residential zone, extended hours could be granted through a conditional-use permit, he said.

The ordinance also proposes that having grilling space larger than 10 square feet — calculated cumulatively if there are multiple grills — would require a five-foot screen wall to be erected around the grilling area.

It would also require some sort of storm-water diversion system approved by the Glendale Fire Department chief and the city public-works director, and would require a conditional-use permit for operation if located less than 200 feet from a residential zone, Foy said.

“If I’m allowed to cook for 10 hours in my backyard, so should someone else,” Manoukian said.

“That’s the logic behind that. My barbecue is larger [than 10 square feet] and I can cook all day if I want to in a neighborhood in a residential area.”

The ordinance also proposes exemptions for grills used during special events — which will be better defined in the ordinance’s final draft going before the council on Tuesday, City Attorney Scott Howard said.

About a dozen people attended Tuesday’s meeting both in support of and against the ordinance.

“The whole point of the matter is the ordinance on the books is in compliance with Air Quality Management District that there be no outdoor grilling at commercial establishments,” Glendale resident Margaret Hammond said.

Outdoor grilling is strictly regulated by agencies like the Air Quality Management District and the Los Angeles County Health Department, which follow up on complaints about outdoor barbecuing at businesses.

Residents against the ordinance have expressed concern that the smoke from outdoor grilling effects quality of life.

“Why are we going against what the state has already mandated as far as smog and smoke and smell?” Hammond said.

“Why is it being done for a handful of businesses that have been operating illegally for 10 years?”

But restaurants and banquet hall owners say current codes are a problem for businesses that rely on outdoor grilling to prepare food.

“There’s a tremendous cost to grilling indoors…. And it’s a big difference in terms of taste,” said Vrej Sarkissian, president of the Glendale-based Restaurant and Banquet Owners Assn.

The group represents such banquet halls as Anoush, Karoun and Yepremian Hall.

During the meeting, Sarkissian voiced concerns about the limited hours of operation, saying that businesses would need to be allowed to operate later on weekends.

He also expressed concerns over the conditional-use permit process for grills larger than 10 square feet and less than 200 feet from a residential neighborhood.

“Many of the banquet facilities, as [Councilman Bob Yousefian] noted, are located well within 200 feet of homes,” Sarkissian said, adding that 200 feet does not always solve the problem of smoke in the air, which is subject to weather factors like wind.

Sarkissian said he was pleased, however, that the council was considering the issue.

“We’re happy that the council has seen the need for it,” he said.

“It’s something our community wants and its something that’s happening because the community wants it.”