City planners in Manhattan Beach are set to weigh a proposal that would let Parakeet Café take over and enlarge a former retail and restaurant space on Highland Avenue. The review also covers a small, unpermitted addition built by a previous tenant, which the restaurant is now asking the city to legalize.
What the Planning Commission Will Consider
The Manhattan Beach Planning Commission is scheduled to take up the request at its Oct. 28 meeting. City staff recommend approval of changes to the property at 1140 Highland Ave., which was previously occupied by Un Caffè Altamura. The application was submitted April 22 and is now set for a public hearing and possible decision.
Under the plan, the space would become restaurant-only. City documents show the previous 1,997-square-foot premises included 1,164 square feet of restaurant use and 833 square feet of retail. Adding a 75-square-foot addition would bring the total to 2,072 square feet.
Planned Renovations and the Unpermitted Addition
The proposed work includes an expanded dining area, new kitchen facilities, remodeled bathrooms, additional storage, a walk-in cooler and a new trash enclosure. Renderings submitted with the plans show patterned flooring, pink ceilings, decorative wall treatments, greenery and a redesigned service counter.
During its review, the city found that a previous tenant had converted retail space to restaurant use and expanded the building by about 75 square feet without the required approvals. The addition sits on the southern side of the building, next to Center Place. Staff stated that Parakeet Café did not perform that work and is now seeking the permits needed to bring the premises into compliance.
Staff Findings and Limits of the Approval
Planning staff concluded that the expansion meets applicable development standards. The maximum permitted building floor area is 6,750 square feet, and the proposed total of 5,970 square feet falls below that limit. Staff also reported that the surrounding properties are commercial rather than residential and that the expanded restaurant use has operated for some time without significant complaints.
The request does not change existing operating hours, which allow the restaurant to open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. It also does not expand the current Type 41 beer and wine authorization or increase the five-space parking requirement. Staff recommend the commission find the project exempt from further environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act, because it involves minor alterations with negligible expansion of existing use.
Approval by the commission would not allow immediate opening. Parakeet Café would still need building permits and must complete the required improvements. The city's application materials do not identify a confirmed opening date.