Moving forward as planned

Commerce/Foothill Town Center at 7200 Foothill Blvd. construction update is moving forward as planned.

A follow up from the DAC Meeting of 2/4/08 on regarding two applications for permits that were seen online.

It takes a few paragraphs to explain this fully:

There is going to be a Day Spa in the development, at the top back corner of the building (on the third floor at the back on the Hillhaven side). The "Health Club" category listed on one permit application is just the closest category the City has to "Day Spa", which is the use it's going to be.

This permit is for interior partitions to be built. It's easier to build them now so they can be integrated into the structure of the building from the beginning.

The permit that was asked about at the DAC meeting on 2/4 was for a change of use from retail to office. If you'll notice, this was dated 9/27/07, but it has NEVER been issued. The Health Club permit for the partitions WAS issued on 9/28/07, just one day later.

The other permit number is still shown as having been applied for, since these things stay in the record. It will NOT be pursued. The building as a whole is NOT going to change to a giant office building or anything else. To view the City's approved documents for this site you can link to them from the STNC web site at: http://www.stnc.org/documents.html -- scroll down to Commerce Avenue / Olde Towne and then Foothill / Commerce Town Center (old Ford Property) *Start construction date: August 2007. Follow instructions from there.

Part of the reason that new "uses" appear on the applications that are submitted for the appropriate tenant improvements as spaces are leased, is that different uses require different amounts of parking. For instance, a restaurant requires far more parking per square foot than an office does. The site will still have the same restaurants that the plans have permitted and that are shown in the rendering that is posted at the construction site.

For future reference, the important area to look for in an application is the "Current Status" area. The one for partitions says "Issued". In looking at other permits, this area could also say something like "PC Info Complete". "PC" means "Plan Check", so this means that all the information has been submitted for the plans to be checked, but that it hasn't gone any farther than that. Later it might say "PC Approved".

For future updates, please attend the STNC's monthly meetings, held 2nd Wednesdays and Design Advisory Committee meetings which are held twice a month. The next one is Monday, Feb. 25 at North Valley City Hall starting at 7 p.m. Check the STNC web site at www.stnc.org for other dates and times. Thank you to Design Advisory Committee Vice Chair, Debby Beck for updates on this site. The STNC is the best place to get the most current updates for all land use issues in Sunland-Tujunga and everyone is welcome to attend. Info contact: (818) 951-7411 or e-mail: office@stnc.org.

History: Once the Garden of the Moon this site has been designed to incorporate the Arts into the project. There will be lots of trees, green and color. Elevations vary and articulation will use native materials. The site will accommodate the walking public's friendly entry at Commerce. More parking on site than required and over a million dollars in street improvements, storm drains, lights, etc. will be incorporated into the site. From the beginning, this has been a community, property owners, Councilmember Greuel's staff, City Planning and the Sunland-Tujunga Neighborhood Council's Design Advisory Committee involved project. The alternative project would have been an ARCO gas station and car wash.

The Sunland-Tujunga Neighborhood Council: Your Voice, Your Council, Your Neighborhood!