The Planning Commission will consider separate items related to little kids and alcohol at itsmeeting Wednesday night.
A family day care is looking to double its class size and the Cheesecake Factory wants permission to serve alcohol.
The Activity Place, LCC, located on 22nd Street between Virginia and Delaware avenues, is residential day care center that's currently allowed to look after up 14 kids.
The company is asking for permission to serve up to 30 kids between the ages of three months and six years old from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays.
"Currently, the Large Family Day Care Home has a waiting list of more than one year," city planners said in a report to council. "Moreover, the operator stopped accepting applications for the following year due to capacity limitations. As part of the growth and general operation, it is the Facility's intent to focus on providing for working families that need full-time child care consistent with the parent's working hours."
A small family day care was established on the site in 2011 and converted to what the Zoning Ordinance describes as a large family day care in 2012. The requested change would put the Activity Place in the category of child day care center.
Owners of the day care say that at most, 11 kids would be outside at any given time. They plan to enroll 11 young toddlers, nine infants, and 10 pre-school aged kids.
Under the plan, 30 kids would get dropped off and picked up over two-hour periods. There would be passenger loading area.
"Vehicular traffic through the residential neighborhood will be minimized due to the easily accessible Santa Monica Freeway via Cloverfield Boulevard one block to the east," city planners said in the report. "Noise issues associated with outdoor activities should not be a factor as the playground is located behind the primary building towards the rear of the lot and the number of kids using the outdoor play area at any given time will be staggered throughout the day."
The Activity Place has been operating in the space for four years without an official complaint, city planners said.
Cheesecake Factory alcohol permit
A Cheesecake Factory that's going into slots previously occupied by La Sandia and Zengo at the Santa Monica Place mall, is looking to the commission for permission to serve alcohol.
Under the proposed permit, the 419-seat restaurant would be allowed to serve alcohol inside the restaurant until 1:30 a.m. Alcohol would be served on the outdoor patio until 12:30 a.m. Sunday through Thursday and until 1:30 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights.
Numerous other restaurants in the mall are permitted to serve alcohol until 2 a.m. daily.
The Downtown Santa Monica Inc. wrote a letter to the commission, supporting the allowance of alcohol on-site.
dave@www.smdp.com
