Zoning Administrator Levi Hill approves outdoor seating at 301 Lighthouse Avenue, adds 15-foot ADA setback

Zoning Administrator Levi Hill approved Use Permit UP260047 on June 18, 2026, allowing outdoor seating for the proposed Rev Cafe at 301 Lighthouse Avenue, with conditions including a newly added 15-foot setback from the ADA ramp at the Lighthouse/Dickman intersection.

Senior Associate Planner Chris Schmidt told the administrator that the site lies within the Lighthouse Specific Plan (PC LH) with a CB-1 overlay and that the cafe’s outdoor seating — three tables with seven chairs shown on a site plan — requires a use permit under the specific plan. "The staff recommendation is for the zoning administrator to adopt a resolution approving the use permit with conditions of approval," Schmidt said, and staff reported that an onsite field verification (staff member Fernanda) measured sidewalk clearances and found space to meet the specific plan’s 7-foot unencumbered width.

Schmidt described required conditions: the applicant must obtain an encroachment permit that documents a 7-foot unencumbered sidewalk between furniture and the travel zone; reduce furniture if the encroachment permit cannot be met; maintain existing plants along the building façade; not sell alcoholic beverages; maintain food and nonalcoholic beverage sales; and store furniture inside when the business is closed.

After hearing the staff report and that the applicant had reviewed the draft resolution, Hill said he had concerns about the proximity of seating to an ADA ramp near Lighthouse and Dickman avenues and added an additional condition. "In addition to the minimum 7 foot unencumbered sidewalk requirement, the proposed seating shall be located a minimum 15 ft from the ADA ramp at the intersection of Dickman Avenue and Lighthouse Avenue," Hill read into the record. He said the setback would be measured from the corner of the building along the Lighthouse Avenue face and that the requirement aligns with the city's sidewalk ordinance.

Finding the proposal consistent with the zoning ordinance and Lighthouse Specific Plan and not detrimental to public health, safety or welfare under the General Plan, Hill approved UP260047 with the stated conditions. He reminded the record that decisions of the zoning administrator are appealable to the Planning Commission within 10 days.

Key procedural and technical details in the record: the specific plan requires a 7-foot unencumbered sidewalk width; staff measured fixture clearances and reported an 8-foot distance from a nearby planter and demonstrated 7-foot clearances from a light pole; proposed furniture dimensions in the presentation were roughly 18 inches per chair and 2-foot tables, with sidewalk rectangles described as about 30 inches wide.