Oak Street PUD Returning to Land, Use and Zoning Committee

Posted on September 4, 2023 By Editor Neighborhood News, Riverside, Avondale, Ortega, Murray Hill

The buildings in the PUD include the surface lot and distant building on the far right, formerly known as KT’s Alteration and Embroidery.

It’s been seven years since city council approved the Planned Unit Development (PUD) in a 13-to-5 vote – despite significant community opposition – but movement on the planned restaurant at the former site of the Deluxe Laundry and Dry Cleaners and Deluxe Launderette on Oak Street in Riverside is stirring.

In July, Ted Stein and J.C. Demetree, founders of Roost Restaurants LLC and the developers for what was once called The Roost but has since been rebranded as the third location of their restaurant The Local, participated in a community meeting to discuss the restaurant and changes they’re requesting to the approved 2016 PUD and listened to community feedback and concerns.

In May, Ordinance 2023-0365 was introduced to the city council regarding those changes. Most recently it went before the Land, Use and Zoning (LUZ) Committee on Aug. 15, which deferred it to the Sept. 6 committee meeting. A previous LUZ meeting on Aug. 1 had already continued the public hearing on the legislation to that same September meeting.

Verbiage in the original bill for 2023-0365 describes it as a request to rezone and reclassify the properties therein “from Planned Unit Development (PUD) District (2016-55-E) to Planned Unit Development (PUD) District. This new PUD district shall generally permit commercial and multi-family residential uses.”

The properties encompassed in the PUD include the now-condemned buildings once housing the launderette and dry cleaners, as well as a third building separated from the other two by a dirt parking lot. Stein and Demetree are not involved in the plans for that third building.

At the July community meeting, Stein, Demetree and attorney Jason Gabriel, representing property owner, explained they will be seeking some changes to the 15 conditions originally established in the approval of the 2016 PUD, including a change to the restaurant’s operating hours and the allowance of televisions in the restaurant, as well as minor changes to the site plan for a larger kitchen.

The LUZ Committee will meet at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 6.

By Michele Leivas
Resident Community News