The Signal Hill City Council unanimously voted on Tuesday to make changes to the conditional use permit for a storage facility that has drawn complaints from local residents.
The changes to the permit would close off pedestrian access to the business on the residential street, Ellis Avenue. The entrance on Ellis Avenue would only be available for customers looking to park, load and unload.
The City evicted people who were illegally living in storage units at Signal Hill Self Storage in March 2023. Residents have accused the storage facility of not properly maintaining its property, turning the facility into an eye sore. The business also stored multiple abandoned vehicles collecting dust in its parking lot, including a boat.
In January, the Council voted to give Signal Hill Self-Storage until Feb. 1 to remove all motor vehicles stored in its outdoor parking lot, obtain a permit to remove the facility’s shower, provide the City with proof of a pink slip for the boat in the parking lot, and implement hourly monitoring of the facility as well as who was entering and exiting.
Signal Hill Self Storage faced daily fines of $100 to $500 per violation if the business did not comply. According to City Manager Carlo Tomaino, the City of Signal Hill has not issued any of the threatened citations to Signal Hill Self Storage.
During the Tuesday meeting, City staff said that all vehicles have been removed from the parking lot, a permit to remove the showers has been obtained and demolition has begun and a date has been scheduled to remove the boat.
While some progress has been made, City staff said that police officers who have responded to calls for service at or around the facility have noticed multiple instances of noncompliance with the business’ conditional use permit. These instances include parking violations, customers loading and unloading on the public sidewalk, loitering and illegal dumping.
Signal Hill Self Storage asked the City to reconsider the requirement that staff monitor the facility hourly, saying that it took staff members around 20 minutes to check the entire property. City staff recommended that the updated conditional use permit require that staff physically monitor the facility three times a day, with the first check made 10 minutes after opening, the second one at 1:30 p.m. and the last one 15 minutes before closing.
The City also requires Signal Hill Self Storage maintain a developer’s deposit account, which is an account private entities must have to pay for costs incurred to the City due to its operations or projects.
Signal Hill Self Storage’s developer’s deposit account is in the negative by $5,270.37, and the City is requiring it to have a balance of $1,500. The business has 15 days to replenish this account before it is cited $100.
Signal Hill City Council meetings are held biweekly on Tuesdays at 7 p.m, and can be watched online live or as a recording on Granicus.
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