Monopines and a mini-mall
Monopines -- you know, those fake trees that have antennas attached that seem to be sprouting up all across the SGV -- and a proposed mini-mall near Wal-Mart. That's what's on schedule tonight for Rosemead's Planning Commission meeting:
PUBLIC HEARINGS
`. Conditional Use Permit 07-1111 – 9117 Garvey Avenue – T-Mobile USA has submitted a Conditional Use Permit application requesting to install a 50-foot an unmanned wireless 50-foot high Monocypress tree with six (6) attached antennas, one microwave antenna and one GPS antenna located at 7839 Emerson Place in the R-2 (Light Multiple Residential) zone.
2. Conditional Use Permit 02-882 (MOD) – 1717 & 1803 Walnut Grove Avenue – CFT Development and Permit Consultants have submitted applications requesting a modification to Conditional Use Permit 02-882 affecting Parcels 2 & 3 of the Rosemead Commercial Retail Center. The applicants wish to place a mini-mall on Parcel 3 instead of Parcel 2 of the previously approved “alternative design”, and increase the overall square footage by approximately 4,652 square feet.
The staff recommended that the mono-cypress be tabled, pending some design changes being worked out between staff and the proponent. Also, the Garvey Ave address is a mistake, a leftover from a previously-approved monopine. The Emerson avenue address is correct.
We approved the minimall, but we did focus on a few issues we thought would make the project friendlier. I was concerned that the lights actually be fully shielded (not just called fully shielded) to reduce glare. I also asked about landscaping, to reduce the potential for sound echoing off the buildings and back at residences on the other side of the Wal-Mart supercenter. Finally, we had an extended discussion about making sure the compressors on the rooftop were shieleded from resideces so they woudln't face the same sort of noise issue the folks near the Supercenter need to deal with.
Otherwise, once you've already got the 240,000 or so square feet of retail at that location already approved (by previous planning commissions and city councils), what's another 5,000 more?