Manhattan Beach : Hearing Set on Car Dealer

In response to residents’ complaints that employees at Champion Chevrolet on Sepulveda Boulevard park cars and test drive customers’ vehicles in the adjacent residential neighborhood, the City Council this week directed the Board of Zoning Adjustment to hold a public hearing to determine whether the dealership has violated its conditional use permit.

The hearing could result in the revocation of the permit, which outlines the terms by which the dealership may operate. Those conditions may also be modified to meet the residents’ concerns, City Atty. Carl Newton said.

The dealership’s current permit does not allow parking on residential streets, where residents say parking is scarce.

In a petition presented to the council in December, residents complained that a “substantial number of cars” from the dealership are parked on 6th, 8th, Dianthus and Larsson streets, making it difficult for residents to find on-street parking and creating a safety hazard when cars parked near corners block visibility.