"Cafe Gratitude Venice" is proposing to open a restaurant from 6AM to 11PM at 512 Rose Ave. As neighboring residents, we strongly oppose their requested conditional use permit for the following reasons:

• The lack of a parking plan will severely negatively impact the parking in neighborhood. Cafe Gratitude is even requesting to permanently remove existing street parking for their loading zone! Most of the homes in the area are old and do not have driveways, so street parking is absolutely essential in this beach-close residential neighborhood. Moreover, many of us in the area have home businesses and work from home. Therefore, removal of spaces, even during the day, will have a dramatic effect on our transportation needs, as well as beach access.
  

• Cafe Gratitude has refused to provide parking for its daily employees, further stressing the already-insufficient street parking.

• Cafe Gratitude's plan for "live acoustical music" does not mention whether the noise will be amplified or not. Regardless, this activity will disturb the peace for the many residents who live adjacent to the site. Moreover, there is no provision for rapid enforcement of existing noise violations (i.e., noise audible beyond 50 ft of their property line).
  

• Cafe Gratitude also wishes to dispense beer. Since there are already a large number of establishments along Rose Ave. that sell alcohol, and the existing problem of often intoxicated transients living along the Rose corridor, further alcohol sales will degrade the overall quality and safety of the residential neighborhood.
  

• Finally, Cafe Gratitude plans to provide free meals as one of the items on their menu. They should be prohibited from doing so as this activity constitutes operation of social services and a food bank, which should not be allowed within such close proximity to residences.

Please sign the petition with your name and address if this development at 512 Rose will adversely affect you. I will go to the downtown LA hearing on Jan 25 to oppose Cafe Gratitude Venice's request, and I hope you can make it too!

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