Avalon has updated the rules for autoette permits. Hotels will be allowed to apply to the City Council for autoette permits for their guests. Avalon residential property owners will be limited to one permit for a place where they live, rather than one permit for each property they own.
Avalon has updated the rules for autoette permits. Hotels will be allowed to apply to the City Council for autoette permits for their guests. Avalon residential property owners will be limited to one permit for a place where they live, rather than one permit for each property they own.
The California Vehicle Code defines an “autoette” as a motor vehicle that is located on an island that is more than 20,000 acres in size, within a county with a population of more than 4 million, with three or more wheels touching the ground, weighs no more than 1,800 pounds, is a maximum 120 inches long and is a maximum 55 inches wide at its widest part.
The new ordinance was passed as a consent calendar item on the second and final “reading” at the April 2 City Council meeting. An ordinance will go into effect 30 days after its second appearance before the council.
City Attorney Scott Campbell said the ordinance was adopted to clarify what some people saw as ambiguities in Avalon law.
“Let’s say that you own five or six properties,” he said. Under the new ordinance, you could only have a permit for property that you live in.
As for hotels, they would have to request autoette permits for their guests and the City Council would then hold a public hearing.
Campbell said hotels would have to show the council why they would need autoettes for their guests. According to a December 2012 staff report by Campbell, the Hermosa Hotel and Cottages approached the city in March about applying for 32 autoette permits for the 32 units owned by the Hermosa.
At the time, the council placed a moratorium on issuing autoette permits to anyone other than the residents of Avalon properties.
“The moratorium allowed residents of dwelling units to obtain autoette permits, it just prohibited the issuance of autoette permits (to) owners of dwelling units who would not be using the autoette permits for their personal use,” said the December staff report.
According to that report, the city code could be interpreted to allow a permit to be issued to a building instead of to the person living in the building.
The report also said the code could be interpreted to allow temporary residents of a unit to use the owner’s autoette.
The report said that representatives of the Hermosa Hotel argued that the hotel was entitled to apply for 32 autoette permits over the counter, without City Council approval.
There were approximately 1,116 residential autoette permits in Avalon in October.
“There is space for approximately 990 autoettes to park in the flats area of the city, traditionally the most congested parking area,” the report said. “This figure assumes no other vehicles are parked on the flats and that no parking restrictions are in place.”
The report said there are 598 dwelling units in Avalon, 526 in “multiunit” buildings and 72 in hotels. The report concluded that an additional 260 autoette permits could be issued if those permits were issued to property owners rather than to residents.
“This influx of autoettes would add to traffic congestion, compound the scarcity of parking and could harm local autoette businesses,” Campbell’s report said.
