The Rosemead City Council on Tuesday deferred to its next meeting a public hearing for amending the city’s Municipal Code that addresses the licensing and operation of home occupations.
The existing Rosemead Municipal Code currently does not contain provisions for home occupations, and the city said it has been receiving calls from residents who would like to set up a home business – and do it legally.
The council’s next meeting date, which falls on Christmas Day, is cancelled, so the public hearing will be continued at the Tuesday, Jan. 8 meeting.
The public hearing was postponed at the request of the City Council to provide additional time to review the proposed ordinance.
Even though the council voted 5-0 to table any action on the Municipal Code amendment until the next meeting, Mayor Sandra Armenta opened up public testimony to the residents who showed up to speak. However, those in attendance chose to save their comments for when the matter would be discussed by council and staff on Jan. 8.
According to Michelle Ramirez, Community Development Director, Ordinance No. 925 will be given its first reading on Jan. 8 with a second reading scheduled for the Jan. 22 meeting. If approved, the ordinance would go into affect after 30 days, said Ramirez.
“People could come in here (to City Hall) and get a home occupation business license and legally conduct that business without being cited by code enforcement,” she said.
In her staff presentation to the council on Tuesday, Ramirez explained that Municipal Code amendment would allow for home occupations in residential zoning districts in the City of Rosemead.
“The code amendment proposes a licensing procedure as well as occupational regulations to ensure that home occupations do not disrupt, become a nuisance or modify the residential character of the city’s established residential neighborhoods,” she said.
The proposed amendment allows home occupations as an incidental, accessory use in residential zoning districts through Ordinance No. 925, which was recommended to the council for adoption by the Planning Commission on Nov. 19.
In response to public comment and testimony at the Nov. 19 meeting, commissioners fine-tuned the language in the ordinance to clarify that testing, maintenance, repair, towing and storage of any boat, aircraft or motorized vehicle is prohibited as a home occupation.
The ordinance outlines other prohibited commercial uses that are not compatible with a residential environment, including wholesale and retail sales, dating services, adult businesses, fortune-telling, massage services, animal kennels or breeding – to name just a few.
In her presentation to the City Council, Ramirez pointed out that a home occupation is typically defined as a business activity that is conducted whole or in part in a dwelling unit or garage, and is clearly an accessory or incidental use as subordinate to the residential use of the dwelling unit.
The most common home occupations are office uses for businesses such as accountants, Internet sales, certain types of contractors or similar operations where the primary means of contact are by phone, mail or Internet, she said.
According to the staff report, city officials have completed a survey of surrounding cities to determine an appropriate fee for a home occupation, and “staff found that the surrounding cities on average charge higher fees than what the City of Rosemead charges for a Professional Business License.”
City staff is proposing a first-time application fee of $100.00 and an annual renewal fee of $50.00. For more information, visit the City of Rosemead online at www.cityofrosemead.org.
