CC SR 20251021 D - Canterbury Sewer Easement Vacation
CITY COUNCIL MEETING DATE: 10/21/2025
AGENDA REPORT AGENDA HEADING: Consent Calendar
AGENDA TITLE:
Consider a request to vacate a portion of a sewer easement located at 5801 Crestridge
Road (Canterbury Senior Living Facility)
RECOMMENDED COUNCIL ACTION:
(1) Authorize staff to proceed with a request from the Canterbury Senior Living Facility
to vacate a portion of an abandoned sewer easement located at 5801 Crestridge
Road; and
(2) Allow staff to determine that the easement vacation for the abandoned sewer need
not be an application completeness item for the Canterbury’s proposed renovation
and expansion project but that the easement must be vacated prior to the Planning
Commission’s consideration of the proposed project.
FISCAL IMPACT: There is no fiscal impact to the City for the recommended action. If
the City Council authorizes staff to proceed with the request to vacate
a portion of the abandoned sewer easement at 5801 Crestridge Road,
the applicant will bear the cost of processing the request including
staff costs.
Amount Budgeted: N/A
Additional Appropriation: N/A
Account Number(s): N/A
ORIGINATED BY: Deanna Fraley, PE, Principal Engineer
REVIEWED BY: Ramzi Awwad, Director of Public Works
Brandy Forbes, Director of Community Development
APPROVED BY: Ara Mihranian, AICP, City Manager
ATTACHED SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS:
A. Canterbury’s request to vacate letter (page A-1)
B. Site Map (page B-1)
C. 5801 Crestridge Road Sewer Vacation Exhibit (page C-1)
D. Sewer Easement O.R. 80-1142002 (page D-1)
E. City Council Resolution No. 90-93 (page E-1)
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BACKGROUND:
The development, which is currently owned and operated as the Canterbury Senior Living
Facility (Canterbury), is located at 5801 Crestridge Road and was approved for a
Conditional Use Permit (CUP No. 41) on February 6, 1979, and building permits were
issued in 1980. The development included a sanitary sewer with a corresponding sewer
easement (Attachment D). At an unknown time thereafter, a portion of the sanitary sewer
within the easement was abandoned and relocated; however, no records were found
showing that the corresponding sewer easement was properly vacated.
On September 30, 2025, the City received a request from the property owner/applicant
(Canterbury) to vacate the portion of the sewer easement where the sewer was
abandoned (Attachments A, B, and C) so that proposed improvements could be
constructed in the area. The applicant provided the following reasons for their request:
1. The sewer main originally located within the easement was abandoned and
relocated many years ago.
2. The easement area is no longer being used by the City for sewer purposes and no
longer serves a public utility function.
3. Vacating the sewer easement will help clear the title, eliminate unnecessary
encumbrances on the property, and allow for more effective use of the land while
ensuring that no City facilities or interests are impacted.
DISCUSSION:
The applicant has a proposed renovation and expansion project of the Canterbury Senior
Living Facility that is pending a completeness determination by the City’s Planning
Division upon the vacation of the sewer easement. The proposed project includes
improvements over the sewer easement that must be formally vacated prior to allowing
improvements to be constructed. The California Street and Highway Code (§ 8320 (b), §
8322(a), and § 8323), as well as City Council Resolution No. 90-93 (Attachment E)
establish the procedure for easement vacation requests.
The procedure begins with a written request to vacate an easement, followed by initial
staff review, then City Council consideration to proceed with the vacation request. Should
the City Council agree to proceed with the vacation, specific documents required of the
applicant will be reviewed by Staff and the Planning Commission (for General Plan
consistency), other utilities will be notified, and findings will be eventually presented to the
City Council for consideration to vacate the easement at a future duly noticed public
hearing.
This evening, the City Council is only being asked to consider authorizing staff to proceed
with the partial sewer easement vacation review process, which was partially abandoned
years ago, and not whether to vacate the easement. If the City Council decides to proceed
with the request, the City Council will determine whether to approve or deny the partial
sewer easement vacation at a future duly noticed public hearing, as noted above.
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The Canterbury has applied for a revision to their Conditional Use Permit (CUP No. 41)
to allow a 20,418 square foot addition, interior remodel, and ancillary site improvements.
The application is pending a completeness determination with the silhouette installation
and the vacation of the sewer easement as the two outstanding items needed to be
completed by the applicant prior to scheduling the required public hearing with the
Planning Commission. There are proposed improvements over the portion of the sew er
easement that is proposed to be abandoned. Staff cannot proceed with a completeness
determination until the sewer easement has been vacated. To avoid further application
processing delays caused by the sewer vacation process, the City Council is being asked
to allow staff to defer the completeness item for the sewer vacation to prior to the Planning
Commission’s consideration of the proposed Canterbury project.
CONCLUSION:
Staff recommends that the City Council authorize staff to proceed with the process of
vacating part of a sewer easement located at 5801 Crestridge Road due and to allow the
abandoned sewer easement to be formally vacated prior to Planning Commission’s
consideration of the proposed Canterbury project.
ALTERNATIVES:
In addition to Staff’s Recommendations, the following alternative actions are available for
the City Council’s consideration:
1. Reject the request to vacate a portion of the sewer easement located at 5801
Crestridge Road, and direct Staff to take no further action.
2. Take other action as the Council deems appropriate.
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An ECS Senior Living Community.9 58o1 crestridge Rd.Rancho Palos Verdes,CA 90275
"".the#canterbury
The Art of Possibility
September 30,2025
Ramzi Awwad
Director of Public Works
City of Rancho Palos Verdes
30940 Hawthorne Boulevard
Rancho Palos Verdes,CA 90275
Subject:Request for Vacation of Sewer Easement (Book D3829 Page 730,Official Records,Los
Angeles County)
Dear Ramzi,
On behalf of Episcopal Communities &Services and The Canterbury,I am writing to respectfully
request that the City of Rancho Palos Verdes vacate a portion of the sewer easement recorded
in Book D3829,Page 730 of Official Records,Los Angeles County.
The basis for this request is that the sewer main originally located within this easement was
abandoned and relocated many years ago.As a result,the easement area is no longer being
used by the City for sewer purposes and no longer serves a public utility function.
Vacating this unused easement will help clear the title,eliminate unnecessary encumbrances on
the property,and allow for more effective use ofthe land while ensuring that no City facilities
or interests are impacted.
We appreciate your consideration of this request and are happy to provide any additional
documentation or coordinate with staff as needed to facilitate the process.
Thank you for your time and assistance.Please feel free to contact me at 626.403.5401 or
jrothrock@ecsforseniors.org with any questions.
Sincerely,hJamesS.Rothrock,President &CEO
Episcopal Communities &Services
2212 El Molino Avenue
Altadena,CA 91001
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SEWER EASEMENT ABANDONMENT EXHIBIT
5801 CRESTRIDGE ROAD
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APN: 7589-013-006
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RESOLUTION N0, 90 -93
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY
OF RANCHO PALOS VERDES ESTABLISHING PROCEDURES
FOR VACATION OF CITY RIGHT -OF -WAY AND EASE-
MENTS
WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Rancho Palos
Verdes has determined a requirement for establishing definite
rules and procedures for vacation of City right -of -way and eas-
ments; and
WHEREAS , the City Council of the City of Rancho Palos
Verdes has determined that said rules and procedures can best be
established by setting them forth in a duly adopted City Resolu-
tion;
NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF RANCHO
PALOS VERDES DOES HEREBY RESOLVE TO OPERATE AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1: Request for Vacation. A request for
vacation of City right -of -way or easement shall be in writing to
the Director of Public Works and shall include the following;
a ) Name, address and phone number of the person (s)
making the request.
b) A map clearly defining the area covered by the re-
quest and intended use of said area.
c) Justification for the requested action.
d) Signatures of at least 50% of the directly af-
fected property owners, as determined by the Director of Public
Works.
Section 2: Initial Review. Staff will review the
application and present it at the first available Council meet-
ing. Council will then decide if the request is to be pursued.
Section 3: Vacation Procedure., If Council agrees
to proceed with the vacation, the following procedure shall be
f o l l owed ;
a) Review Fee - A trust deposit account will be re-
quired by the applicant, once Council has decided to proceed with
the vacation investigation. Charges against this trust deposit
will only 'be for work expended on the project. Deposit amount to
be $2,000.00.
b) Title Report - A title report will be commissioned
to determine underlying fee of the property in question and paid
by the applicant.
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c) Committee Review - The request will then be
reviewed by the appropriate committees and recommendations for-
warded to Council.
d) Intent to Vacate - The findings of staff and the
committees will be presented to Council for adoption of resolu-
tion of "Intent to Vacate" or denial of the request.
e) Utilities - All utilities will be notified so that
existing facilities can be protected.
f) Planning Commission - The Planning Commission will
review the project to determine its compatibility with the City's
general plan.
g) Conditions of Approval - Staff will prepare a set
of conditions of approval for Council's review.
h) Vacation - Council will deny the request or adopt
a resolution of vacation. Staff will prepare legal descriptions
and documents. Once the conditions of approval have been met,
the notice of vacation will be filed.
i) Excess Funds - Any funds left in the trust deposit
shall be returned to the applicant.
Section 4: These procedures shall be implemented in
compliance with provisions as contained in the Streets and High-
ways Code.
19900
PASSED, APPROVED AND ADOPTED THIS 1 h DAY F DECEMBER,
MAYOR
County of Los Angeles
City of Rancho Palos Verdes
ss
I , JO PURCELL, City Clerk of the City of Rancho Palos
Verdes, hereby certify that the above Resolution No. 90 -93 was
duly and regularly passed and adopted by the said City Council at
a regular meeting thereof held on December 18, 1 0.
n_ J/ _ / /1"', )
City 4'rk
City 0# Rancho Palos Verdes
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