At the Coronado City Council meeting on March 3, the Council considered a public hearing wherein the restaurant and bar, Nicky Rottens, sought to appeal a prior decision from the Planning and Design Commission (PDC) to take no action on adjusting their off-street parking requirements.
The appellant sought to contest Coronado’s Director of Community Development, Rich Grunow’s, interpretation of California Assembly Bill (AB) 2097. In February of 2025, the appellant had requested that the City recognize that the restaurant was no longer required to provide customer parking, citing AB 2097 as justification for this change to the previous Parking Plan requiring that five off-street parking spaces behind Coronado Hardware be maintained for Nicky Rottens that had been approved by the City Council in 2012.
AB 2097 does allow for parking requirement exemptions, but only for new development. Furthermore, as stated in the bill, the elimination of an existing parking agreement cannot be applied to a contractual commercial parking agreement with a public agency that was executed before January 1, 2023.
Grunow cited these sections of AB 2097 in his communication with the appellant when the appellant had requested a written interpretation of the City’s determination that Nicky Rottens was not relieved from complying with the parking conditions that had been set forth in their permit in 2012. Grunow also noted the state’s definition of development project (“a project involving the issuance of a permit for construction or reconstruction but not a permit to operate”) and stated that Nicky Rottens has not proposed any new development or change in use for the property and so would not meet any qualifications within AB 2097 under those stipulations, either.
Staff’s recommendation for the Council was to uphold Director Grunow’s initial Interpretation that Nicky Rottens remains obligated to provide off-street parking as outlined in their 2012 Joint Use Parking Plan.
Owner of Nicky Rottens, Simon Guindi, spoke briefly on the item and said he was looking for equal treatment, clear direction, and a timely response to help inform his decisions as a small business owner in Coronado. He also mentioned that he has plans to restructure Nicky Rottens into a family-friendly sports bar and restaurant, and that parking remains a question as part of that planning process.
Guindi then turned the appeal over to former Coronado mayor Richard Bailey, mentioning that he had asked Bailey for assistance in presenting the appeal. Bailey argued that because Nicky Rottens is within as half mile of the ferry transit service at the Ferry Landing (defined by California as a “major transit stop”) and that because the five parking spaces outlined in the Joint use Parking Plan are not shared with the public, the elimination of a previous parking plan as described in AB 2097 would apply in this case and that the City has no legal grounds to deny the application of AB 2097 in this instance.
Bailey also requested that, should the Council decide to uphold staff’s prior determination, the Council direct staff to define what constitutes a “change of use” and construction permit (as it would qualify under AB 2097) for the appellant.
Special legal counsel for the City, Eric Phillips, was also on hand to answer questions regarding the appeal. Phillips clarified that the section of AB 2097 exempting parking requirements for development within a half mile of a major transit stop only applies to, as Grunow had previously noted, a development project (whether residential, commercial, or other type of project).
In discussion, all city council members agreed with Director Grunow’s prior interpretation that Nicky Rottens is not a new development and does not qualify for exemption under AB 2097. They unanimously approved a motion to deny the appeal.
At the meeting, City Manager Tina Friend also provided a few updates, mentioning the Coronado Public Library’s new information system (which includes improvements to their online catalogue and other electronic resources) and updates to street sweeping services as the City is working on a deal with an outside contractor. A new schedule map is expected to be available on the Project Coronado website soon, and residents can also expect a new deep cleaning service targeting gutter sweeps and storm drains (advanced no-parking notice signs will be placed on streets at least 72 hours prior to cleaning).
Friend also addressed concerns the City had received around tree trimming activity at Spreckels Park, stating that the City partners with West Coast Arborist to perform nesting surveys and inspections on all trees prior to trimming. Any tree with an active nest is recorded, and no trimming activity is performed on that tree.
Additionally, with security levels increased at the naval bases, Friend noted that residents continue to expect higher levels of traffic delays near the base entrances at this time. The City is taking this into consideration with schedules for construction projects.
The Council also received a report from Whitney Benzian representing the Airport Authority Board. Benzian mentioned that the San Diego Regional Airport Authority’s president and CEO of nine years will be stepping down, and Atif Saeed from the Philadelphia Department of Aviation was selected to take over that role. 2025 also marked the busiest year for the San Diego Airport in its history, with international travel contributing significantly to passenger volume from expanded services and routes.
The airport is also introducing a new “SAN Pass,” a single-use day pass that will allow non-passengers to go through security and into Terminals 1 and 2 to accompany passengers to their gates and otherwise experience the terminals. Information on the pass and how to apply (applications must be sent a week in advance of the date of use) is available at https://www.san.org/relax-before-you-fly/san-pass-program/.
Finally, the Girl Scouts were also recognized at the meeting, with Mayor John Duncan reading a proclamation that declared March 8-14, 2016, as Girl Scout Week in Coronado, as the institution celebrates 109 years in the community.
The next city council meeting will be held on Tuesday, March 17, at 4 p.m. at City Hall. For more information on upcoming meeting agendas, please visit https://www.coronado.ca.us/449/Agendas-Minutes.
VOL. 116, NO. 10 – Mar. 11, 2026