One room changed everything.

Site Selection

Clineva selects 5298 La Palma Avenue for expansion

Clineva Urgent Care — an Orange County urgent care operator — selects the 5298 La Palma Avenue location for expansion. The site is zoned PND (Planned Neighborhood Development), a commercial zone that permits professional office and medical office uses. Clineva operates similar clinics in six other California cities without zoning issues.

Floor Plan Submitted

5 exam rooms, 4+ offices submitted for plan check

Clineva submits a floor plan with 5 exam rooms and associated office spaces. The total office count exceeds 4. This is the standard Clineva floor plan — the same layout used at their other locations. No local land use attorney reviewed La Palma's specific code before the floor plan was drawn.

Staff Review

Planning staff denies — La Palma Mun. Code §44-10

La Palma planning staff issues a denial. The basis: the proposed facility exceeds 3 offices, which triggers the §44-10 reclassification from professional office (permitted in PND) to medical center/clinic (not permitted in PND). The denial is grounded entirely in the office count — not the use type, not the size, not the hours of operation.

Administrative Appeal

Clineva appeals to City Council

Clineva appeals the staff denial to the La Palma City Council, arguing that an urgent care clinic is a medical office use — not a medical center — and should be treated as a permitted use under the professional office category. The argument has worked in other jurisdictions. La Palma's code is specific.

April 2025

City Council upholds denial unanimously

The La Palma City Council upholds the staff denial on a unanimous vote. The Council notes that §44-10's plain language controls: 4 or more offices = medical center/clinic = not permitted in PND. The vote is 4-0. No Council member offers a pathway forward. The denial is final.