ENCINITAS -- After two failed trips to the Planning Commission, a Cardiff developer won unanimous City Council approval Wednesday for a building proposal that council members said would improve traffic safety and parking on busy San Elijo Avenue.

During more than an hour of public testimony, some speakers said the two-story, 15,000-square-foot building was too big and bulky while others said its outdoor patios and curvilinear rooflines were pleasing.

The building is proposed for a 10,000-square-foot lot now occupied by Miracles Cafe and the former Taco Auctioneer restaurant. Miracles would find a home in the new building, which cafe owner Brigitte Menges urged the council to support.

Still other speakers insisted that the mushroom-shaped design -- with a second floor that cantilevers over open, first-floor space -- amounted to an end-run around city zoning laws.

Planner Kerry Kusiak told the council the project proposed by Cardiff resident and businessman Reiner Klawiter complies with those laws.

The City Council took heat from some residents who questioned why a specific plan governing land use in Cardiff's little commercial district had taken so long to be produced.

The council last month hired a consulting firm to prepare the plan and a draft is expected in the fall.

"My concern is, we probably wouldn't be in this position tonight (had the specific plan) been in place," Cardiff resident Mike Clark said, adding that residents have demanded the plan since 2001. "What is a 10,000-pound gorilla doing in this tiny little part of Cardiff?"

A number of speakers praised Klawiter's willingness to revise the project during an application process that has exceeded two years.

Some speakers testified that they trusted Klawiter more than they would an out-of-town speculator.

Klawiter told the council he intends to run his own engineering and accounting business out of the building. The business, its 10 employees and the clients it serves, would add to Cardiff's economic vitality, he said.

Two levels and 69 slots of underground parking would improve a difficult parking problem in the area, he continued.

In approving the project, the City Council stipulated that the parking be made available to the public during weekends and evenings.

"I think (Klawiter) has done a very good job taking a small lot and making a good design," said James Thomas, an Encinitas resident since 1976.

Some neighbors disagreed.

Frank Talke, who owns a neighboring office building, told the council the proposed structure would take away his ocean view and that its bulk and mass were "overwhelming."

In explaining his support for the project, Councilman Dan Dalager said change is certain.

"When I first heard about this, I had a visceral reaction against it," Dalager said. "There's always going to be change."

Contact staff writer Adam Kaye at (760) 943-2312 or akaye@nctimes.com.