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Commission approves off-sale beer and wine at ARCO at 201 N. Grand with standard conditions
Summary
West Covina Planning Commission approved a conditional use permit allowing off-sale beer and wine at an existing ARCO service station at 201 North Grand Avenue, including standard conditions from the municipal code and a 24-hour convenience store with restricted alcohol hours.
The West Covina Planning Commission on Jan. 28 voted to approve a conditional use permit to permit the off-sale of beer and wine at an existing ARCO service station convenience store at 201 North Grand Avenue.
Planning intern Melina presented the application and told the commission the lot is about 29,190 square feet, the overall building footprint is about 1,971 square feet and the convenience-store area is 784 square feet. Staff said the store would display alcohol in a 16-square-foot cooler and additional secure storage; the convenience store would operate 24 hours but alcohol sales would be limited daily between 7 a.m. and 2 a.m.
Melina told commissioners the site is in Census Tract 4036.01 and is not located in an area of "undue concentration." The Census Tract permits up to four off-sale licenses; staff reported one existing off-sale license in the tract (a 7-Eleven). Planning staff recommended adoption of Resolution No. 25-6158 to approve the permit.
Applicant representatives Erica Diaz (The Woods Diaz Group) and Nathan Tobian (site operator) described the request as a land-use entitlement rather than new development and said the convenience store is an established, well-maintained location. Tobian emphasized long-term local ownership and maintenance of landscaping and facilities.
Commissioners discussed components of the city's alcohol ordinance, including a code requirement that limits single-serve sales ("no singles") and a condition requiring camera systems (so-called "flock" cameras); staff said the 3-pack limitation and other conditions are set in municipal code and cannot be changed by the commission. Commissioner-level discussion included whether discretionary review has functioned as intended since the 2023 ordinance; some commissioners suggested the permit process operates like a by-right entitlement in practice.
The commission approved the permit by unanimous roll-call vote (Commissioner Lewis: aye; Commissioner Castellanos: aye; Vice Chair Becerra: aye; Chair Heng: aye). Staff cited Ordinance No. 2515 (adopted 2023) as the relevant municipal ordinance that created the conditional-use requirement and certain conditions of approval.
The approval includes the standard CUP conditions identified in the staff report; the applicant may return for a one-year review if the operator and staff wish to revisit conditions such as the single-serve restriction.
