Planning commission approves live-entertainment permit for Sena on Myrtle with limits on hours and operations

The Monrovia Planning Commission voted to approve a conditional use permit (CUP2025-0008) for Sena on Myrtle, 409 South Myrtle Avenue, allowing incidental live entertainment indoors and on the rear patio under a set of conditions intended to limit noise and late-night impacts. The motion passed by roll call with Commissioners Austin, Rose, Scheffler, Stehira and Chair Brown voting yes.

Staff told the commission the request is largely an administrative cleanup: a prior outdoor live-entertainment CUP granted to the earlier occupant was no longer active after a 2010 condition made earlier CUPs null and void, and the current operator, Sena on Myrtle (applicant Joseph Caiello), had been operating believing the entitlement remained. Planning staff cited Monrovia Municipal Code section 17.44.055, which requires a CUP for live entertainment, and recommended approval with conditions focused on noise control, hours and location.

Under the approved conditions, outdoor entertainment on the rear patio is allowed daily from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.; indoor live entertainment is allowed Monday–Thursday from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Friday–Sunday (and certain holidays requested by the applicant) from 10 a.m. to 1:30 a.m., with full closure of the business at 2 a.m. The permit limits live entertainment to a maximum of two performances per day and no more than three performers for any performance, confined to a 5-by-5-foot designated performance area. All doors and windows must remain closed during performances, live sound must comply with the municipal noise ordinance and the permit prohibits dancing, standing-room-only events, pyrotechnics and similar devices. The CUP includes a required review period, specified in the conditions, to assess operation after it commences.

Nikki Caiello, general manager of Sena on Myrtle, told commissioners the patio is used for private parties (she said it can be booked for up to 70 people) and that the business has no intention of charging a cover charge or an entertainment fee for general entry. "I don't have any intention of charging a cover charge or an entertainment fee," she said. Caiello also said the restaurant has hosted music frequently: "we've had approximately 740 DJ sets since we opened." She described the rear patio as largely enclosed, set off a private alley and not typically used for public amplified concerts.

Staff said the Downtown Review Committee reviewed the request and raised ADA-clearance and circulation questions for the performance areas; staff added conditions addressing clear egress and limiting the size and placement of the performance area. Two written comments were received after the public-notice mailing: one asked that sound be managed because of prior disruptive music from other restaurants on Myrtle, and another raised concerns about late-night activity, drinking and driving and public-safety issues in nearby parking lots. Staff said those correspondents were informed of the proposed outdoor-hour limits and appeared more amenable after that clarification.

During deliberations commissioners discussed enforcement and the review period; staff noted code enforcement and the police department respond to complaints and that the CUP can be brought back to the Downtown Review Committee or planning commission if problems arise. The commission amended one condition (condition 9) to read, as modified, "No cover charge to enter the restaurant shall be permitted." The motion to approve, including that modification, passed by roll call with all five commissioners voting yes.

Appeal information was read after the action: decisions of the planning commission may be appealed to the City Council if filed in writing within 10 days and accompanied by an appeal fee. The CUP is subject to the conditions approved by the commission and the municipal code requirements cited in the staff report.