Planning commission approves conversion of garage to expanded convenience store at 201 Monterey St.; adds bilingual signage condition on alcohol sales

The Salinas Planning Commission voted unanimously Aug. 6 to approve Conditional Use Permit 2024-065 to expand an existing convenience store and relocate an existing Type 20 off-sale beer-and-wine license into a former vehicle repair bay at 201 Monterey Street in the Central City/Downtown Core overlays.

Tom Weil, senior planner with the Community Development Department, told commissioners the applicant provided a support petition of roughly 252 signatures and submitted a PowerPoint. Weil said the proposal would convert an existing vehicle repair area inside the building into retail space and construct an on-site kitchen; the staff report described the existing convenience store as about 438 square feet and the repair bay area as about 802 square feet, which the applicant proposes to incorporate into the store. Weil said the project was recommended for approval and that staff found it exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act under CEQA Guidelines section 15332 (infill development projects).

Weil also reported the property lies in Census Tract 13 and the police reporting district…