Lafayette planning commission approves broader opening hours for Rev Bistro at 960 Moraga Road

The Lafayette Planning Commission on Tuesday voted unanimously to approve a change of conditions for Rev Bistro at 960 Moraga Road that removes prior time restrictions and allows the restaurant to open as early as 8 a.m.

The decision implements staff recommendations that the project be found categorically exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) under section 15301 and that Planning Commission Resolution 2025-08 be adopted to remove prior conditions of approval tied to a shared-parking agreement.

Madison Church, a planning technician for the city, told commissioners the restaurant previously had an approval condition limiting opening to after 5:30 p.m. (later modified to 5 p.m.) to mitigate parking demand under a shared-parking arrangement. Church said the staff analysis found no physical changes to the building and concluded that staggered hours among the four tenant spaces at the site reduce peak parking overlap. “This would mean that any sort of conditions that were associated with the shared parking request or the prior conditions of approval ... would be removed and no restrictions would be placed on the property,” Church said.

Church also noted a change in state law, Assembly Bill 2097 (AB 2097), passed in February 2022, which prohibits local jurisdictions from imposing minimum off‑street parking requirements on developments within a half mile of major transit. The project site is less than a half mile from the Lafayette BART station, and a public parking lot is located just south of the property.

Applicant Laura Magoo, owner of Rev Bistro, told the commission the business does not intend to add regular breakfast or lunch service and would use earlier hours primarily for occasional private events. “We estimate that by just doing a couple events a week ... at least a 10% increase in revenue,” Magoo said, describing the change as important to the restaurant’s long‑term viability. She said the restaurant remains closed on Sundays by choice and that the request focuses on removing the earlier opening-time restriction rather than extending late-night closing times.

Commissioners asked staff and the applicant about potential effects on neighborhood parking and noise. Church and other staff members said no outside agencies objected during referrals, the Lafayette Chamber of Commerce provided a letter of support, no public comments were received at the hearing, and the staff analysis found the dinner service historically operated without parking issues. Commissioners were reminded that other Lafayette zoning and land-use requirements, noise ordinances and any liquor-license limits remain in effect for the property.

A motion to find the project categorically exempt from CEQA and adopt Planning Commission Resolution 2025-08, approving the application and removing prior conditions of approval, passed on a 4-0 vote. Commissioners DiGiorgio, Mason, Deming and Chair Labange voted yes; Commissioners Radnich and Sturm were excused. The approval is subject to a 14‑day appeal period.

The planning director’s report at the meeting also noted an ongoing downtown parking study led by Transportation Program Manager Patrick Gollier and funded by a Metropolitan Transportation Commission grant; results are expected by year-end and the study is intended to analyze cohorts of parking demand including employees.

If no appeal is filed in the 14‑day period, the removal of the prior conditions and the revised hours for the Rev Bistro site will take effect as approved.