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Planning commission approves conditional use permit for Fear Overload haunted house at Newpark Mall
Summary
The Newark Planning Commission voted 5-0 to approve a conditional use permit for a seasonal haunted house inside Newpark Mall, allowing up to 28 operating days in Fall 2025 with staff conditions and required security staffing.
The Newark Planning Commission on June 10 approved a conditional use permit for the Fear Overload haunted house at Newpark Mall, 2086 Newpark Mall, Suite 1149, allowing the seasonal attraction to operate for a total of 28 days in fall 2025.
Assistant Planner Yvonne Huynh told commissioners the applicant, Nathan Polanco of Fear Overload LLC, requested a permit to run a walk-through haunted attraction in an existing 7,504-square-foot tenant space. Huynh said the event is proposed to operate on selected days from Sept. 20 through Nov. 2, 2025, with sessions of about 12 minutes and variable opening and closing times. "The project is categorically exempt from CEQA pursuant to the mentioned CEQA guidelines in the staff report and on the slide," Huynh said, and staff recommended adopting a draft resolution approving the permit with conditions.
Huynh told the commission the mall has more than 5,000 parking spaces and that the area in front of the former Sears building is typically underused; staff recommended that customers be directed to that area to reduce impacts on other tenants. She said the operation would use the mall's existing interior layout and would not require exterior improvements. Huynh described anticipated attendance and staffing: about 900 customers on peak nights and about 525 on nonpeak nights; approximately 30 seasonal employees, with roughly 35 people working on a given night; and a security complement ranging from a minimum of five guards on slower nights to 12 on busy nights.
Commissioner Fitz asked whether the event had prompted police problems in prior years; Huynh said, "I don't believe so. Not that staff is aware." Huynh also said staff had received no negative feedback from mall tenants and that restaurants in the mall reported additional foot traffic as a benefit.
Commissioner Becker moved to approve the draft resolution; Commissioner Aguilar seconded. The motion carried 5-0. The resolution approves the conditional use permit subject to the findings and conditions listed in the staff report.
