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Planning commission approves liquor sales CUP for convenience store at 16502 S. Main; limited to beer and wine under ABC rules
Summary
The commission voted 8-0 to conditionally approve a use permit allowing beer-and-wine sales at a convenience store in an industrial-design-overlay zone at 16502 South Main Street, with staff and ABC license requirements guiding permitted beverage types.
The Carson Planning Commission voted 8-0 to grant Conditional Use Permit CUP 3-24, allowing off-sale alcoholic beverage sales (beer and wine) in conjunction with a convenience store at 16502 South Main Street, a unit in an older commercial plaza zoned Manufacturing Light with a design overlay.
Staff presentation: Richard Garcia, assistant planner, told commissioners the property is an L-shaped plaza developed in 1989 and that the unit proposed for JJ Market totals about 15,077 square feet for the entire plaza; the applicant’s unit sits in the southeast corner. Garcia said staff believes the project is categorically exempt from CEQA under the existing-facilities exemption (Class 1) and recommended approval subject to standard conditions.
Project details and licensing: The proposed hours of operation are 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. Garcia said the city’s zoning rules require a Conditional Use Permit for alcoholic beverage sales in a mini-market in this zone and referenced Carson Municipal Code section 9.138.5 and related provisions. Staff reported that the city has a limit of 70 off-sale ABC licenses and that, according to Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control records cited by staff, the city currently has 49 active off-sale licenses; this application would not increase that count because an existing license has been associated with the property.
Public comment and applicant representation: No members of the public signed up to speak during the official public-comment period for the item, but an applicant representative spoke in support of the permit, saying applicant Justin Lee has worked in the trade, has signed a lease and has already invested more than $40,000 in the business setup and permitting process.
Commission questions and conditions: Several commissioners expressed concern about alcohol sales generally and asked staff about past city policies and the difference between on-sale and off-sale licenses. A proposal that the Planning Commission include an explicit condition in Exhibit B prohibiting “hard” alcoholic beverages was discussed. Staff and the Assistant City Attorney advised the commission that the applicant is seeking an ABC beer-and-wine license (which would not authorize distilled spirits) and that ABC licensing rules, rather than the city’s land-use conditions, determine license types; staff recommended including the beverage type in the project description but not adding a separate Planning Commission condition barring hard liquor.
Vote: Vice Chair Diaz moved to approve CUP 3-24; Commissioner Johnson seconded. The motion carried on a roll call vote of 8-0.
Next steps: Final business-license and ABC approvals remain required. Staff said when the applicant finalizes a business license, the city will note the permitted beverage type consistent with the ABC license. The Planning Commission also noted that substantive modifications of conditions would return to the commission for approval.
