San Bernardino council upholds denial of alcohol sales at ARCO on Highland Avenue

The San Bernardino City Council on the evening it met upheld the planning commission’s denial of a conditional use permit for alcohol sales at the Arco convenience store located at 189 West Highland Avenue, rejecting an appeal by the store owner to allow a Type 20 (beer and wine) license.

Planning staff presented the appeal as a choice between two resolutions: one to deny the appeal and sustain the planning commission’s denial of Conditional Use Permit 23-01, and a second to reverse that decision and allow a Type 20 license at the existing approximately 1,400-square-foot store. Staff summarized the planning history and neighborhood context and reported crime statistics provided by the San Bernardino Police Department: “En los últimos 12 meses hubo 140 delitos reportados,” a figure staff said factored into the commission’s finding (Mendoza, planning staff).

The applicant, Kevin Vivian, owner of the Arco property, told the council he has operated the site for five years and offered several mitigation measures if the license were granted, including limiting alcohol sales to 10 p.m. (below the state maximum of 2 a.m.), installing additional security cameras, routinely enforcing ID checks and ABC (Alcoholic Beverage Control) training, and allowing inspections by ABC and…