Commission approves extended hours for My Favorite Cafe on Clement Street with quarterly monitoring condition

The Planning Commission approved staff’s recommendation to legalize extended hours of operation for My Favorite Cafe at 2110 Clement Street, adding a one‑year quarterly monitoring requirement to address neighborhood concerns about noise, loitering and parking.

Staff reported the restaurant had previously been granted a nine‑month temporary conditional use permit and had since tried to address noise and parking concerns via signage and on‑site enforcement. The current request sought permanent authorization for extended hours similar to the earlier temporary allowance. Neighbors and community groups (including Save Our Richmond Environment, SOAR) submitted petitions and testimony describing continuing late‑night noise, fights and vehicles doing “donuts.” They asked that hours be scaled back and that holiday exceptions be removed.

Project sponsor Philip Young described operational steps taken (signage, trash management, hiring locally) and warned that restricting hours further could threaten the cafe’s viability. Commissioners debated enforcement mechanisms and the difficulty owners have policing patrons once they leave the premises, and staff explained enforcement and revocation procedures including appeal pathways. Commissioner William Lee moved to approve with staff modifications plus the added condition that planning staff contact the Richmond Police quarterly for one year to monitor the business’s impacts; the motion passed (unanimous recorded votes at the hearing). The commission instructed neighbors to continue filing police reports when incidents occur, which staff said helps trigger enforcement or a revocation hearing if necessary.