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Carmel planners direct staff to pursue amendment to AW Shucks use permit after months of debate
Summary
After hours of public testimony about Sadie's and AW Shucks, the Planning Commission directed staff to pursue amending AW Shucks's 1993 use permit so the record matches current operations and reduce ambiguity about whether the site is a drinking place or a full-line restaurant.
The Carmel-by-the-Sea Planning Commission on Dec. 16 directed staff to pursue an amendment to the 1993 use permit for AW Shucks, following a months-long debate over whether the business operates as a drinking establishment or a full-line restaurant.
Staff presented five paths forward and recommended an amendment to bring the permit into alignment with the restaurant's present operations and menu. Anna Jeanette of Community Planning and Building told the commission staff's preferred approach is to clarify the permit record rather than leave the business's status in doubt.
The topic drew more than three hours of public comment. Supporters of Sadie's argued that the city's long-standing limit of three drinking establishments gives those venues an important role for hospitality workers and late-night visitors. Parker Logan, the operator of Sadie's, said he owns the trade name and told the commission, “I own the name. And I own a type 48 liquor license,” underscoring his stake in any shift of drinking-place allocations.
Property owners and AW Shucks representatives countered that past building permits and a 2023 business license memorialize more food-oriented operations. Owner Randy Bassi said the use permit was a material part of his purchase and that the permit ''stays with the land''; attorney John Plasini said the owners acted in good faith under the city's prior determinations.
A resident raised regulatory and safety concerns about demolition and code compliance around a separate renovation and asked the commission to enforce permit conditions. Catherine Carlson warned the commission that a 'nonconforming wall does not meet current requirements of the California Fire Code' and that public records requests remain unresolved.
Commissioners debated objective measures — including the state Alcoholic Beverage Control license class (type 47 for restaurants, type 48 for drinking places), seat counts at bars and dining areas, and the planning code's six-month abandonment rule — as ways to determine whether the historic drinking-place use had lapsed.
After deliberation the commission signaled support for staff's amendment path that would replace the drinking-place designation with a full-line restaurant ancillary-use structure or otherwise clarify the permit record; staff will return with the specific amendment process and required findings. The commission did not take enforcement action at the meeting but provided direction intended to create a clear, administrable record for future review and licensing steps.
