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Planning commission approves MD Market alcohol permit, grants extended hours at Groenville location
Summary
By vote on March 12, 2026 the Santa Rosa Planning Commission approved a major conditional use permit allowing MD Market at 1478 Groenville Road to sell alcohol for off-site consumption and operate with extended hours (6 a.m.–12 a.m.) subject to conditions including lighting, surveillance and on-site management.
The Santa Rosa Planning Commission on March 12 approved a major conditional use permit allowing MD Market to sell alcoholic beverages for off-site consumption and to operate with extended hours at 1478 Groenville Road, a vacant commercial building in the North Santa Rosa station area.
Planning staff recommended approval with conditions intended to reduce nuisance activity and protect nearby residential uses. Christine Tumians, the project presenter, told the commission the reuse of the existing commercial building would include circulation and parking changes (entry on Groenville Road, exit on Herbert Lane) and 17 on-site spaces; staff noted the site qualifies for a parking-minimum exemption under Assembly Bill 2897 because it is within one-half mile of the North Santa Rosa SMART station.
Staff and the police recommended conditions such as exterior lighting, surveillance cameras and an active on-site management presence. Tumians said the Santa Rosa Police Department reviewed dispatch and crime data for the vicinity and did not classify Cottingtown as a high-crime area; police also advised that properly maintained operational and environmental design measures can discourage nuisance activity.
Applicant Harmon Dylan described the proposal as a neighborhood market that will carry groceries, prepared foods and staples, participate in the SNAP program, and include alcohol as a portion of overall sales. Dylan told commissioners the operator manages several stores in Sonoma County and said alcohol would not dominate the store’s footprint; he estimated alcohol accounts for under 30% of sales and in similar stores under 20%.
During public comment an optometrist, Dr. Les Shipley, and Janice Shipley opposed the permit and extended hours, citing concerns about safety, proximity to professional offices and nearby apartments and referencing research they said links late-night alcohol sales to higher rates of violent crime. A commercial broker, James Nobles, supported the permit and emphasized the operator’s track record and active management.
Commissioners discussed neon/window signage enforcement (staff said sign-code rules apply and enforcement is complaint-driven), the limits of available police data, and whether the extra hour demonstrably served public convenience. After deliberation, a motion to approve the major conditional use permit for off-site alcohol sales and extended hours (6 a.m.–12 a.m., seven days per week) passed on the record with five affirmative votes. The decision is final unless appealed to the City Clerk within 10 calendar days under zoning code section 20-62.030.
What this means: The permit allows MD Market to operate at the Groenville Road site with the described operational controls; staff will monitor compliance with conditions of approval.
