Planner recommends approval of alcohol sales permit for Downtown Market at 520 West 5th Street

Christopher Modio, the project planner and case planner for Project 25-510-03, presented a staff recommendation to the Planning Commission to approve a special-use permit to allow off-site alcohol sales at the Downtown Market, 520 West 5th Street.

Modio said the application, filed by primary agent Elias Boma, seeks an Alcohol Beverage Control type 21 (off-sale general) license to permit alcohol sales in a 3,494-square-foot tenant space within a two-story commercial building. "The proposed hours of sales for this license is going to be from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.," Modio said. He noted the market’s current hours are 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.

Staff showed site photos and a floor plan indicating the main entrance faces north on 5th Street and that the alcohol coolers would be located toward the west portion of the store. Modio described surrounding uses: single- and multi-family residences to the north and south, the Oxnard Housing Authority office immediately north, downtown commercial uses to the east and single-family residences and a recovery home to the west.

On public-safety context, Modio reported that "the crime rate within 1,000 feet of the site is higher than the average for commercial property citywide" and added that "crime rate is a concern for this project." He also said, however, that under current review the site "is not considered to be a policing problem." The presentation did not include numerical crime statistics.

Modio told commissioners staff found "no significant reason to oppose this application" based on class statistics, coordinator assessment, and community input. He said staff believes that, with the recommended operating conditions, alcohol service would have "little, if any, adverse impact on the community or policing services."

Staff recommended the Planning Commission find the project exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act under Section 15301 (existing facilities) and adopt a resolution approving Planning and Zoning Permit number 25-510-03 subject to specified findings and conditions. Modio concluded the presentation and invited questions and follow-up from commissioners.

Note on an internal inconsistency in the presentation: staff also said the Downtown Market has been operating at the site "for 1 year" and elsewhere stated it has been operating "since July 2025." The record provided in the presentation does not resolve that discrepancy and a precise duration or start date for operations was not specified.