Planning commissioners approve amended permit for Oldtown Patio with new noise and trash conditions

The El Segundo City Planning Commission on Feb. 26 voted unanimously to conditionally approve an amendment to Conditional Use Permit 87-4 and Environmental Assessment EA1410 for Oldtown Patio, a restaurant with an outdoor patio in the Richmond Street district, allowing the applicant to seek a full liquor (ABC Type 47) license and limited extended indoor hours while imposing a package of operational conditions to address noise, trash and enforcement.

Staff presentation and findings led the hearing. Jasmine, the project staff presenter, described the site as a roughly 7,000-square-foot lot with a 2,100-square-foot patio linked to an on-site restaurant, and recounted the 1987 CUP that allowed on-site beer-and-wine sales. Staff said the current proposal adds an ABC Type 47 license to permit distilled spirits for on-site consumption and would allow the patio to close at 11 p.m. and the indoor restaurant at midnight, subject to conditions. Staff recommended the commission adopt Resolution No. 2976 conditionally approving EA1410 and amending CUP 87-4, and noted the packet includes specific conditions (roughly conditions 10–25 and additional items on pages 10–13) to regulate amplified sound, entertainment permits and trash control.

Neighbors urged stricter action. Carla Wiggers, who owns the multifamily building at 120 Concord Street, told the commission she and tenants have repeatedly experienced amplified music aimed at residential windows, trash blown onto their property, smoking near building openings and events held after the entertainment permit had expired. "It's time for Oldtown Patio to learn what the consequence is," she said, urging denial of extended hours and distilled-spirit sales until the establishment complies with city codes. Tenant Jonathan Briggs described video documentation of repeated incidents and said repeated late-night events have disrupted sleep and quality of life.

The applicant, Zach Lau, acknowledged the complaints, said the business immediately reapplied when told its entertainment permit expired and described steps taken to reduce noise (including removing a PA speaker). "We're here to do anything it takes to be good neighbors," Lau told commissioners, adding the proprietors live locally and view the business as a long-term community investment.

Commission deliberations focused on enforceable conditions. Commissioners asked staff how the city and the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) coordinate, how the city verifies the primary on-site use remains food rather than alcohol (staff indicated ABC maintains sales records and the city forwards its approval conditions to ABC), and how noise and entertainment conditions are monitored. Staff said police and code enforcement have conducted decibel readings and recorded seven police reports in 2025 (four after 10 p.m.), and that the city has created tailored conditions to minimize amplified-sound impacts, require detailed plans for any stages or equipment, and restrict certain forms of live entertainment unless a separate entertainment permit is approved and reviewed.

To address neighbor concerns, commissioners requested and achieved several amendments before the final vote: a new trash condition requiring the applicant to keep the premises and adjacent areas free of litter (including responsibility to prevent trash accumulation and to coordinate with the hauler); a requirement that trash bins or the on-site dumpster be secured or locked during nonbusiness hours; a designated on-site operator/contact required to respond to complaints (identified in the conditions); and a requirement to post business hours on premises and online for transparency. Staff also agreed to revise hour language in conditions five and six to read "no later than 11:00 p.m." for the patio and "no later than 12:00 a.m." for indoor spaces to clarify the limit while allowing rare private events under the stated process.

The commission approved the resolution with the added conditions by a 4-0 roll call vote. The record shows the four present voted yes (Commissioners Taylor, McCabardy, Christian and Vice Chair Eningga). Staff noted the resolution is subject to a 10-calendar-day appeal period.

What happens next: The amended CUP and the city-imposed conditions will be sent to ABC as part of the applicant's licensing record; enforcement of the conditions will involve community development, code enforcement and police as needed. The commission emphasized the city now has greater leverage to pursue revocation of the CUP and notify ABC if the business fails to comply with the new conditions.

Authorities and procedural notes: The decision references Municipal Code Chapter 15-24 and the requirements of section 15-24-6A (findings for CUP modifications), Resolution No. 2976 (as amended by the commission), and the applicant's pending entertainment-permit application. The resolution is appealable within 10 calendar days of adoption.

The planning commission moved on to other business after the vote.