Council approves alcohol and live-entertainment permit for McKinley Avenue restaurant with conditions

The council approved a conditional use permit for an existing restaurant at 1525 McKinley Avenue to allow on-site beer and wine sales and indoor/outdoor live entertainment. Planning staff described the site as a small (approximately 1,400 sq ft with a 700 sq ft patio) restaurant located in a largely industrial area west of I-5; police risk assessment rated the location medium risk and staff recommended conditions consistent with Council Policy 707.

Applicant representatives described the business as family-oriented and said alcohol and live entertainment would be ancillary to the dining service and managed by servers rather than a self-serve bar. Planning Commission and staff recommended limiting outdoor entertainment hours and requiring responsible-beverage-service training, food availability during alcohol sales, and receipt submissions to verify food/alcohol sales ratios.

Council debated allowable hours and a condition banning advertised events; members ultimately approved the staff/commission conditions (the council substituted in the planning-commission modifications and clarified the advertised-events requirement as a notification to police for advertised events), approving the permits by recorded council vote. The decision included a CEQA existing-facilities exemption finding.

Conditions require the restaurant to keep doors and windows closed during live entertainment, maintain food availability during alcohol service, and adhere to noise limits and other standard CUP conditions.