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Planning commission approves Northgate Market permit modification to allow on‑site alcohol throughout store and patio
Summary
The La Habra Planning Commission voted 3–0 to approve a modification to Conditional Use Permit 25‑0016 allowing Northgate Market to convert an on‑site ABC type 48 license to a type 47 license, expanding on‑site alcohol consumption to the restaurant, grocery area and a fenced patio; commissioners pressed staff on fencing and emergency egress before the vote.
The La Habra Planning Commission voted to approve a modification to an existing conditional use permit so Northgate Market may operate under an ABC type 47 on‑sale license permitting alcohol consumption within the store’s restaurant area, bar, and a fenced portion of the outdoor Paseo Gonzales patio.
Senior planner Ash Saeed summarized the staff report and recommended approval, noting the project site is in the La Habra Town Center at the northwest corner of Whittier Boulevard and Idaho Street and that the modification keeps the census‑tract total of on‑sale licenses at six so no finding of public convenience or necessity is required. “Staff recommends the planning commission approve the applicant's request to modify the existing type 48 license to a type 47 license subject to the conditions of approval and requirements that are enforced by ABC,” Saeed said.
Commissioners spent substantial time asking how the patio would be demarcated and secured, whether gates would function as entry or exit points, and whether building code and fire‑department plan checks provided adequate emergency egress. One commissioner pressed whether an exit would require direct access to an open public way rather than passage through an intermediate area; staff responded that the plans have been reviewed by building and fire and that remaining plan‑check items can be resolved before final permit issuance.
Applicant representative Steve Rollins, who said he assists Northgate Gonzales Markets with ABC permits, described common management practices and ABC requirements for patios: “Whenever you have a patio that's gonna serve alcohol, you have to have it has to be a fenced in area,” Rollins said, adding that staff training, carding and signage are standard for on‑sale licenses.
A motion to approve the resolution modifying CUP 25‑0016 (modification 26‑00001) passed 3–0. The clerk announced the approval "will become effective in 10 working days unless it's appealed to city council."
