Commission continues Chevron gas‑station alcohol‑sales permit after safety debate

The Planning & Transportation Commission on July 13 continued to a September meeting a conditional use permit request from Chevron Stations to upgrade a Mission Viejo Extra Mile from a type 20 (beer and wine) to a type 21 license (including distilled spirits).

In a staff presentation, the commission was told the project ‘‘presents an unnecessary public safety risk and does not meet all the required findings’’ and staff recommended denial, citing a letter of opposition from Captain Jonathan Larson that raised concerns about the site’s direct freeway access, documented collisions, and the potential for impaired driving and other disturbances. Staff also reported that the location sits within a 0.5‑mile radius of residential uses and close to other alcohol retailers in the corridor.

The applicant’s consultant, Steve Rawlings, disputed the risk assessments and presented studies and local records he obtained. Rawlings described operational safeguards offered by Chevron, including storing distilled spirit bottles behind the cashier, locking coolers and cabinets, scanning IDs, limiting bottle sizes, and stopping alcohol sales earlier than current hours. Rawlings said he had ‘‘processed 1,500 alcohol‑related permits throughout the state of California’’ and argued peer‑reviewed research shows gas‑station sales account for a very small share of drunk‑driving incidents.

Commissioners pressed for clarity about calls for service and arrest counts in the immediate corridor; staff and the applicant cited differing data (staff referenced a police summary with ‘‘120 plus calls for service in the immediate area over the past two years,’’ while Rawlings said records he obtained showed 50 DUI arrests in the city in the past 12 months). Commissioners explored operational conditions to mitigate impacts — automatic locking of alcohol compartments, removing freestanding point‑of‑sale displays from open access or placing them behind the cashier, prohibiting sales of containers under 375 milliliters, establishing no‑sales hours after midnight, and regular coordination with law enforcement.

The city attorney and staff cautioned the commission about regulatory preemption by the state ABC license for conditions that would directly regulate proof or specific beverage types, and recommended focusing on operational standards and monitoring that fall within local police‑power authority. Commissioners directed staff to return at a date certain in September with alternative findings and a draft resolution that includes operational conditions the commission requested. The motion to continue passed.