Council Reschedules Hearing on Board of Zoning Appeals Decision to Deny CUP For Local Grocery Store

The Pasadena City Council on Monday unanimously voted to reschedule a hearing on a Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) decision after it was discovered there was a posting error on the matter.

The item will come back to the council next month after the item is reposted.

According to one person familiar with the issue, public notices regarding the hearing were not posted around the market within the proper radius.

The BZA upheld the decision by a hearing officer to deny a local grocery store that sells beer and wine products a conditional use permit to also sell a full line of liquor products.

When the matter came before a city hearing officer in February, it was determined that five critical conditions would not be met if a full line of alcoholic beverages was sold at the store.

In order to be approved the CUP must lead to. a substantial net employment gain on the site, a substantial increase in business taxes, a determination that the store is a unique business addition to the community.

The CUP must also contribute to the long-term overall economic development goals of the area and the project must result in a positive upgrading of the area.

The BZA later found that the CUP would likely create conditions that would adversely affect the general welfare of the surrounding property owners, result in an undesirable concentration of premises for the sale of alcoholic beverages in the area, detrimentally affect the nearby surrounding area, aggravate probable problems
created by the sale of alcohol, and is not in conformance with the goals, policies, and objectives of the city’s General Plan.

Three liquor stores are located within a mile of the market.

Police have responded to dozens of calls for service near and around Linda Rosa Market, located in the 800 block of East Villa Street. The market’s owners are seeking a CUP to sell a full line of alcoholic beverages, including spirits, according to a city staff report.

From late January to early May, Pasadena police reported responding to dozens of calls for service within 500 feet of the market. The calls included complaints about theft, public disturbances, loitering, vandalism, burglary, and public drunkenness — and that was with the store selling only beer and wine.