Planning Commission - Regular Meeting

Welcome to the City of Antioch Planning Commission meeting of September 2nd, 2026 at 6.30 p.m. And I'm calling the meeting to order. Staff, can you please take the roll call?

Yes, good evening. So a quick note, Kitty has retired, so I'm going to be trying to live up to her standards of clerking here. So to start the roll call, Commissioner Aguilar, Present. Commissioner Jones. Here. Commissioner Perez. Here. Commissioner Riley.

Here.

Commissioner Weber.

Present.

Vice Chair Spiker.

Present.

And then Chair Sumon.

Present.

We have a quorum with all seven members present.

Can we stand up for a pledge of allegiance please?

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Thank you.

For persons desiring to address the commission on an item that is not on the agenda, please note that each speaker is limited to three minutes. The Brown Act limits the Commission's ability to discuss or respond to items that are not on agenda. Please fill out our speaker's card and place it in the speaker's card tray. Staff, are there any public comments?

Not for general public comment. Okay.

I am now closing the public comment period. Next is the consent calendar. Consent calendar items are considered routine and will be enacted on by one motion. By approval of the consent calendar, the staff recommendations will be adopted unless otherwise modified by the commission. There will be no separate discussion on these items unless a matter of the commission or a member of the public request removal of the item from the consent calendar. We have the following items on the consent calendar this evening. Five dash one, planning commission meeting Minutes are for June 17, 2026. Do we have any members of the public who would like to speak on this item?

No speaker requests received. Okay.

May I have a motion on, or is there a motion to approve? Yes. Is there a second? I second. Staff, will you please take the roll call now?

Commissioner Aguilar?

Aye. Present.

Was that an aye for? Aye. Okay. Commissioner Jones? Aye. Commissioner Perez? Aye. Commissioner Riley?

Aye.

Commissioner Weber? Aye. Vice Chair Spiker? Aye. And then Chair Sumon? Aye. The motion passes 7-0.

Thank you. On the public hearing 6-1, we have Dare Valley Market, UP 2026-002, 3440 Dare Valley Road. The applicant requests approval of a use permit to operate a convenience and liquor store in an existing commercial unit at the Dare Valley Square Shopping Center at 3440 Dare Valley Road, APN 052-460-028. May we have the staff presentation, please?

Yes, good evening, commissioners. I'm Nathan Tinclair, associate planner. I'll be presenting the request for approval of a use permit for the Deer Valley Market convenience and liquor store. The applicant, Gurmej Singh, requests approval of a use permit to operate a convenience and liquor store at 3440 Deer Valley Road. The proposed store would sell alcohol along with snacks, groceries, household items, and other convenience goods. The business would have a type 21 alcoholic beverage control license, which is for retail businesses like markets that sell beer, wine, and liquor to be consumed off site. The proposed hours of operation for the business are 7 AM to 11 PM daily. And the business would have approximately four employees with one to two people working per shift. The proposed location is an existing vacant commercial unit within the Deer Valley Square Shopping Center, shown as a star on the screen. Adjacent land uses include other shops within the commercial center, a former Walgreens pharmacy to the north, a vacant lot to the south, senior residences to the west. The parcel is zoned planned development district. And a use permit was approved by the planning commission in August of 1998 for a pharmacy, restaurant, and retail uses at this site. That use permit did not specifically discuss convenience or liquor store uses. And the city's zoning ordinance requires approval of a use permit for those types of businesses wherever they are allowed. Therefore, the appropriate action to permit a convenience and liquor store to operate at this location would be to adopt a use permit specifically allowing it, which is the request before you tonight. The Antioch Municipal Code requires liquor establishments to be located more than 500 feet away from schools, parks, daycare centers, and similar uses as well as other liquor establishments with a couple of exceptions like large retail markets and restaurants. And this proposed location is not within 500 feet of any of those sensitive uses. The location is currently a vacant commercial unit. On the right on your screen are some images of the existing unit. The applicant is not proposing to make any changes to the exterior of the unit. And the shopping center has approximately 170 existing parking spaces. This slide shows the proposed floor plan. The applicant is proposing a number of improvements to the floor plan of the unit. The bathroom would be relocated and merchandise shelving would be installed on the inside of the unit. And the plans also show a sandwich counter within the store near the front on the top. And here's a few images of the proposed interior of the store. Staff are recommending a number of conditions of approval for the use permit. We recommend conditioning the hours to remain as what was proposed in the application, 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., with any changes requiring review and approval by the zoning administrator. In accordance with the city's tobacco ordinance tobacco and paraphernalia sales would be prohibited at the establishment The business is required to have 24-hour security cameras and there are limits on the amount of window signage allowed to maintain an unobstructed view inside to the store the business would need to meet any requirements from the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District and Contra Costa Environmental Health And then lastly, if the conditions of approval for the use permit are not met and the business becomes a nuisance, the Planning Commission could hold a hearing to consider revoking the use permit or issuing a fine. To close, staff recommend the Planning Commission approve the use permit subject to the suggested conditions of approval. I'm happy to take any questions, and I know the applicant is here tonight to address you as well. Thank you.

Any questions?

Great picture by the way, I love that.

I'm a little confused because it says 3440 Deer Valley Road, but then on the image it shows 3426.

So I just was a little confused.

I think that's just a Google Earth, it's showing that particular address. I'm not sure if you can see it on the photo, this address number is identified as this unit within the store. Regardless, the use permit would apply to this specific unit within this parcel.

Just the tax assessor has the entire parcel addressed a certain way, but then the individual suites are sub-addressed, so. the parcel itself has an address for tax purposes.

So it's included, so the 3440, where it shows the vacant lot, is a part of that whole parcel? Yeah, it's kind of like a- Because next door, the vacant lot is 3440.

Yeah, there's kind of a mapping thing, but as Nathan said, the individual numbers on the door are how it's, like in our system for billing permits and tracking, that's how it is, and then there's kind of a separate mapping through the assessor, so it makes the mapping a little confusing, but in our system, it makes sense.

Okay, thank you.

Yeah, not to belabor the point, but the site plan actually for the documentation is wrong, The vacant unit I drove by, and it's actually the third one in from the end. So there's the bank, the Maximus, and then the open unit.

Yeah, so the site plan and the floor plan map don't stagger.

Yeah, so I mean, you can kind of make out what's going on, and I don't know if it really makes that much difference to the application, but just to note that.

Well, we should make sure it's right. So the site plans, which were provided by the commercial property owner, there is a discrepancy between this image, which shows the correct order, the one on your screen currently, But then their blowout map does have those units reversed. But again, what is shown on your screen is the accurate layout, and this is the unit that would be perfect.

So it would go Riceville, then this, then Maximus, then- Correct. Thank you.

Correct. How many other stores sell alcohol in that area?

So I believe the closest store would be the Safeway. That's in the shopping center across the street. The Walgreens, which no longer operates, had a beer and wine off sale license. Those two stores, because they're kind of larger grocery store type uses, would fall under the, there's an exemption for businesses being located within 500 feet of each other where it's a 10,000 square foot market with less than no more than 5% of the area devoted to alcohol. So all to say, I don't think if Walgreens were to come back in the exact same form, I don't think this store would prevent them from doing that because it would fall under that exemption.

All right. It mentioned employees, how many, four employees? Four employees. I guess I'll wait till.

The project description stated there would be approximately four people with one to two at a time. That's what the project description indicated. Thank you.

Seth, you had a question?

No, I don't have a question.

I have a public safety question. So was the Antioch Police Department involved in any of the application specifics for like work crime and public drinking, especially in that area because Walgreens closed down? There's a lot of homeless people and a lot of vandalism around that area, so that's my biggest public safety concern.

So they were not involved in this application?

And then I guess for operational wise, what steps are we gonna monitor if they're selling alcohol to minors? Just being said, because in the work that I do, there's a lot of liquor stores and also gas stations that tend to operate and then they end up selling to minors. And I think my biggest concern right now for Antioch is the public safety, so I necessarily, another liquor store wouldn't be like, I would not be leaning towards.

I guess I would say from the planning side, we're obviously not out there trying to do operations to catch businesses out of compliance with something like that. I believe ABC does do activities like that, but it would be more their purview. What I can say is that Certainly if the business, as I mentioned, were to become a nuisance or not operate within the bounds of the law and we were made aware of it, the Planning Commission could hold a hearing to revoke the permit. I'm sure that ABC would likewise be doing something similar, but we also have that ability if the operation, if it's operating not in compliance with the conditions or with the law. But we in planning wouldn't be doing specific enforcement like that necessarily. We would need to hear about it or be made aware of the issue.

Yeah, just to add on to that, Alcohol ABC is the state agency that regulates the sale of alcohol, so they would handle all enforcement in that measure. Antioch PD also handles illegal operations, so any sort of illegal activity happening at the site would be handled by APD. They work closely with us and report issues to us when there's businesses operating that are a nuisance so we can take action. And then we also have code enforcement to help maintain the properties in general, nuisance, abatement, blight that you see like Walgreens gone out of business. So that's all and we can certainly put Walgreens and that shopping center on code enforcement's radar if that's become more of an issue. I mean, I know they're aware, but just to reiterate to them.

Is there any reason why PD is not informed for alcohol? I mean, that's kind of like basic 101 where I come from.

If that hasn't been our general standard for just opening a new store, unless we have specific concerns, we do interact with PD on a regular basis, though.

Thanks. I wanna add, would it be possible to maybe get APD to get a suggestion on this specific application, especially for the public safety here in Antioch?

Yeah, I think we can see that as the hearing moves forward, we can take public comment and if the applicant has a presentation as well.

Yeah, I was just gonna say I'd like to hear from the applicant if they have a presentation and if they own any other convenience stores in the city and you can tell us about those and if you can just tell us about the other. So I'd love to hear from somebody who- Okay. would like to speak on your behalf.

Maybe have the applicant presentation, please.

Just real quick, before you started, we had a brief conversation about recusal before. If a commissioner lives within a certain distance, that distance is 500 feet. You're presumed recused within 1,000, and there needs to be some sort of analysis done. Does anybody live within 1,000 feet of said project? How many feet is it?

I think it's about two blocks. Oh, yeah.

Oh, two lines away. Thank you.

Yes, I'm Gurmeet Singh, and I have experience with a 35-year-old at the community store. And I sell all the beer, wine, liquor, groceries, and what do you call it, because I check all of his ID until 27 or 30-year-old, so we refuse if they don't have it. So that's what we have, you know, mostly. So I always respect everybody, but most welcome if they have an ID. And I have never problem with it.

Do you have other locations in the city?

Yes, I do have location 2767 Lone Tree Way, Antioch, and I have one in Oakley, and the other smoke shop couple, so.

And have you ever had any problems?

No, never problems.

There, okay.

Yes. Would you have cameras installed? Yes, yes we do have.

In every location? Every location.

We're talking about safety measures. What would you do for safety, make sure everybody's okay?

Oh, yeah, yeah, everybody's okay because we have safety cameras, all cameras, and any problem, we don't have a problem because we respect to treat warm every customers, so they don't give you hot time.

Okay.

So if any happen, we got all those pictures, so we get across street, we got big cameras outside, so you can find from a lot of police officer, they have a problem with the neighborhood and they ask us to movie, so we make movie for them. Okay.

Can you say one more time the other address that you have in Antioch?

2767 Lone Tree Way. Thank you.

And is that Gary's Liquors, as it stands? Yes. Yes, okay. That's me. By Sylvia's Country. Absolutely. Yes.

I've been there a couple times, because we had meetings in Sylvia for realtors, and I've been there. They keep it pretty clean. Any questions? Any questions, concerns?

Are there public comments? I think that's what we have to do. I'm sorry.

Yes, I can pass them. Okay.

We have few public comments. First one is Mr. Davis.

So I'm done?

Yes.

And I thank you very much, Nathan. He's very, very helpful. And I maybe forgot in the meeting, but he reminded me this morning, 9 o'clock. Thank you, Nathan, again.

Hello, Commission. My name is Robert Davis. I do live in the community. I follow Jennifer's advice for getting APD involved. I'd be at me opposed to this. especially in that area. Again, the Safeways across the street. You have Country Market down the street. You've got two restaurants that sell liquor. You've got three 7-Elevens within the area already. We know that that spot with Walgreens being gone has been an attractive spot for our homeless population. and putting another liquor store in this town is crazy, especially in that location. You are going to soon have low-income housing within a block of that new liquor store. What's that going to say to the kids and the families there that their kids and everybody else has access or has to walk by what's happening out in that little square for safety reasons? They're going to have to cross the street to go to schools that direction. I didn't even talk about the gas station. Like Jeff was saying, we have gas stations that are all over the city that sell liquor. I wrote to Zoe, and it's 536 this evening, and I got a reply back saying, hey, they need to be in by Tuesday, but you can show up tonight at 630. That was at 536. I dropped what I had to do to be here, because this should not go in this spot. And before it goes in this bar, even thinking about it, you need to get all of your documents to match what it's supposed to be. There cannot be a document that doesn't match or set up to where everything is and be correct and accurate. It has to be accurate. If this was a court of law and your paperwork was wrong, it's throw it out. You're done here. Get out of court and refile. So all that has to be redone. But in my case, I've been here 25 years. in the same location. And I've watched the city go up and down. I've watched us now lose a historical theater downtown. Let's don't backfill this town with liquor stores. We have enough liquor stores and available stores that are supplying liquor to our community. We don't need any more liquor stores. Thank you for listening to me and I appreciate your, hopefully, You're hearing me. Thank you. Thank you.

Next speaker we have is Ms. Kamboj. Kay Kamboj. Oh, sorry.

Good evening. My name is Kay. I'm speaking for myself and I'm here to advocate for issuing the permit to operate a convenience and liquor store at the Deer Valley Square Shopping Center. I've actually lived in this area for quite a while as well and go to Gary's other convenience store. on Lone Tree for over five years now. I'm actually not even a big alcoholic drinker, so most of the time when I go, it's honestly just for regular convenience store items, such as chips, candy, snacks, and occasionally a Red Bull before work. That's why I think sometimes when people hear the words liquor store, they overlook the convenience store side of these businesses and how useful they are to the community. I also think having other convenient places to shop in this area, especially now that the Raley's across the street has closed down, sometimes you just want somewhere to go to shop locally where you can quickly pull in, grab a snack, get on with your day. I also think small businesses like Gary's are a great benefit to Antioch. I've been consistently going here for a while and they've actually known me by name now, which that might not sound like something, but I think it truly matters because with large chains that see thousands of different customers every day, it's harder to build that small relationship and trust within the community. Businesses like Gary's along with our local restaurants in the area and small businesses are actually part of what keeps me and Antioch shopping instead of going to other cities. I also do DoorDash on the side. I used to find myself going towards Walnut Creek or Concord because these areas are more busy and more opportunities to get orders. So I've actually recently picked up a DoorDash order from Gary's location in Lone Tree. And I personally see that these convenience stores, even 7-Eleven, I've stopped there. And these help serve us in the local community. It can also generate business through delivery apps, not just for people who should stop in. The more business in Antioch can keep and attract, the more opportunities there are for people to work locally, whether that means being employed directly at the store or these apps and nearby businesses. I understand that there is concerns with alcohol and these concerns should be taken seriously, but I also think each business should be judged by what they're actually doing for the community. From my own experience as a customer for more than five years, Gary's has been a convenient local business where I've been treated well and felt comfortable shopping. Thank you.

Thank you.

Next speaker we have is Mr. Hinkle.

I'm sorry, I'm old and I got cancer. But anyway, my name is Jerry Hinkle and I have a business in Brentwood. Years ago, I had a business in Antioch. My business is called Sticky Chicken and Ribs. I don't know if everybody's even heard of it. But that's my business. So about six months ago, Gary approached me and asked me, hey, I got a suggestion. I got an idea. Obviously, my little deli is a little deli thing, and there's not big enough. It probably needs to be a little bit bigger. But he asked me if I would like to come in and join him on a little project. And I says, heck yeah, because I open up a store in Antioch. I think it was 2007, and I was there for seven years until 2014. And I have a lot of customers who have asked me from time to time to come back to Antioch, come back to Antioch. Well, as I said before, I'm old, and trying to run two shops is kind of a little bit difficult. But if I could partner with somebody, I might look into that. And to be honest with you, there's a concept that's similar to what we're proposing down in a city called Marietta. I don't know if anybody knows about Marietta or Bakersfield. A couple different concepts out there that are similar to this, where you have a convenience store that also sell maybe some wings or some hot sandwiches or whatever. My concept would probably be, if I was chosen one be with Gary would probably be something along the line of smoothies and maybe some kind of a fruit kind of item. I have a vegetarian individual there who just loves to make vegetarian dishes, different vegetarian dishes and stuff. Just a little bit of a different option than what's down there at McDonald's that's in the same parking lot. I obviously would love to have the opportunity. I would need more floor space, Mr. Singh, but I would be selling, like I said, different smoothies, veggie options, sandwiches, obviously, not too many hot dogs, more of a... restaurant type of situation and obviously I couldn't have a hood or anything there because it's not big enough, but I would try to sneak in some ribs from time to time and whatever else I could sell out of my restaurant currently. I know the gentleman that came up a little bit ago, times have changed. I mean the world's changed and just a standalone liquor store is not going to fly in any community, let alone Antioch. The world has changed a little bit, and partnering up like that probably would, you know, in my view, it works. So, thank you.

Thank you. Next speaker we have is Mr. Jay Singh.

Good evening, commissioners. My name is Jay, and I'm here tonight to voice my support for the proposed Deer Valley Market. I regularly drive past Deer Valley Square, and I've seen the storefronts been vacant for close to two years, if not longer. I know Gary very well. He's been here previously to apply for a different use permit for opening up similar type of business. And I was here in support for him at that time as well. And I want to address those previous discussions right out of the gate as well. This commission previously advised that neighborhoods in Antioch don't need another standalone liquor store, and I totally agree. And you know what? Gary listened. He went back to the drawing board for months, and he came back and completely overhauled his business. This is not just a liquor store. It's truly a neighborhood convenience market, and it's in the name as well. Gary has a liquor store at that 2760 Lone Tree. It's called Gary's Liquor. This one, he's not calling it anything close to liquor. It's called Deer Valley Market because he wants to serve a different business and a different business market. It's a true neighborhood convenience market designed to provide everyday essentials like groceries, fresh snacks, sandwiches, even a spot for sticky chicken and ribs like Jerry here earlier mentioned. Yes, it has alcohol alongside it, but it also has the convenience of all the other household items and groceries and snacks as well. And I think it does help fill a gap in the area, especially as Raley's is closed. People coming home from a late, long night shift shouldn't have to navigate a massive big box store like Safeway across the street just to grab milk, a quick snack, or any other household staples they need. And this is exactly the type of market that saves residents in Antioch and the local community the time and commitment of walking into Safeway, which is also pretty expensive these days, especially if they want to grab a few things and get on their way. And as I mentioned, the place has been dark for two years. It generates zero revenue. Gary wants to change that. And by activating this space, his business will immediately hire four local workers, inject sales tax and utility tax revenue straight back into the city of Antioch. And also generate vital foot traffic for the rest of the businesses in that plaza as well. And I know we mentioned here earlier that there's a lot of homeless population in the area and it's because Walgreens is left. I think adding another business in that space doesn't actually hurt that and actually helps bring more people and other businesses back into that block as well. And I know there's concerns about alcohol, drug abuse, and I want to address that by saying those are deeply unfortunate, systematic, societal struggles, but they're not the fault of responsible small business owners, and a responsible, regulated convenience market shouldn't be treated as the cause of broader substance abuse problems in this community. And, you know, like I said, Safeway operates less than half a mile away. They already sell a full inventory of alcohol. It might be 5%, but it's also because they have, you know, a bigger square footage. And Gary's, you know, opening a small independent convenience market doesn't introduce alcohol.

Thank you. Oh, is that it? Yeah. Okay. You have three minutes. Thank you. Okay, thank you.

Sorry, I ran a little long. It's all right. Thanks, guys. Thank you.

And we have one more speaker. Ms. Sushila Tend, if you would please keep your comments over three minutes. Thank you.

Sorry, I'm a little short. Good evening, commissioners. My name is Sushila Thind. I'm also here tonight to speak in support of Gurmaj Singh, who many in our community just know simply as Gary. Gary has been part of the Antioch and Brentwood community for more than two decades. He's lived here, raised his family here, and operated business here, his businesses here. His existing businesses, as many of you have visited, have been well-run, clean, and super welcoming to customers. What stands out to me is the attention that he gives to small things. So these things actually matter to people, like the employees are friendly and helpful, the store is super clean, there's always a clean restroom also available for customers to use. These things sound simple, but they reflect the way that he operates all of his businesses, which is with care and the respect that he has for the people that walk through his doors. I also think there is a real need for convenience that a neighborhood market can provide. A lot of Antioch residents commute long distances for work and after spending an hour or more on the road, you don't want to drive into a large retail store, search for parking, walk through a huge store, and then stand in a checkout line. Sometimes people simply want to stop somewhere close to home, get what they need, and continue with their day. I sure do. For me personally, this proposal is not about a liquor store. I live near Gary's Lone Treeway location and regularly stop there after work. I don't even drink alcohol, so that should tell you how convenient it is. And to address your concerns, Commissioner Perez, every time I've been in there, they've been super consistent with asking for ID, no matter how old the customer looks. And also, more importantly, I believe that this is an opportunity for the city of Antioch to support someone who has spent decades supporting this very community. He's not somebody who's new to Antioch, as I mentioned before. He's lived here, ran businesses here, and employed people here. So when members of our own community are willing to invest their money, their time, and their effort into Antioch, I believe that the city should listen. I respectfully ask the Planning Commission to approve this use permit, and thank you for your time.

Thank you very much. Any other comments? Public comments?

None received. Okay.

Public comment is now closed and the item is back before the commission for the discussion.

I guess I'll start. I think that everyone has brought up good points in regards to the public safety aspect of it. I think that is extremely important. I know that the conditions are 24 hour surveillance. If they have other locations and they haven't, it hasn't been a problem. I also, and if there is a violation and it's in the conditions of approval, if there is a violation of the conditions of approval, the Planning Commission will hold a public hearing to reconsider or to consider revoking of the conditional use permits if approved tonight. So not only are they gonna have 24 hour surveillance, they operate an existing business in the city of Antioch. they, if they're found in violation, then we will have that conversation if needed. I think where we start getting into trouble or if the thought process is to involve the APD into planning commission decisions, I think that's a very fine line that I don't necessarily know we should be, I don't think that's our response, the planning commission's objective or our place to do that, because then where's the line? Are we asking it for retailers? Are we asking them to do full evaluations on other businesses? I live down the street from this business, from this location, and the location has been vacant for many years, and I'd rather see sales tax revenue generated as opposed to a vacant location. And I think that the more businesses we can come in, I also like the fact that it has a sandwich element to it in an internal way. food establishment as well inside of the business. So with all of that, with the 24-hour surveillance, if they're found in violations, we have actions. The fact that it's been vacant for so long and the sales tax revenue that would be generated in a time where the city needs as much revenue as possible, as we all know we're facing a deficit. That said, I don't think we should just be approving everything and anything just to get some money, but I think this is an opportunity for us and for the area. And so with that, I am in favor of this project and hopefully you guys are too.

All right, thank you for everyone who spoke for and against this proposal. I have mixed feelings about it, frankly. I don't know that I have enough information in some ways to know exactly what the product mix and services mix of that establishment are actually going to be. I know there's a sandwich counter and we've talked about household items and market type of stuff in addition to the liquor which we've talked quite a bit about. I actually would like to see that the food aspect of it emphasized more in this business rather than just the liquor. Perhaps the branding will take care of that. Regarding the location, I know that vacant lot across the way is one of those infill lots that we've talked about for low income housing potentially. Do you have any sense from the general plan attendees whether or not that is going to change in as far as the intended use of that particular parcel?

no intention of changing the intended use or the land usage on that specific parcel, but yesterday was, we'll go into it a little bit more later on after this, but yesterday was just a information high-level overview. So, but if it's already, maybe Zoe can chime in, but if it's already planned for infill, then I don't think that's a possibility to change it.

Okay. Thank you. I do have some doubts about whether or not it would actually bring any new revenue to Antioch. I think that the It's not gonna necessarily draw visitors from outside of town just to buy liquor or small items. It's more of a convenience issue. So I don't see it necessarily being a net positive as far as revenue goes. But whether it takes business away from Safeway or anyone else, that's not really too much my concern. I just don't see it as a particularly net positive. That said, that space has been vacant, and I'd rather see a business in there than not have, or just have that empty storage space. It just makes that whole complex of stores seem maybe run down. If you're trying to get a new major tenant into the Walgreens space, I think it would probably make sense for anyone who's going to be making the decision to see that there's already foot traffic coming in, potentially coming to your store as well, whichever store that might end up being, and it might entice that. So in the future, it might actually be more of a net positive, depending on what goes in there. Other than that, I mean, again, the other positive, it is a local, it's not a chain that's coming in there. To have an independent businessman who has already done business in the city of Antioch come in and take over that space is also, I think, a net positive as well. So I think, generally speaking, I am in favor of that project.

Yeah, I'm in the same boat as you are, William. It's a borderline because that area does have its challenges already. And I've engaged with some of the homeless people in that area. So in doing that, and because of the people that I help on the streets already who have drug and alcohol problems, when you come into a neighborhood like that, Some people in that neighborhood actually prefer to go shop at Balfour Safeway than to shop at the Safeway that's there. And that's a concern. And me going into that Safeway before, First thing I see is a security guard, and coming from Oakland, California, in East Oakland, I've seen the demise of East Oakland with alcohol stores. So a lot of stores have mixed uses. A lot of alcohol stores have mixed uses. Some alcohol stores just sell alcohol. That's it. It's a good intent to have a mixed use, which helps out, but no secure plan. Just a mention of it doesn't secure my decision. And again, like I said, Safeway's open quite a long time for alcohol. I think they try to walk out the door with it enough times. That's why they have two security guards that look like they spend a lot of time in shape a lot in 24 Hour Fitness. So I'm on the borderline, honestly, because Every time we add one more liquor store, we add one more situation to the homelessness and everybody, and to our kids. And we've already got a trouble area already. I know there's 7-Eleven down the street as well, and a couple of gas stations. They only have beer and alcohol. So the only two alcohols for 21 that I could think of is Safeway and this store here. So because of that, that kind of like borderlines me a little bit. But that is a challenging area. And with a low income possibility of something coming in across the street, that doesn't help out either. So I'm just on the borderline just because of that. I've been there before more than my church is in that area. So I know it goes on.

Yes, so I am, when I came in today, I was very, very much against this project. However, I've heard a lot from both the public and the applicants. I am a longtime fan of Sticky Chicken and Ribs, which is, I remember going there, the one by WinCo, right? Remember way back in the day? Yep, that was a good spot. So I like a lot of aspects about this project. I like the mixed use of it. I could see how this could be a local convenience store. And I like the fact that there's a lot of What did I want to say? Shared business ownership and partnerships. Thank you. Partnerships between different business owners. I think it could be really good for this style of business. However, that being said, with the area of this location, it is neighbors, includes a... a retirement community, low income housing that might be in the future. And when it comes to my priorities, I really have to focus on the housing situation and I don't want to have to come back to a housing situation that we might face in a few years and then the area around it might be just not as great for it because there could be a liquor store nearby. I know that it sounds like this is a 30% liquor store and a 70% business of household goods, conveniences, and all that other stuff. But like Commissioner Aguilar said, there's a correlation you mentioned with East Oakland and its demise with liquor stores. And I feel like that can happen very easily in Antioch too. A lot of people have compared our city to that of the Oakland communities, for better or for worse. But this is not something that I can vote in favor for. I think that even though there are a lot of really good aspects about this project, I don't think that this is the location for it. nearby a retirement community. And between a retirement community, a low income community, these are kind of those vulnerable populations that I think that we should protect the most. And there's already a lot of liquor stores in the area. Gary's Liquors is close by as we've been talking about, but there's also the Hillcrest Liquors that is right off of Hillcrest Avenue near Hillcrest and 18th Street. So I think there's already kind of a, and of course there's a Safeway right across the street from it, so I think there's already a bit of a saturation of liquor stores in the area. And that being said, I don't want to see more liquor stores in the area, even though they have a majority of their product is going to be marketplace items and even a small food shop. Yeah, I am not in favor of this project, yes.

I agree with Commissioner Riley. The idea that you guys have, I appreciate that you guys are trying to work together to create something cohesive. But a sandwich store liquor shop in that area wouldn't be my idea of a creative and cohesive business model. We have a Safeway across the street that sells sandwiches, and we have a Subway across the street. And I'm sure that neither one of them has a high price point for selling sandwiches. People usually aren't going to those places for that. Not to mention the same key points that Commissioner O'Reilly brought up. We have a senior living right behind it. The unsheltered tend to set up camps, different living places behind that shopping center already. It's a high traffic, sort of high volatility area as is, not to mention it's directly adjacent to a bank. There's multiple reasons why I don't feel like this is an appropriate location for this business. I do like that you guys are trying to incorporate something other than just the sale of liquor there. But this is Antioch, let's be honest. People are going there for liquor, they're going there for swishers, they're going there for cigarettes. This is Antioch, this is what it is. And we do have several other liquor store type locations in the immediate area. So I just don't think that this would be a great use of this space. And for the safety and for the well-being of the neighbors, for the property values of people who live in close proximity. It goes on and on why this particular location doesn't seem like a good fit for your guys' business model. And that's kind of my stand on this project.

Just a quick comment, not to overcorrect, but I believe this location will not be able to sell Swishers just because. Tobacco price, right. Yeah, but all your other points are still valid, yes.

Okay, any more discussion? No, okay. Well, we have heard all the public comments and the views from the commissioners. Personally, I don't think we need any more liquor stores in the city, we have plenty. But listening to the presentation by Mr. Kay from Cratchit. And some other people, I have seen Gary's Liquor in the past. They keep it pretty clean and well managed. And with this new location, they're saying they'll be only using 30% of the space for liquor. 70% will be used for food and other household items. And I also agree with Commissioner Jones. They'll have to worry about the violations if there are violations on this location. then obviously we'll have to meet and rethink about this. I also agree with other commissioners. Tax issue. We may not be getting much because there's a safe way people coming to this store might be coming from Safeway or taking business from other stores. So it won't add any more revenue to the city. But if we leave it vacant, it'll create more blight in the city. I'd rather see more shops that are filled than vacant. Vacant homes, vacant shops bring more homeless people, bring more problems to the city. So I will see this flourish. I would like to see all the businesses get back to the city. So I am in favor of it, but I'll ask the staff to take the vote.

I just want to add one thing. For me, I get that you said it's not going to add additional revenue or sales tax, but I'd rather support a small business than Safeway or 7-Eleven, if I'm being honest. And if I'm a senior at that senior center, I'm going to the convenience store when I can. But that being said, I'd rather support a small business than Safeway or the 7-Eleven that's next door. And if the vacant spot gets filled, that's a better chance of the larger Walgreens being filled. So I'll leave it there.

And I like to say before there's any vote on this, I don't know how that will go, but I do think that this is a really cool formula for a business. I think this is a really great opportunity or a really good model to have a business, this partnership that you have going on. I have been going to Sticky and Chicken and Ribs for a while, and I think that's a great partner to have. So no matter where a vote on this location goes, I really do think that this could fit in another location in Antioch. I do. but I already said what I said, so.

I'll just throw out there as an idea, I know it came up with asking for more information from APD. We could certainly do that and see, like have an officer come to address comments. That could be a continuance option as well, just to throw that out to the commissioners to think about.

Um, and then another question I have is with the minor typos and discrepancies, um, since I know our city attorney is here, does that, can you just weigh in? Does that, does, how much does that need to be corrected? Could that, does that, does that invalidate a hypothetical passing of this tonight?

Not necessarily. Is there a, if it's a material it could, but it could also be clarified, acknowledged and then still passed.

I just want to add something. I've been against the project, but I think the business model you guys have, if it was changed without the perspective of liquor and other aspects in that area, I think it would be a good business. Just not necessarily what ticks me off is the liquor and the area and just the public safety is my biggest concern right now.

Well, and to also point out, not that they're going to be selling tobacco products there, but most of the time people aren't going to buy liquor in a sandwich. Those two things kind of don't jive. But on the other side of things, the Safeway across the street, because of their sale of liquor, has security measures put in place there where you can't even leave the store without scanning a receipt. So what I see is the potential to opening something that has less security down to the point of just cameras could make that more attractive for those who break in and steal things and smash and grab or whatever, right? So I do appreciate the idea of combined businesses, but it's not something we haven't seen before. We have liquor stores that sell fried chicken. We have liquor stores in other cities that sell their own sausage. They package and sell their own sausage. And usually the areas surrounding those stores are they're kind of high traffic, high crime areas. And it's not to say that that's the business' fault, it's just kind of what comes with the sale of certain things, and that's been my experience. I wouldn't want to see people continually pulling up in that parking lot until 11 o'clock at night, disturbing the senior community behind there, pulling up to buy liquor to do whatever it is they're doing at those hours. Seven days a week, they're not gonna get a break from that. It's gonna be seven days a week until 11 o'clock at night. I know that parking lot does need help, it does need business there. I don't necessarily think that putting a liquor store there is gonna entice anybody to inhabit the larger building, which is the Walgreens next door.

I'd like to make a motion if the conversation's over. I'd like to make a motion that the Planning Commission approve a use permit to operate convenience and liquor store at the existing commercial unit at the Deer Valley Square Shopping Center at 3440 Deer Valley Road, APN 052-460-028, subject to the conditions of approval.

Can we get a second? Can I make an amendment to mention the typos be corrected in that motion?

Yes. With an amendment that the typos be corrected in this motion.

And just to confirm that the typo is the plans that were submitted. So one is accurate and the other has two units flipped. Correct. So we would be obtaining a new site plan that shows the corrected order of units. Correct. Or just deleting that page and sticking with the one on your screen that shows the correct order.

Yes. Great. You could like white out the PDF too, that's fine, great, yeah.

Whatever is needed to make it right.

Can we get a second?

I second.

Sav, would you please take the vote?

Yeah, Commissioner Aguilar? Nay. Commissioner Jones? Aye. Commissioner Perez? Nay. Commissioner Riley?

Nay.

Commissioner Weber? No. Vice Chair Spiker?

Aye.

And then Chair Sumon?

Aye.

Okay, so we have four nos and three yeses, so the motion fails. Yep. So looking to the attorney, we'd bring back a resolution of denial for the... What's the question? Should we bring back a resolution of denial, denying the project with findings?

Why would that be necessary? What do you...

Okay, so then we'll move on to the next item if this project did not pass.

Can I just ask a clarifying question? So that action we just took was effectively a denial of the use permit, just so for appeals purposes or things like that, if the applicant so chose to do?

The quorum is four and a passing vote would be the majority of the authorized membership, which is four. Okay.

Sorry I didn't pass this time. Thank you for your time.

This is not the end. There are other locations in the city and I encourage you to apply. Yes, I mean that, I mean that. Do not let this be the end. I think there is hope here, yes.

Item seven, update from general plan advisory committee.

Yeah, so last night we had our second general plan advisory committee meeting. So I was just going to give a brief overview, a little bit about what we talked about and kind of where we are and then commissioners Jones and Riley if they. can weigh in as well. So the topic of last night's meeting was generally the community outreach findings. So we had done two visioning workshops, an online survey, and then pop-up events in the community over the summer to try and gauge kind of interest on what people see about Antioch. So we kind of focused on assets and challenges within the city. places people wanted to see preserved or improved, and then ideas and priorities they have for areas in Antioch. So our outreach consultant put together kind of a summary report of all of this feedback that we gathered over the summer. So what kind of the big key themes we heard were We have wanting a vibrant downtown and connected waterfront. Having safe, clean, well maintained public places and neighborhoods with concerns of blight, unhoused residents and crime. Looking at transportation improvements in terms of traffic as well as BART. And then a lot of comments regarding opportunities and amenities for youth and families, not just schools but places to go and activities for them. There were comments regarding the housing supply and housing affordability. And then we also received a lot of comments about that the parks and open spaces and waterfronts are one of our most important assets here in the city. So we heard that over and over again. So that was kind of a time just to hear about those outreach efforts and how that vision will kind of lead into other policies in the general plan so we can see if we want to support things, we can have policies to continue it if we have ideas on how to improve something or we have that. then we can have the policies guiding that in the general plan. And then kind of the second part of the meeting was about land use overview. So our consultant kind of gave a general overview of the land use map, kind of how land use in the general plan works. And we also discussed kind of their first take at vacant and underutilized properties in the city, can be seen as maybe areas to focus on or opportunities to look at how those properties land uses matter. And then also over the summer for about 60 days we had open an application period for property owners who knew they wanted their general plan designation changed potentially as part of this project to submit their request for what they would like. to be considered as overall part of the process. So we received 10 applications in all, so those were presented and a few property owners spoke. But the land uses, this was just the introduction, and there's gonna be a lot of meetings, there's gonna be workshops, and that's kind of a driving force. And then also just point out that the commissioners at their chairs have little business cards, so if you're out in the community, talking about the general plan, you can hand it out, and it has our website and the QR code to scan. So hopefully we can get the word out, and I don't know if anyone else had any takeaways that they wanted to say, but Commissioner Jones and Riley are reps on the committee.

Do you want to go, or do you want me to go?

No, I was distracted by that. Sorry, I was like, I thought my phone was going off. Yeah, so Commissioner Jones and I were in attendance of the General Plan Action Committee yesterday. We talked about a lot of different things. The process is just getting underway, but our consultant has kind of consolidated a lot of the findings that we've had from a lot of the workshops that we've had that existed from, that applied a lot of different people. Commissioner Jones will talk a little bit more about. But what I'll talk about is there were 10 big land use changes because that was the juicy part that I really focused on. Out of those 10 land use changes, these are people who own land in the area and they're trying to use this general plan to kind of advantage to switch our land one thing that I thought was particularly interesting is if you guys remember that Chevron site that always pops up on Laurel Drive you know the triangular shape you know we don't like the well it was many of us or it was voted it failed to pass because a lot of the noise complaints from residents that was being changed to a high density residential and I think that's more appropriate for the area. Other things include changing a high density project off Wild Horse Road to a lower density project, changing the large plot of land that is just south of the Kaiser Permanente Hospital from a very specific land use to a multiple land use, because the parcel's so big, it just kind of needs to be diced up a little bit more to be a little bit more easy for people to kind of build on, I guess. And, oh, and the business park that is next to Deer Valley Road, I believe this was the former, was it a former CVS office, I think? Was that it, or am I getting that wrong? Not Deer Valley Road, Deer Valley High School. Office building right next to there.

The Longs.

Longs, thank you, thank you. Longs Drugstore, yeah. So that is being changed over to a commercial use business. Potentially. Potentially, thank you. Thank you for clarifying that. These are proposals. Another interesting proposal is opening a Dutch Bros right next to it, which is gonna be just south of Deer Valley High School, which is probably gonna be popular with the kids. And a few other parcels, big land parcels other than the Kaiser Permanente one includes the Jacuzzi property, which is off of Wicklow Way by the JCPenney over there, changing that into a high density residential project over there. Yeah, a lot of different land use cases, but really interesting stuff. I think it's a very, really lots of opportunities for people to apply and change their land use if they think that there's something that would be more suitable. This is a great opportunity for landowners to do that. Anything else?

Sure. You know, I always got something to say. It was a good opportunity to kind of understand land use, so I encourage all of you guys to at least watch them on YouTube, so that way you can get a feel for what's going on. What I thought was interesting is that there's going to be 10 focus areas. So I kind of wanted to just name them so that way if you're interested or think that these areas should be focus areas and what you want to see. There is A Street is a focus area. Downtown Pacific is going to be a focus area. East Lone Tree Pacific Plan is a focus area. Eastern Waterfront Employment Area is going to be a focus area. I don't even know how to say that. Genoco property?

Genocchio.

Genocchio.

Which is outside of our city limits.

Got it. So then maybe I have a question for them. Why is it a focus area?

It was in our planning area. It's unincorporated currently.

Okay, thank you. The Hillcrest Station, the Roddy Ranch, and Sand Creek are also going to be focus areas. Western Antioch Commercial and Western Gateway is going to be a focus area. So... We learned a lot, the 10 applicants. Hopefully there might be more because there's a lot of businesses and existing facilities that aren't being utilized because the land use might want to be something different. I believe a commenter mentioned office space, like building a commercial office building is not a viable project anymore because everybody's remote and the times have changed. So changing from a commercial office space to a mixed-use residential, things like that. So this is an opportunity for those landowners to try to switch it up and maybe actually do something with their properties. And I loved the fact that we had, I wish we had more, but we had 100 participants in the survey, 35 at the first workshop. So there was a survey, two workshops, and multiple participants. interactions in the community. I know they went to the high school, they did the library, so I think that's really good. But you guys all have the cards now, so let's encourage more because 100 people giving an opinion in a city that has 115,000, I'd love to hear more for anybody who's watching out there. I'd love more feedback, because the more we get, the better decisions we can make. So I'm glad we got those cards. So I will be handing them out.

Go ahead. I was just going to say, the survey's closed for now. But yeah, there'll be more opportunities. So it keeps coming.

For those landowners or business owners that may want to change their zoning for their property, is there a deadline for that?

Yeah, so the official deadline closed. It was open for about 60 days and we had it on the website. We blasted out on all our social media to the mailing list we have. And then we reached out to individual property owners who we knew had expressed interest in the past of having changes. But then there will be the land use workshop, and then there'll be draft maps. So all of those are opportunities for people to still comment that'll be upcoming. So last night was kind of the overview of the ten we had received.

Okay, great, thank you.

Sorry. I just had a quick question. It was my understanding, and maybe I misunderstood, that if the general plan advisory committee had a specific location that they thought would be an opportunity to change the land use, that we would let you know so you can reach out to that owner directly and say, hey, I thought that was an option.

Yeah, the thing is the committee has ideas, we can always reach out to staff and discuss and then there'll be a lot of opportunities to look over the maps, which I think will be some in-depth meetings coming up for us.

So there's not a process that landowners can submit a request to change their land use from planning commission or the city or from planning department?

So this was part of the general plan process. So it's over now, the official application period. We had it open for about 60 days, if not more, over the summer. So it closed, and then we gathered that to present at the meeting last night. So it's just a request that an opportunity to kind of get on record of an idea but that doesn't mean that people that was their only opportunity but that was sort of the formal submittal process.

But there's like a regular process they can do if they wanted.

Yeah, so there will still be the chances in more of the land use maps, but we were just trying to get kind of a focused blast out.

I'm just thinking like outside of the general plan process, is there a regular process?

process so there's always the general plan amendment process which you'll see for like a lot of the Sand Creek focus area projects go through that so you'll see pretty much most of the subdivisions down there did so that to you know change specific requirements that they had me usually about lot size for example So that is a process with the general plan. We're trying to have people join in one process so we can kind of look at everything comprehensively now.

Do we have any committee reports?

So I'll give you guys a brief update of the Transplant Committee. So it was a few weeks ago, we have a next meeting next week. So the East County Transplant funding major roadway projects, and we're experiencing a huge financial challenging right now. So one big thing is Tri Delta Transit reported that decreased rider share operation revenue. So that's a big one, especially for the upcoming year. We don't know exactly how much revenue we will have. One thing that stood out is the revenue loss equally about 10% of the operating budget. So they're also gonna do some layoffs. So that's something also to be aware. I think one of the biggest things that we could help is like new developers coming in is encouraging perhaps to include bus stops. That's something they told us, but we would have to talk I mentioned that at the beginning of the project before they start developing is in encouraging also people to use public transportation because a lot of people are not using and it's cutting down on certain operations where they operate. You guys have any questions?

When I was on the transplant, I could have sworn that they had requested additional funds to vote and that we approved additional funds so that we would avoid this exact situation, and we approved it. So I'm wondering what happened to that.

So the project revenue loss, so it maintained a balance of $34.1 billion budget. So as of now, we lost 10% of that. So that's like, so now we're reducing routes in the area. So it's fewer trips, so it could affect maybe seniors or students that are using transportation.

But if they're reducing, and I know you probably won't answer this, but I'm thinking out loud here. If they're reducing existing routes, how in the heck are we supposed to be asking developers to add routes that they won't service because they can't do it?

Right, so that's our next meeting where we're gonna have more discussions. And it's especially if it's pushing, for example, in schools. For example, I know Dozier, that's really far that kids live out here and they use public transportation, is probably collaborating with the school and making sure we continue to use it so they have that access. I'm sorry, also they're monitoring the clean air funding for the My Ride, which is walk and roll school program. So they're improving that as well for the upcoming cycle.

Excuse me, my hearing is kind of old. Is it East County Transit or Transplant? Transit?

She's on Transplant. Oh, Transplant, there you go, thank you.

That's what I'm saying. I was like, wait a minute, am I hearing right? So why do you need the sidewalks owned by the city, so why do you need a developer to okay a bus stop?

So it gets so, though, it's used because they're minimizing people using transportation. So if there isn't, for example, they open, let's say, a new development, like the new houses, let's say, for example, Park Ridge, there isn't a lot of bus stops up there. There's probably only, we probably count maybe one. So if we want, make sure that people have access to it.

I'm not mistaken, you said you had to ask the developer to put a bus stop.

Right, so they have to work together. So they'd be able to create in the route, because they have to make routes.

I understand that, I'm just . Correct.

My add-in right there was with brand new roads. I'm just chiming in to kind of fill in gaps here. So as the developer is engineering the new roads, the tri-delta transit, and then they have to like, okay, here's where the new roads are. So I can see that's why they work together?

Correct. Okay. But then let's keep in mind that there's a budget cut right now.

Well, and I think the point that you were trying to make is that sometimes we require that of developers. Like, hey, if you wanna come build something here, we would like for you to put a bus stop in. So she was saying that using that as a requirement for developers may not be valid anymore because they don't even have the funding to meet the necessarily route requirements they have now, is what Commissioner Jones was getting at.

Stockton and San Joaquin County has the same issue. I mean, they're cutting back on bus all the time, but I haven't experienced in the past where the developer had anything to do with the bus route because the bus route is usually on the city, the streets on the city, that's all I'm saying. The city plans where the bus goes and the developer goes to houses.

I think it's a selling point for the developer that there's a bus stop, there's going to be a bus stop so people who don't want to drive can buy the home in that location. Okay, do we have any other committee reports?

No.

No?

Motion to adjourn.

The next Planning Commission meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, September 16th, 2026. May I have a motion to adjourn?

Are you all just gonna stay here? I make a motion.

Is there a second? I second. All right.

Okay. Please take the roll call. Yes, Commissioner Aguilar? Jones? Aye. Perez? Aye. Riley?

Aye.

Weber? Aye. Vice Chair Spiker? Aye. Chair Suman? Aye. So that passes 7-0 at 749.