Planning Commission - Regular Meeting

First item on the list is roll call, please.

Commissioner Cuevas.

Present.

Commissioner Morales. Present. Vice Chairperson Lomeli. Present. Chairperson Medina.

Present.

And we do have a quorum and able to proceed with tonight's items.

Thank you so much. Our next item is the Pledge of Allegiance. Can you please rise? Thank you so much. The next item is any corrections to the agenda? Good evening, Mr. Chair.

Members of the Commission, there are no corrections to the agenda for tonight's meeting.

Thank you so much. Our next item is the public comment. Director Pellomi, can you help me with that statement, please? Yes, Mr. Chair.

At this time, the public may address the Planning Commission on any items listed on the agenda, including non-agenda items that are within the Planning Commission's subject matter jurisdiction. State law prohibits the planning commission from acting or entertaining extended discussion on a topic that is not listed on the agenda for tonight's meeting. As a reminder, please direct all comments to the chairperson and show courtesy to others. Thank you.

Thank you so much. Our next item is staff communications. There are no staff communications. Thank you so much. FOLLOWING ITEM IS THE APPROVAL OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES FROM THE MEETING IN JUNE, HELD JUNE 16TH, 2026.

ALL MOTION TO APPROVE THE PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES FROM JUNE 16TH OF 2026.

THANK YOU SO MUCH. CAN I GET A SECOND?

AND I WILL SECOND.

THANK YOU. ROLL CALL, PLEASE.

COMMISSIONER CUEVAS.

I ABSTAIN.

COMMISSIONER MORALES. AYE. VICE CHAIRPERSON LOMELY. AYE. CHAIRPERSON MEDINA.

AYE.

AND MOTION PASSES.

Thank you so much. Well, we're just flying through the agenda. The next item would be the opening the public hearing.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. This is a public hearing item. Item two relates to a conditional use permit to authorize a Type 41 ABC license for the on-site sale and consumption of beer and wine in conjunction with an existing full-service restaurant located at 1105 West Whittier Boulevard. I'd like to invite Grace Hayashi to do the presentation on this item. Thank you.

Good evening, Chair, members of the Planning Commission, and the public. The item before you is a request for a conditional use permit to allow a Type 41 alcohol beverage control license for the on-sale consumption of beer and wine in conjunction with an existing full-service bona fide restaurant establishment located at 1105 West Whittier Boulevard for Los Sabores de Mexico, submitted by Raul Cueva on behalf of Manuel Ramos. On June 1, 2026, the applicant filed a request for a conditional use permit to allow a type 41 ABC license for the on sale consumption of beer and wine in conjunction with an existing full service restaurant establishment located at 1105 West Whittier Boulevard. On that same day, staff issued a deemed complete letter to the applicant. And there's no physical alterations to the project site that are proposed in connection with this requested alcohol license. The aerial map shows the existing restaurant at 1105 West Whittier Boulevard, which is located on the corner of West Whittier Boulevard and Greenwood Avenue, just outside of the downtown area. The lot area is approximately 266,990 square feet. While the building is approximately 6,588 square feet within an existing commercial shopping plaza with other businesses, including a variety of commercial uses, some of which include a grocery store, nail salon, and other retail uses, zoned C2 general commercial. The current restaurant operator at the project site has operated an active business since November 3rd, 2025, and previously the existing use was also a Mexican restaurant since January 3rd, 2000. If approved, the conditional use permit will authorize alcohol sales to include the sale of either beer or wine for onsite consumption as part of their primary restaurant operation. The zoning map illustrates that to the north of the subject site are C2 general commercially zoned properties. To the east, south, and west of the subject property are both C2 general commercial and R3 residentially zoned properties. The property is surrounded by a mix of both commercial and residential uses. PARKING FOR RESTAURANTS THAT PROVIDE SEATING IS EVALUATED BASED ON THE REQUIREMENT OF ONE PARKING SPACE PER THREE SEATS PLUS ONE PER 400 SQUARE FEET OF GROSS FLOOR AREA PURSUANT TO THE MONTABELLA MUNICIPAL CODE CHAPTER 1752 OFF STREET PARKING WITH 140 EXISTING SEATS AND APPROXIMATELY 6,588 SQUARE FEET OF FLOOR AREA THE RESTAURANT PROVIDE REQUIRES A TOTAL OF 64 PARKING SPACES And since the restaurant is located within an existing commercial plaza with approximately 340 shared parking spots for all visitors and customers for the businesses, the shared parking and the continuation of the approved and operating restaurant use, it shows that the restaurant does meet the required parking spaces. The current floor plan occupies approximately 2,100 square feet of interior dining area and is designated to accommodate up to 140 dining seats. The floor plan includes a primary dining area for patron seating, as well as supporting operational spaces necessary for restaurant service. In addition to the dining area, the restaurant includes a kitchen, beer and wine storage area, a service slash office area, and a common space to provide circulation. The restaurant operates daily from 9 a.m. to 12 a.m. and offers a diverse selection of food, including a wide variety of Mexican traditional offerings. This proposal of the alcohol license will not result in any expansion or change of the existing floor plan. Table X identifies the number of licenses authorized by census tract number 5320.02. Table Y identifies the current alcoholic beverage licenses for that specific census tract. Approval of Type 41 ABC license will not result in an undesirable concentration of alcohol sales, as there are three on-sale licenses allowed, and this would be the first. The only existing license within that census tract is one off-sale retail license for superior grocers. Case number PC-2026-2020-CUP is considered a project per the California Environmental Quality Act and is categorically exempt under CEQA Section 15301 Class 1 existing facilities as there is no expansion to the interior or exterior of the facilities. On June 25, 2026, the public hearing notice was published in the Montebello News and on that same day was mailed to all property owners within a 300-foot radius from the exterior boundaries of the project site and to all building occupants within a 500-foot radius. Staff recommends that the planning commission adopt resolution number 12-26, approving the conditional use permit with conditions to allow a type 41 ABC license for the onsite consumption of beer and wine in conjunction with a full line, full service bonafide restaurant establishment located at 1105 West Whittier Boulevard, and to determine and find that the project is categorically exempt from CEQA pursuant to section 15301. Thank you. That concludes my presentation. Both myself and the applicant are available for questions.

Thank you very much, Grace. Any questions for staff? No. Just quick clarification. No TI as part of this, right? Correct.

Yes. The existing restaurant, they're currently operating at the moment.

Gotcha. Thank you so much. I want to give the opportunity for the applicant to speak if they so wish. Please state your name for the record. My name is Raul Cueva.

Good evening, Chairperson and honorable members of the Planning Commission. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to present our request for approval of a conditional use permit to allow the sale of beer and wine for incidental on-site consumption at the restaurant Sabores de Mexico. My name is Raul Cueva, and I'm an associate with Liquor License Agents. I'm here on behalf of the applicant Los Sabores de Mexico, LLC, doing business as Sabores de Mexico. Our vision is simple, to create a welcoming, family-oriented Mexican restaurant where friends and families can gather to enjoy authentic cuisine in a comfortable and responsible dining environment. The requested beer and wine license is intended solely to complement our food offerings and enhance the overall dining experience for our guests. The proposed restaurant, I'm sorry, the existing restaurant will continue operating as a full service restaurant. The use of the premises will not change. We're only requesting the ability to serve beer and wine as an accessory to our primary business of preparing and serving quality meals. Alcohol sales will remain incidental to food service and will only be available in conjunction with the purchase of a meal. We will continue to offer our full menu throughout the business hours. As part of our investment in the property, we will complete minor tenant improvements to rebrand, to change it from Fiesta Mexicana to Sabores de Mexico, but no construction or anything of that nature. These improvements are intended to refresh the space while maintaining, sorry, I can never pronounce this word, compatibility with the surrounding neighborhood and enhancing the appearance of the business. So we wanted to make sure that we did touch it up so that it looks nicer than it did before. We understand the responsibility that comes with serving alcohol beverages and are committed to operating with the highest standards of professionalism and compliance. Each employee who serves alcohol will obtain a responsible beverage service certificate as required by the state of California. In addition, all staff members will be thoroughly trained on the conditions of approval associated with the permit to ensure full compliance at all times. Training will not be a one-time event. It will be an ongoing part of our daily operation. Management will regularly enforce responsible alcohol service practices, proper identification verification, recognition of intoxication, and adherence to the applicable laws and permit conditions. Our goal is to foster a culture of accountability and responsibility among every member of our team. We are committed to being a responsible neighbor and a positive addition to the Montebello community. We recognize the importance of maintaining a safe, respectful, and family-friendly environment. We will operate our business in a manner that minimizes impacts on neighborhood businesses and residents while providing excellent customer service and a welcoming atmosphere. The addition of beer and wine servers will simply allow us to offer a more complete dining experience for our guests. It is not intended to change the character of the restaurant, but rather to complement our authentic Mexican cuisine with beverage options that many diners expect when enjoying a meal with family and friends. We respectfully believe this request is consistent with the intent of the city's regulations governing incidental alcohol service at bona fide restaurants. Our restaurant's primary focus will always be quality food, exceptional hospitality, and responsible operations. We appreciate your time and consideration of our application. We respectfully request for your approval of our conditional use permit and look forward to serving the residents of Montebello as a responsible business and a valued member of the community. Thank you.

Thank you so much. Any questions for the applicant?

I have one. Yes, go ahead. Thank you for coming this evening, Juan. I was just wondering, do you guys currently hold any other liquor licenses in any other cities, or is this your first?

Would this be your first license? Yes.

First. Okay. Okay. Thank you.

Thank you.

Go ahead. Thank you. Question. Yes. Because I think Fiesta Mexicana used to be like a buffet type or style restaurant. Is this plated food or is it same type of?

I'm going to have the applicant answer those questions on the operational side. If I can have Manuel come on up.

I don't want to important stuff.

Sorry. Yeah, no, no, that's okay. That's totally okay. That's why I had him come just in case there was operational questions.

Yes, it's going to be both. Yes. Some days it's going to be buffet and the rest is going to be plate.

Okay. Well, you do have a beautiful building. I've always liked the stonework.

Yes.

You know, and if you enhance it just to draw more attention to the business and every now and then set up mariachi or something to kind of draw attention to the community. Sorry, I'm giving you too much direction. But we're excited and looking forward to something like that, you know, to come back to that location.

Thank you. Hopefully you guys like it when it's done.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much.

Did we get any response back from the 300-foot radius mailer? No?

No, we did not.

Perfect. Thank you. Thank you so much, guys. Thank you, guys. Do we have any public comment? There are no public comments on this item. Thank you so much. In that case, I'm going to go ahead and close the public hearing and bring it back to the commission for discussion. I think I for one welcome this. It's been vacant for some time, and I think it's sort of continued sort of a similar operation.

I agree and also to see you know that that building didn't last too long by itself it's going to continue so that means the activity and the community here in the city of Montebello will continue and especially that we've been recognized for you know how our business is growing so I think it's wonderful and congratulations you know for continuing with the business.

Okay in that case can I entertain a motion to

Yeah, I'll go ahead and motion to approve conditional use permit case number PC-2026-0020-CUP with recommendations one and two.

I'll second that. Thank you so much. Can we get a roll call, please?

Yes, Commissioner Cuevas.

Aye. Aye.

Commissioner Morales. Aye. Vice Chairperson Lomeli. Aye. Chairperson Medina.

Aye.

Motion passes.

Thank you so much. And congratulations. Okay, we'll go ahead and move on to item number three.

Mr. Chair, members of the commission, the next public hearing is a request for a conditional use permit to establish and operate a new.

On the Montebello Boulevard. And he shines on our bedrooms. So we were glad when it was gone. So I'm wondering, is this signage?