Circle K and Target to get alcohol license

Planning Commission votes to allow Circle K liquor license and will vote on Iron Triangle Target license

The Long Beach Planning Commission voted at their meeting on July 19th  to allow the Circle K at Palo Verde and Stearns to have a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) for an alcohol license to sell beer and wine.

For more information click on: CIRCLE K Planning Commission

The Developmental Services staff had recommended against the CUP on the grounds that only three licenses are allowed in the census area and the location is in a high crime reporting area.  

In comments before the Commissioners, the Circle K consultant's main argument was that the census area has been over the allowable amount for over eleven years.  The allowable number for the census area is three, but the area has had five.  The consultant then reported that it now has only four alcohol licenses because the Rite Aid at the Los Altos Center closed.  The consultant argued that with Rite Aid gone, the Circle K license would just bring the number of liquor licenses to the same five it has been for the past eleven years.  The consultant also stated that Circle K was willing to accept restrictions in the CUP.

High crimes in the area were only brought up by one homeowner and other businesses with liquor licenses.  Those businesses also brought up their longevity insinuated that competition from Circle K would be detrimental.

The Planning Commissioners asked the Developmental Services staff about making decisions based on business competitions. The staff stated that competitor issues are never considered in any staff recommendations. 

Staff was also questioned about alcohol licenses surpassing the census area allotments across the city.   Staff responded that the staff recommendations are based upon the police data criteria of the Alcohol Beverage Control population criteria. They added that the Planning Commissioners may take other criteria into consideration when making a decision.

The Planning Commission voted 3-2 to grant a CUP to the Circle K.  The item is not final and will have to come back before the Commissioners. The staff will bring the item back with a recommendation to approve the CUP based on another criterion and with appropriate restrictions. The legal staff recommended that the criteria for approval be community convenience.

At the August 2, 2018, Planning Commission meeting, the Target at the Bixby Village Center at the Iron Triangle intersection will be on the agenda for a CUP to sell off-site (carryout) alcohol license. The small format Target replaced the former Ralphs store that had a liquor license.

The Developmental Services staff is recommending approval.

For more information Click on
Target Staff Report

Krispy Kreme specials for its 81st birthday

On Friday, July 27 Krispy Kreme will be celebrating its 81st birthday with two special offerings.

This  Friday customers who buy a dozen donuts can add a dozen of the Original Glazed Doughnuts for just one dollar.  The $1 dozen offer is only good on Friday, July 27th.

In addition for the next week Krispy Kreme will be offering a special birthday donut that is described as inspired by a "vanilla birthday" cake.  The birthday donut will be an Original Glazed with confetti sprinkles inside the donut and sprinkled on top.  The special Birthday Glazed will be available for one week   Friday, July 27th to Thursday, August 2nd. 

CSULB PARKING UPDATE

CSULB's off-site parking will be  in the Kmart-Lowes shopping center lot

Cal State Long Beach has rented hundreds of spaces in an innovative "discount" parking plan. The CSULB off-site student parking for this school year will be the 5th District's Kmart-Lowes center just north of the 405.   Local media mistakenly listed another East Long Beach shopping center as the location. 

The off-site parking will be open for eight weeks and should be a boom for the businesses in the Los Altos Gateway Center.  

The discounted parking passes are just $65 for the semester -compared to the regular $140 price. The discounted permits go on sale Monday, July 16th.

A shuttle every 15 min will get students to the campus 2 miles away.  For the special rate, the students special parking permit may only be used on campus lots between August 19 and August 26th and then anytime after October 18th when the offsite lot closes.

Over-flow Shuttle route

CSULB Fall 2018 classes start August 27th.  It will be the first time that the campus has been in session since the new green bollards and lane reduction on Bellflower Blvd. has taken place.  The map of the shuttle route shows that the shuttle will travel north and south on Bellflower every 15 minutes. 

CSULB's attempt last year to use the grass areas near the Walter Pyramid for overflow parking brought an almost universal outcry from the Los Altos neighbors directly across from the campus on Atherton.  The grass lot experiment came after the previous year's attempt of trying to solve the notorious opening of school parking problems with offsite parking at Greek Orthodox Church at PCH and Colorado.

  

LB Traffic Engineer Widstrand

Long Beach Traffic Engineer Eric Widstrand this February spoke at an Alamitos Heights Neighborhood Association meeting with Councilwomen Stacy Mungo present and spoke at the April monthly meeting of  Councilman Daryl Supernaw.  In both meetings, Widstrand stated that Bellflower Blvd. could handle the capacity when school was in session after losing one northbound lane for a bike lane.  The bike lane also reduced spaces for parking.  Just this week, some of the southbound Bellflower bollards were hit and knock down.

Widstrand came to Long Beach with a reputation for supporting "traffic calming" (click on WIDSTRAND). 

When CSULB President Dr. Jane Conoley had two meetings at the Los Altos Library with the neighbors of the campus in March of this year. she and her staff stated that a new location for the overflow parking issue was being worked on and would be ready by the opening of school. 

For more information Click on 
CONOLEY MEETING

Correcting the LB Post