Pittsburg Planning Commission takes up three use permits Wednesday night

Pittsburg's Planning Commission meets in special session Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the City Council Chamber at City Hall to take up three use permit applications. Two of them turn on the same question: how many places in one census tract are already allowed to sell alcohol.

Cajun Crack'n, 4330 Century Boulevard. The restaurant is asking under application AP-26-0053 to become a "restaurant with full alcoholic service." It does not serve alcohol now. If the commission approves, the operator would apply to the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control for a Type 47 license, which covers beer, wine and spirits for drinking on site. Under the rules for that license, alcohol service stays incidental to the food, and managers and servers must complete Responsible Beverage Service training.

The complication is the census tract. The site sits at the eastern edge of the city in Census Tract 3050, which straddles the Pittsburg-Antioch line. The tract is permitted seven on-sale licenses. It currently has 25, held by 18 businesses, six of them on the Pittsburg side. Because of that, an approval would also require the applicant to get a Determination of Public Convenience and Necessity from the city manager. No other changes to the restaurant are proposed.

Island Pacific Supermarket, 2100 North Park Boulevard. Application AP-26-0034 asks to expand the existing grocery use to allow beer and wine sales for consumption off site — a state Type 20 license. The grocery store was approved years ago under Planning Commission Resolution No. 9904, which authorized the operator to obtain an ABC license, but that authorization expired because no license was ever taken out. Census Tract 3120 has already hit its ceiling for off-sale licenses, so this one would need a public convenience determination from the city manager as well. No physical changes to the store are proposed.

Christmas Ministries, 3721 Railroad Avenue. Application AP-26-0085 asks to establish a religious assembly use, with biweekly charitable bingo fundraisers, in an existing 9,000-square-foot commercial space in the Neighborhood Commercial zoning district.

All three are categorically exempt from environmental review under the CEQA class for existing facilities, meaning no construction is at issue.

The hearing is the city's formal invitation to be heard on all three before the commission votes. The planner on the Cajun Crack'n and Island Pacific applications is Kelsey Gunter, at 925-252-4824 or kgunter@pittsburgca.gov. The planner on the Christmas Ministries application is Maurice Brenyah-Addow, at 925-252-4261 or mbrenyah-addow@pittsburgca.gov.