The Planning Commission is considering a proposal for a Conditional Use Permit to allow the sale of a full line of alcoholic beverages and weekly on-site alcohol tasting events at a new Total Wine & More retail store. The staff is recommending that the proposal, which is set to occupy the first floor of a 23,227-square-foot commercial development at 1130 North La Brea Avenue, be approved.
This new retail store would operate seven days per week, from 8:00 A.M. to 10:00 P.M, Mondays to Saturdays, and 8:00 A.M. to 9:00 P.M., on Sundays, selling beer, wine, and distilled spirits, in addition to hosting weekly tasting events.
The proposed site, near the northeast corner of Santa Monica Boulevard and La Brea Avenue, straddles the jurisdictional boundaries between the City of West Hollywood and the City of Los Angeles. Most of the tenant space, including the loading dock along Sycamore Avenue, the storefront, and the parking lot, is situated within Los Angeles.
Total Wine & More is a specialty retailer that not only sells beer, wine, and distilled spirits but also hosts in-store tasting events and wine education classes. The store will combine three tenant spaces into one for this use. Furthermore, the retailer will not make any changes to the exterior elevations due to the proposed sale of alcoholic beverages and tasting events.
The proposed project is categorically exempt from the provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), pursuant to Section 15301 (Existing Facilities). This exemption applies to the operation and permitting of an existing structure involving negligible or no expansion of use beyond existing conditions. The addition of alcoholic beverage sales for off-site consumption and on-site tasting events is an operational modification that won’t substantially alter the operations or characteristics of its general retail use.
Public reaction to the proposal has so far been mixed. The staff has received one public comment in support of the project, though the comment did express concerns about potential crime in the area. In response, Total Wine & More plans to install surveillance cameras and collaborate with local law enforcement.
Approval from the City of West Hollywood is contingent upon Total Wine & More securing required approvals from the City of Los Angeles and the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC).
Given the scale of the proposed tenant space, the store is required to provide 46 parking spaces based on the West Hollywood Municipal Code (WHMC), which requires 2 spaces per 1,000 square feet for general retail. The site will accommodate this requirement with a total of 60 parking spaces.
They have to have some food there so the wine won’t go to waste.
Excellent! Total Wine is an outstanding store chain and it’s great to see them expanding, they’re superior to their main competion, which is BevMo. This is a great location for one of these, I think the nearest ones are Glendale, and all the way in Northridge.
They need some food there to suck up the alcohol.
I think this is the site of the now closed Rite Aid.