The Huntington Beach Planning Commission met on April 14, 2026, to consider an appeal of the Zoning Administrator's approval of Conditional Use Permit (CUP) 25-027 for Distractions Lounge, located at 16612 Beach Boulevard, Unit C. The requested upgrade from a Type 42 (beer and wine) to a Type 48 (full alcohol) license sparked debate over public safety, proximity to Westmont Elementary School, and neighborhood impacts. After public testimony and deliberation, the commission voted 4-2 to deny the appeal, approve the CUP with 26 conditions, and add a requirement to upgrade restrooms.
And no other rooms have door a door structure like this. This is the only one. So yeah, again, you I think you're right. This this was the biggest, the most significant room, but these doors are like incredible. I mean, real, real historic. Welcome to the April 14th, 2026 Huntington Beach Planning Commission meeting. While the Planning Commission welcomes public involvement and free speech, it rejects comments from anyone that are discriminatory, defamatory, or otherwise not protected speech. Those comments will not inform or be considered by the Planning Commission and may cause the chair, me, to interrupt the speaker. Such comments will not be consented to or otherwise adopted by the planning commission in its discussion and findings for any matter tonight. Thank you. Chair Bush. Here. Vice Chair Babineau. Present. Commissioner Thinas. Here. Commissioner McGee. Commissioner Palmer. Here. Commissioner Goldberg is absent. Commissioner Clifford. We have a quorum. Now is the time for public comments for items that are not on the agenda this evening. Do we have any public comments? We have no one signed up to speak on items that are not on the agenda. Please start on my right. Nothing to disclose. I spoke to uh Chair Bush and Councilman Williams. I spoke to uh Commissioner Thenis and Mayor Pro Tem Twining. I spoke to Council or yeah, Planning Commissioner almost Councilman uh McGee and Councilman Williams. I spoke with uh Mayor McKeon, uh Councilman Burns, and uh Commissioner Babino and Commissioner Palman. I spoke with Commissioner Thienis and Mayor McKeon and Mayor Pro Tem Twining. Thank you. Staff, may we please have a staff report? Yes, Marco Cuevas Associate Planner will be presenting. Um yes, thank you, and good evening. Um Chair Bush and Planning Commissioners. Uh tonight the item before you is the appeal of the zoning and administrators approval of conditional use permit number 25-027 distractions lounge at 166 12 of Beach Boulevard, uh Unit C the request is to permit the on-site sales service and consumption of alcohol. It's an ABC type 48 license, it's a full alcohol license within it within an approximately 1250 square foot eating and drinking establishment. Um the business does currently have a type 42 license for on-site on-sale beer and wine. Uh for the project location. The site is located on the east side of Beach Boulevard and south of Ohio Avenue. Uh the subject site has a general plan designation of MSP, which is mixed use specific plan overlay, and is zoned in the um BexEp um Beach and Edinger's corridor specific plan, otherwise known as SP 14. The surrounding uses um to the north, south, and west share the same general plan and zoning designation. While the area east of the subject property, um, which would be east of the project and east of the subject property, the following slides would show that in better detail. Has a um has a subject property designation as um RL or residential low density. This is our site plan of the area. The floor plan is or actually the side plan is to your upper uh right. Uh you could see the um uh property there with the unit suite C to nestled within a corner there. Um the image to your left would be your floor plan and shows you um basically how the floor plan of the business as it exists now.