Lake Havasu City Planning & Zoning Commission Regular Meeting – August 5, 2026

The Lake Havasu City Planning & Zoning Commission met on Wednesday, August 5, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. in Council Chambers, 92 Acoma Boulevard South. Vice Chair Joan Dzuro presided. Five commissioners were present (Dzuro, Thornton, Annett, Stevenson, Patel) and five were absent (Lehr, Wilson, Harris, Medley, Costa); because of three vacancies, alternates Annett and Patel joined the dais. The Commission approved minutes from July 15, 2026, and unanimously renewed two Major Conditional Use Permits for food truck courts. The meeting adjourned at 9:40 a.m.

Administrative Items

• Vice Chair Dzuro called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. and led the Pledge of Allegiance.
• Planning Division Manager Chris Gilbert reported no City Council action on Planning items since the last meeting. Staff is preparing informational pamphlets for the 2026 General Plan Update to be mailed to voters before the November election.

Minutes Approval

• ID 26-5310: Commissioner Annett moved, seconded by Commissioner Thornton, to approve the July 15, 2026, Planning & Zoning Commission Regular Meeting minutes. The motion passed 5–0 (Dzuro, Thornton, Annett, Stevenson, Patel).

Public Hearing: Havabite Major CUP Renewal (ID 26-5281)

• Staff presented the renewal request for Havabite, located at 2894 Jamaica Blvd S, Tract 2271, Block 13, Parcels 2 and 3. The property is approximately 1.18 acres, zoned Limited Commercial (C-1), adjacent to C-1 uses including the Masonic Lodge and Marathon Gas Station; properties to the north and west are R-3 residential. The original CUP was approved in October 2023 and allowed seven mobile food vendors. Improvements include an indoor bar with restrooms and commissary, shade canopy, landscaping, and approximately 40 parking spaces.
• Staff reported that Code Enforcement received no founded complaints, but the Fire Department observed smokers and BBQs outside food trucks and trucks parked along the property line; the applicant corrected these issues. During the hearing, a resident disputed the no-complaints statement, and staff clarified the report was based on founded violations.
• Owners/operators Stefan and Meagan Peña said Havabite has become a family and community gathering place, and they intend to be responsive neighbors.
• Public testimony included:
  • Tim Sisson, a nearby resident, supported the concept and had no problem with vendors or guests but requested that amplified music, bingo, and trivia noise be reduced.
  • Bruce Hartwell, Chairman of the Masonic Lodge, said the Lodge’s six security cameras showed no problems or partying; the Lodge closes around 9:30–10:00 p.m.; St. Michael’s Church has no complaints and allows Havabite to use its lower parking lot.
  • Bambi Osgood, a resident, said she had filed noise complaints several times, was told there would be no outdoor entertainment, but observed movies, dancing, and sunset markets; music, bingo, and trivia were audible in her home; smoke from wood fire pits drifted into her yard; she requested propane fire pits/heaters and better noise control. She also reported seeing people after closing, unsupervised children, and alleged drug use behind Masonic Lodge storage buildings.
  • Brian Osgood, a resident, reiterated that noise was the primary concern and said he could hear trivia questions from inside his home.
  • A letter from Maud and Jan Wallen, adjacent homeowners, was read into the record; they expressed full support for Havabite, said they had no noise complaints, and called the owners and staff responsive.
• The Peñas responded that the loud speaker system used by the bingo/trivia host was replaced months earlier, bingo is daytime and trivia ends by 8:00 p.m., only acoustic musicians are now booked, public access ends at closing, and the Fourth of July closing was approximately 10:30 p.m. They denied the drug-use allegation and noted Masonic Lodge security cameras are reviewed regularly. They also cited an agreement not to pressure-wash before 9:00 a.m.
• Staff reviewed compliance conditions, including: no outdoor entertainment as a principal use; limit of seven mobile food units; vendor licenses required; 10-foot separation between structures/mobile units; all cooking within mobile units; one 30-gallon trash receptacle within 15 feet of each unit; compliance with noise regulations in Lake Havasu City Chapter 9.30; and reevaluation in one year.
• Commissioners discussed the difficulty of regulating noise when entertainment is inside but doors/windows are open, and encouraged continued neighbor outreach. Commissioner Stevenson suggested monitoring noise over the cooler months before next year’s renewal.
• Vote: Commissioner Thornton moved to adopt Resolution No. 26-04 approving the Major Conditional Use Permit; Commissioner Stevenson seconded. The motion passed 5–0.

Public Hearing: Oasis Major CUP Renewal (ID 26-5283)

• Staff presented the renewal request for the Oasis Food Truck Court at 201 Swanson Avenue, Tract 2337A, Block 3, Lot 10. The property is approximately 0.34 acres, zoned C-1. The original CUP was approved in April 2023 and permits four mobile food vendors. Improvements include a full kitchen and bar with restrooms and commissary; the site is part of a parking-in-common area and provides approximately 20 parking spaces.
• Code Enforcement received no founded complaints. On one occasion a food truck was parked outside the screen wall in the parking-in-common area; it was immediately corrected. Applicant Rudy Candito was present and agreed to the conditions.
• No members of the public testified.
• Staff presented revised Conditions 4 and 5, to be substituted into the resolution: Condition 4 requires at least a 10-foot separation between all mobile food units and property lines; Condition 5 prohibits cooking around the building, limits inside cooking to what the interior kitchen is approved to prepare, and requires all other cooking within the four permitted mobile food vendors.
• Commissioner Annett observed that the two food court hearings, although similar in use, differed greatly by location and surrounding uses; the first drew spirited testimony while the second drew none.
• Vote: Commissioner Stevenson moved, seconded by Commissioner Annett, to adopt Resolution No. 26-05 with the revised Conditions 4 and 5 as presented. The motion passed 5–0.

Call to Public, Future Meeting, and Adjournment

• No comments were made during Call to Public.
• The next regular Planning & Zoning Commission meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, August 19, 2026, with a conditional use permit and a development code text amendment related to state law changes.
• Vice Chair Dzuro adjourned the meeting at 9:40 a.m.