South El Monte : Rules for ‘Beverage Lounges’
The City Council last week adopted an ordinance to set conditions for “beverage lounges,” defined as any establishment with or without live entertainment that principally sells non-alcoholic beverages to be consumed on the premises.
The 3-0 vote July 23 restricts the new class of business to commercial and commercial/manufacturing zones and requires a conditional-use permit.
The Planning Commission recommended adoption of the ordinance as a method of regulating coffeehouses, juice bars and similar establishments which, it noted, can “become a nuisance . . . and a magnet for some types of crime.”
Assistant City Manager Steve Henley said the city has received inquiries about starting such businesses.
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