PREPARED BY: MEL MACKSON DATE OF MEETING: 03/24/2026
SUBJECT:
TITLE
CONSIDERATION OF AN AMENDMENT TO A CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT TO ALLOW ON-SITE GENERAL ALCOHOL SALES, INCLUDING FULL LIQUOR, TO AN EXISTING BEER AND WINE LICENSE FOR AN EXISTING RESTAURANT, ALONG WITH A REQUEST TO EXTEND THE USE INTO AN ADJACENT SUITE, LOCATED AT 3550 SAN PABLO DAM ROAD, SUITES A & B, APN:420-130-032, AND DETERMINING THAT THE REQUEST IS EXEMPT FROM ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW UNDER THE CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT
CEQA: This project is categorically exempt under the California Environmental Quality Act, Section 15301, Existing Facilities, Class 1(a). This Class applies to existing private structures, such as the existing commercial building where the restaurant is currently located, including interior alterations
Label
Location: 3550 San Pablo Dam Road, Suites A & B
APN: 420-130-032
Plan No. PLAN2602-0003
Zoning: Commercial Mixed Use
CEQA: Exempt from CEQA, per Section 15301, Class 1(a), Existing Facilities
Owner: Hill & Sketchley Properties
Applicant: Gurjinder Singh
Staff Contact: Mel Mackson, Associate Planner
Recommendation
Conduct public hearing; adopt Resolution
Body
REQUESTED ACTION
A request for approval of an amendment to a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) to add on-site general alcohol sales, including full liquor, in addition to beer and wine sales to an existing beer and wine license at a restaurant known as Paradise Indian Restaurant & Sweets (Paradise Indian), located in Suite A, and to extend the use into Suite B at 3550 San Pablo Dam Road, APN 440-130-032. On-sale alcohol sales refers to the consumption of alcohol inside the premises per the California Alcohol Beverage Control (ABC) agency license terminology. Staff recommendation is for approval of a Conditional Use Permit to allow on-site general alcohol sales and to expand the restaurant premises into the adjacent Suite B.
Surrounding Zoning and Land Uses:
The project site is a commercial suite within Sobrante Plaza, located in the easternmost parcel of the City along San Pablo Dam Road. The site is zoned Commercial Mixed Use. Surrounding zoning and land uses are as follows:
North: Commercial Mixed Use, Single-Family Residential (El Sobrante); the two smaller retail strip centers within the Plaza, single family residences
South: R-4 High Density Residential; vacant site
East: RH Single Family Hillside Residential (Richmond); religious assembly
West: Commercial Mixed Use; Extra Space Self-Storage facility
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION
CEQA Guidelines Section 15301, Existing Facilities, exempts from environmental review the use operation, permitting, or minor alteration of existing public or private structures involving negligible or no expansion of use. As the extension of the restaurant to the adjacent suite represents a negligible expansion of use and will not involve any new construction or expanded building footprint, the project is exempt from the CEQA pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15301. Further, the proposal is also exempt from CEQA pursuant to CEQA Guidelines section 15303, New Construction or Conversion of Small Structures, because it involves installation of small improvements and minor modifications to the exterior of the structure. Specifically, CEQA Guidelines section 15303 exempts restaurants and other commercial buildings not exceeding 10,000 square feet in commercial zones. Finally, the project is also exempt from CEQA pursuant to CEQA Guidelines section 15061(b)(3) because it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the project will have an impact on the environment since it involves only minor tenant improvements to join the adjacent 1,856-square foot suite to the existing restaurant and the addition of liquor sales to existing alcohol sales.
PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE
Notices regarding the March 24, 2026 public hearing were mailed to owners of properties within a 300-foot radius of the site on March 11, 2026. In addition, a Public Hearing Notice was published in the West County Times newspaper (West Contra Costa edition of the East Bay Times) on Saturday, March 14, 2026.
BACKGROUND
The applicant is requesting approval of an amendment to an existing Use Permit #1672 issued in 1997 (Attachment C) to allow full liquor alcoholic beverage sales in addition to the previously approved beer and wine sales and to allow an expansion of the restaurant premises at a restaurant located at 3550 San Pablo Dam Road, in the Commercial Mixed Use zoning district.
The existing Use Permit #1672 for Suite A at 3550 San Pablo Dam Road was issued in October of 1997 to Wilson Wong for a restaurant known as Royal Palace. Use Permit #1672 allows the business to serve beer and wine with meals. The use permit was approved subject to four conditions: that any significant change of business hours or increase in the type of operation would be reviewed and approved by the Planning Commission, that the applicant would obtain the necessary permits from the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC), that any signs are subject to the City’s sign ordinance, and that the permit would be reviewed six months from date of approval to determine if there have been any negative impacts.
The restaurant is located in a retail strip center that was built in 1965. It is the largest and oldest of three retail shopping strips in Sobrante Plaza. The site is the easternmost parcel of the City along San Pablo Dam Road. The 31,862 square foot shopping center contains thirteen (13) suite spaces. Neighboring businesses include: Off The Charts, Hertz, Advanced Veterinary Medical Center, Kola Ajose Jiu Jitsu, Bottles Beerzar/Punjabi Kitchen, Maya Thai Laos Restaurant, Get It Girl Fitness, My Nails salon, and Café Soleil.
Paradise Indian Restaurant & Sweets currently occupies Suite A, measuring 3,248 square feet, and proposes to expand into Suite B, which measures 1,856 square feet. The total restaurant square footage proposed would be 5,104 square feet. City of San Pablo business license records confirm that the restaurant holds an active business license, BL3839.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
The business co-owner and applicant, Mr. Gurjinder Singh, is requesting to amend existing Use Permit #1672 to allow general alcohol sales at the Paradise Indian restaurant, and to expand the restaurant into the adjoining Suite. He holds a lease agreement for Suite B, adjacent to Suite A, and it is currently used by the restaurant for storage. He intends to connect the two suites to provide additional dining space, and is in the process of obtaining building permits for these tenant improvements. Apart from the expansion of the liquor license and dining room area, the applicant states that general operations and menu offerings of the restaurant will remain unchanged.
The applicant currently holds a Type 41 on-sale beer and wine license from ABC (see Attachment D for existing license). Mr. Singh has stated that the motivation for upgrading the liquor license is that they have lost business to patrons who want to enjoy cocktails or distilled spirits during their dinner. He has said that even with a full liquor license, the restaurant does not plan to advertise the sale of hard liquor beverages. A separate menu featuring their hard liquor offerings would only be provided to customers upon request.
Attachment F includes a copy of the application, menu, floor plan, letter of explanation, etc. The menu offers a diverse selection of classic Indian dishes. Sections of the menu highlight Appetizers, Salads and Soups, Vegetarian, Chicken Entrees, Tandoori Baked Breads, Biryani & Rice, and much more.
As shown in the floor plan exhibit, the dining room in Suite A has table seating for up to about 80 customers. The various tables can accommodate four, five, or six patrons. Once tenant improvements are completed and dining service expands into Suite B, the restaurant would provide just under 30 additional seats. This seating would feature four booths and a counter.
The restaurant’s hours of operation are proposed as 10 am to 10 pm, seven days a week. The applicant has stated that on weeknights the restaurant will often close by 9 pm. There are six (6) employees currently working for the restaurant. Conditions of approval regarding the minimum age and trainings required for the employees handling the alcohol beverage are included in the Resolution.
GENERAL PLAN CONFORMANCE
The General Plan designation of the applicable parcel is Commercial Mixed Use. This designation refers to complementary non-residential and residential uses in the same area. The overall intent is to accommodate growth while helping to reduce auto dependency, preserve open space, promote economic development, and increase housing opportunities. The following General Plan policies apply to this request:
Guiding Policy LU-G-7: Recognize the importance of the mixed-use areas along San Pablo Avenue, San Pablo Dam Road, and Rumrill Boulevard to the vitality and quality of life in San Pablo.
Guiding Policy LU-G-9: Retain and enhance existing commercial, industrial, educational and entertainment land use areas to strengthen San Pablo’s economic base.
Guiding Policy LU-G-13: Preserve and enhance the distinctive character of San Pablo Dam Road and the surrounding hillside neighborhoods.
Implementing Policy LU-I-4: Ensure appropriate transitions between single-family neighborhoods and higher intensity uses.
As part of an existing commercial strip center where the subject site has long been used as a full-service restaurant, the proposed request would be responsive to these policies by expanding their operations and providing a menu that will be attractive to nearby residents and the community as a whole. The applicant has stated that expanding the restaurant space and alcohol offerings will allow the business to offer drinks containing distilled spirits to patrons celebrating special occasions.
ZONING CONFORMANCE
The subject site includes Suites A & B within an existing shopping center that have been in use as a restaurant since at least 1997 and 2015, respectively, according to the information available to the Planning Division. No exterior changes are proposed to the building.
Section 17.62.020 of the Zoning Ordinance defines alcoholic beverages, restrictions on locations for selling or serving alcoholic beverages, and full-service restaurant requirements for alcoholic beverage sales. The subject restaurant is a full-service restaurant, as defined by Section 17.62.020, Alcoholic beverage sales.
The language from the Zoning Code Section 17.62.020, Alcoholic beverage sales is included below:
17.62.020 Alcoholic beverage sales.
A. Purpose. The purpose of this section is to establish site planning, development, and/or operating standards for alcoholic beverage sales businesses. It is the city’s intent, in establishing these standards, to mitigate the potential adverse impacts of this use and activities on adjacent and surrounding land uses.
B. Alcoholic Beverage. For the purposes of this section, “alcoholic beverage” means alcohol, spirits, liquor, wine, beer, or any liquid or solid containing alcohol, spirits, wine, or beer, that contains one-half of one percent or more of alcohol by volume and which is fit for beverage purposes either alone or when diluted, mixed, or combined with other substances.
C. Restrictions on Location. No alcoholic beverage sales use shall be located closer than one thousand feet to any other alcoholic beverage sales use, school, licensed day care center, public park or playground, church, senior citizen facility, or licensed alcohol or drug treatment facility except as follows:
1. If the activity is in conjunction with a full-service restaurant; or
2. In establishments with twenty-five or more full-time equivalent employees and a total gross floor area twenty thousand square feet or more.
D. Full-Service Restaurant. For the purposes of this section, “full-service restaurant” means a place which is regularly and in a bona fide manner used and kept open for the serving of at least lunch and dinner to guests for compensation and which has suitable kitchen facilities connected therewith, containing conveniences for cooking an assortment of foods which may be required for such meals. The sale or service of sandwiches (whether prepared in a kitchen or made elsewhere and heated up on the premises) or snack foods shall not constitute a full-service restaurant. The following additional provisions shall be used to define a full-service restaurant:
1. A full-service restaurant shall serve meals to guests at all times the establishment is open for business. An establishment shall not be considered a full-service restaurant if it serves alcohol without meal service being provided, with the exception that alcohol sales to restaurant patrons may continue for up to two hours after meal service has ceased to allow guests to comfortably complete their meals.
2. The offer of meals is not adequate to meet the above criteria. A full-service restaurant shall make actual and substantial sales of meals to guests for compensation. Substantial sales shall mean that no less than sixty percent of total revenue shall be generated from food service and no more than forty percent of revenue from the sales of alcohol.
3. “Meals” means the usual assortment of foods commonly ordered at various times of the day for the cuisine served. The service of snack foods and/or appetizers alone shall not be deemed compliance with this requirement. Meals shall be prepared on the premises. Heating of food prepared elsewhere shall not constitute a meal for the purposes of this section.
4. Premises shall be equipped for meal service and maintained in good faith. Premises shall possess and maintain appliances for the cooking of a variety of foods such as stoves, ovens, broilers, or other devices, as well as pots, pans, or containers that can be used for cooking. Premises shall possess the necessary utensils, table service, and condiment dispensers with which to serve meals to the public.
5. A full-service restaurant shall comply with all local health department and state standards.
6. A full-service restaurant may have a separate lounge or bar area; provided, that the restaurant and bar/lounge area operate as a single entity. The physical layout, entry location(s), spatial connection between the areas, and operational characteristics, among other factors, shall be used to determine compliance. Any bar/lounge area cannot remain open when the dining area is closed. However, the dining area may be open while the bar/lounge area is closed.
The subject business is consistent with these requirements. It fits the definition of a full-service restaurant presented above. The dining room features ample seating for table service, with a planned dining room expansion into Suite B.
CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT
The necessary findings as outlined in Section 17.20.040B of the Zoning Ordinance state that in order to grant or amend any conditional use permit, the findings of the Planning Commission shall be that the “establishment, maintenance, or operation of the use of the building applied for will not, under the circumstances of the particular case, be detrimental to the health, safety, peace, morals, comfort, and general welfare of persons residing or working in the neighborhood of such proposed use or be detrimental or injurious to property and improvements in the neighborhood or to the general welfare of the city.”
As discussed above, restaurants have operated in the subject suites since at least 1997 and 2015, and the applicant proposes to expand the footprint of the restaurant and to extend its liquor license to offer distilled spirits in addition to beer and wine. The extensive menu as well as other aspects of the business operation will remain consistent with what is existing. The planned tenant improvements to expand the restaurant to the adjacent suite would include adding two doorways to provide access between both suites. Standard cosmetic improvements for branding and consistency, adding a counter and 4 booths
Per ABC License report for Census Tract 3690.02 (Attachment G), there are no other restaurants in the vicinity currently operating with a Type 47 liquor license.
The proposed amendment meets the requirements of the San Pablo General Plan as the project would enhance the existing commercial land use area to strengthen the City’s economic base, and the selling of alcoholic beverages will be ancillary to food service. As the proposed project is aligned with the goals and policies of the General Plan, Planning staff recommends approval to allow on-site general alcohol sales.
The proposed CUP amendment involves re-issuance of the CUP to reflect the larger site and the liquor sales. This CUP will supersede CUP #1672 and will include conditions of approval that supersede all prior conditions.
CONCLUSION
Staff recommends approval of a Conditional Use Permit amendment to expand the premises and to allow full alcohol sales at this location as requested.
Based on the analysis presented above, the findings required for a Conditional Use Permit amendment under the Zoning Ordinance can be met as the project would enhance the existing commercial land use area to strengthen the City’s economic base, and the selling of alcoholic beverages will be ancillary to the food service.
ATTACHMENTS
A. Resolution PC26-04
B. Site Location
C. UP 1672, Existing Use Permit
D. Existing ABC License - Type 41
E. ABC License types and their basic privileges
F. Application Materials: application, menu, floor plan, and letter of explanation
G. ABC License Report for Census Tract 3690.02 & Section 23958.4 of the California
Business and Professions Code
H. Proof of Publication from West County