County to hear appeal of Rite Aid alcohol license March 20


The County Planning Commission will hear an appeal of the County’s granting of a license to sell beer, wine and spirits to the new Rite-Aid on Friday, March 20, 9 a.m. at 5520 Overland Ave, San Diego.

Several months ago the Valley Center Community Planning Group recommended to the County that the Rite-Aid be allowed to have a beer and wine selling permit allowing for such sales till 10 p.m., but not one to sell spirits. The director of the County Dept. off Planning & Development Services, Mark Wardlaw, overruled the group and granted the permit for beer, wine and spirits.

The planning group voted to appeal, and the appeal will be heard by the Planning Commission on March 20.

Planning group Chairman Delores Harmes told The Roadrunner she plans to attend the hearing on the 20th. 

In a related matter, the planning group at its February meeting heard a report from Harmes on a complaint that has been made about Rite-Aid’s signage, and whether it may violate the Valley Center Design Review Guidelines, which doesn’t allow backlit signs.

Harmes said he had contacted the County’s compliance officer Brandy Contreras, who lives in Valley Center, and had been told that she will look into the matter.

Planning Group Vice Chairman Kevin Smith, who also serves on the VC Design Review Board, said that Rite-Aid had completely bypassed the DRB process and disregarded what it had been told by that board. 

3 responses to “County to hear appeal of Rite Aid alcohol license March 20”

  1. Judy Roth says:

    The liquor license issue is a sticky wicket for sure, with both sides having valid arguments. Drinking at home vs drinking elsewhere & then driving home on the narrow, twisting roads. Difficult call.

  2. Jack Anderson says:

    The Valley Center temperance union is alive and kicking (aka the VC Planning Board). Next they will want to march in the Western Days Parade wearing white dresses and suits and carrying signs declaring the evils that alcohol brings to our little corner of the world.
    I thought I would be able to enjoy my mai tai , made with rum I bought at Rite-Aid, with a little paper umbrella in it, on my patio, watching the sunset after a hard days work, but no the anti-alcohol temperance crowd at the VCPB just won’t stop telling us how to live our lives. Their hidden agenda is to make it impossible for Rite -Aid to make a profit and have to close thereby, achieving their original goal of blocking them from coming to VC.
    Message to the SD County Board of Supervisors: Please ignore the VCPB as much as possible, they are wasting my/our tax dollars and your time with their nonsense.

  3. JayBuehler says:

    From Rosemary:
    We already have hard alcohol being sold at several local stores here, not to mention the many casinos. One more outlet, with better pricing, isn’t going to make a difference-except to the owners of the small “grocery” stores here. If you’re stupid enough to drink and drive, you can do it while drinking beer or wine as well as “demon” spirits.
    My big objection is to the signage requirements. The current signs that I see almost daily from Woods Valley Road to Cole Grade aren’t impressive, quaint or even decent looking (with the exceptions of the newer gas station and Tractor Supply. The red, white and blue colors just don’t fit with the colors of the buildings, the landscaping or the architecture of the stores. Back lit signs don’t have to be bad; you just need appropriate colors, sizes and hours of use, if necessary.
    Most of that stretch of businesses is pretty darn tacky looking. The fact that the Planning Committee/County hasn’t tackled that sight or done proper planning and zoning told us long ago not to listen to them. On the stretch from Woods Valley to Mirar de Valle, there are office buildings next to industrial (car repair with lifts and shade cloths), residential (a mobile home park) and storage of heavy equipment with unsightly sheds. Is this what the locals call “charming”?
    Just let the County do their job. The local Planning Committee in the past sure hasn’t improved the business district. I look forward to the new group of Planning volunteers. Maybe we can see a village that isn’t embarrassing to drive by.

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