The Santa Clarita Planning Commission’s last meeting of the year is set to review permit applications for a firearms dealer in Valencia and a tobacconist near Old Town Newhall.
The first application, for Liberty & Justice Firearms, was filed in August and seeks to open a by-appointment-only location in a business park on Huntington Lane, which is off Avenue Stanford, just east of Interstate 5.
The other application on the agenda is for Top Notch Smoke Shop, a 600-square-foot tobacco paraphernalia business, between 2nd and 3rd streets on Newhall Avenue in Newhall.
Guns and ammo
Liberty & Justice would not be a storefront retail location, according to its application, but rather a by-appointment business open three days a week, “co-located with an existing geotechnical consulting firm,” already at its desired location, 26027 Huntington Lane, Suite A.
Sales also would require a referral, according to city documents, and only from the hours of 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
The applicant, James Frankian, submitted numerous letters of support from his community networks as a board member at both Village Christian School and the Burbank Athletics Federation Board.
“On-site inventory would generally be limited to product that was ordered and paid for by clients; however, a small quantity of the most in-demand types of ammunition would also be stored on-site,” according to the city’s agenda for Tuesday, which details the application. “Inventory would be stored in a California Department of Justice (DOJ)-approved safe or vault in a secure second-floor storage room.”
The proposed recommendation from city staff is for approval as city planners found its proposed uses consistent with a business park designation, according to the city.
Smoke shop
A city operation permit is required for businesses that have more than 8 square feet of shelf space dedicated to tobacco paraphernalia, according to the city’s planning agenda.
Top Notch first sought its permit to operate Feb. 23, 2023. That approval conditioned the display to a 2-feet-by-4-feet limit.
In June, an application for more space for tobacco sales was sought. The city said it finished its application in April 2024.
The new store will have about three-quarters of its shelf space dedicated to tobacco paraphernalia, with its hours of operations scheduled for 10 a.m. to midnight.
Such a location is allowed under the Old Town Newhall Specific Plan as long as a conditional use permit is granted.
