The Santa Clarita Planning Commission approved a firearms dealer for Valencia and a Newhall smoke shop, with a couple of conditions Tuesday.
The commission approved a by-appointment-only gun seller specializing in niche competitive shooting gear, according to the applicant James Frankian, who was seeking to co-locate a new business in the space currently used by R.T. Frankian & Associates, a geotechnical firm.
Frankian said he plans to have a commercial-grade security system, a limited supply of weapons and ammunition stored on site and limited operating hours, to address some of the questions raised.
He plans to be available for sales at the location from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday, he said.
The Planning Commission approved the co-location with a 5-0 vote.
The commission also approved what it called a “test case” for Top Notch Smoke Shop, which will sell tobacco products and paraphernalia.
The applicant was by right allowed to devote 8 square feet of shelf space for tobacco products, but in order to become a specialty shop, was seeking a permit to expand its potential display space. It also was seeking permission to operate from 10 a.m. to midnight.
Declaring that smokers should be able to get their supplies together by 9 p.m., Planning Commissioner Denise Lite moved for that to be the shop’s closing hour, to which the other members agreed.
The commission also agreed to set the cap on square footage for shelf space at 50% of the allowable display area, as opposed to the approximately 77% that was requested.
The applicant also asked about a possible extension of hours once it had a proven track record of operations at the location. Planning officials said there was a procedure for the store to seek such permission down the road.
The shop ultimately was approved with a 4-1 vote with Planning Commissioner Patsy Ayala opposed.
