NATIONAL CITY, Calif. (KGTV) -- Since the Market on 8th food hall opened its doors in National City in late 2021, it quickly became a go-to for many in the community.
“I love it so far; I come here for breakfast, lunch, meet up with people, watch TV,” said resident Ramel Wallace, who lives nearby.
Last week, National City’s City Council approved revisions to the owner’s conditional use permit (CPU), allowing for live entertainment like bands and DJs, and new wine and craft beer sales until midnight.
For residents like Wallace, the changes are welcome news.
“I’m super excited,” he said standing outside of the food hall Sunday. “I think it’s a reflection of what Market on 8th has done for the community, and that’s bringing people together.”
But not everyone is on board with extending hours.
“I come home, first thing I have to do is wait in front of my house just to get a parking space,” resident David Ramos said at last Tuesday’s council meeting. “This is ridiculous, this can’t happen, I have all my neighbors waiting for parking spots on A Avenue.”
The council heard from people both for and against adding live entertainment and extending alcohol sales. The initial ask by the owner was to extend hours until 2 a.m., which the council did not approve after hearing from residents who would be impacted.
One of the biggest concerns for people who live on A Avenue is parking and loud noise. Ramos told the council that the parking issue needed to be addressed.
National City Mayor Alejandra Sotelo-Solis told ABC 10News that the city council hears and acknowledges the concerns and is looking into plans for additional, paid parking.
“This type of charge happens in other parts of the county, so why not create revenue, balance it out so it doesn’t impact the neighbors and residents that live here 24/7?” said Sotelo-Solis. “Recognizing that with successful businesses, which we support, means more traffic, more people, and we’re hoping to unify.”
She said another important factor is making sure the food hall doesn’t turn into something else with the addition of live music and entertainment.
“You can have live music, but you cannot have dancing, this is not going to turn into a club, that’s not what it was designated for,” she said. “The initial ask was until two in the morning and we at the council felt that as much as we would like to encourage people dropping their tax dollars until 2 in the morning, it’s not fair to the residents who have to deal with people leaving the facility, so we went to 12 o’clock midnight.”
