Paso Robles advances Trader Joe’s store with alcohol license approval

Paso Robles took another concrete step toward getting its Trader Joe’s when the city council unanimously approved the required public convenience or necessity finding for a Type 21 alcohol license at 2457 Golden Hill Road.

That approval matters because the state had already pushed the area past its recommended number of alcohol licenses. In plain terms, city officials had to decide whether this new license still served the public, and staff concluded the request fit the zoning and looked similar to nearby stores already selling alcohol. No one objected at the public hearing, and the council acted at its Tuesday, April 21 meeting in Centennial Park’s Norris Room.

For Trader Joe’s, the license is more than a paperwork checkpoint. A store that can sell beer, wine and liquor has different daily operations than one that cannot. Crew members and managers will need to build those products into merchandising plans, tighten age-verification routines at checkout, and field more questions from shoppers looking to turn one stop into a full basket run. It is also another sign that the Paso Robles project has moved beyond basic planning and into the phase where local approvals, store setup and opening prep start lining up.

The store is planned for Golden Hills Plaza at 2421-2445 Golden Hill Road, near Highway 46 and across from retailers including T.J. Maxx and Lowe’s. The center describes itself as the area’s only major shopping center on SR 46 and lists 1,840,475 annual visits, a daytime population of 34,344 within three miles and 12,494 square feet as the major grocer space.

Trader Joe’s listed Paso Robles as a Coming Soon! opening on March 27, and a company representative told KSBY on March 31 that the store would open soon, though no exact date had been announced. City documents also showed the permit for the 12,494-square-foot store had been approved last October, and construction was already underway.

Once it opens, the Paso Robles store will be Trader Joe’s fourth location in San Luis Obispo County and its second in North County, after the Templeton store at 1111 Rossi Rd. California ABC says some alcohol applications require a public convenience or necessity finding, the process can take more than 90 days and operators should not plan a grand opening until the license is issued. For Paso Robles shoppers and prospective hires, that makes the latest council vote a clear signal: this store is getting closer, but the finish line still runs through state approval.