Zoning Office Denies Permit for Video Arcade to Move East on Pico

The Office of Zoning Administration has denied a conditional-use permit that would have allowed a 60-game video arcade on Pico Boulevard to move two blocks east.

Captain Video Games had drawn the wrath of nearby residents and merchants who complained that the proposed new site at 10670-72 Pico Blvd. was inappropriate. The Zoning Administration last week agreed with neighbors.

“The location wasn’t proper to the development of the neighborhood,” said Jack C. Sedwick, associate zoning administrator, who made the decision. Opponents had claimed that an arcade would have attracted teen-age loiterers, brought more crime to the area and aggravated parking and traffic problems.

But many neighbors stressed that they objected to the new location, not the operators, citing the arcade’s many charitable activities in the community.

Councilman Zev Yaroslavsky, who said that the arcade’s good track record did not warrant a denial of a permit, tried unsuccessfully to negotiate a compromise between Captain Video owners and neighbors.

Center Courts Amusement Centers Inc., which owns Captain Video, will appeal the decision, according to Gary Gullette, co-owner and vice president of Center Courts.

Center Courts’ lease ran out Nov. 1 at its current site, which will be torn down. It has been renting on a monthly basis. The company signed a lease for the proposed new site effective Sept. 1.