GARDEN GROVE : Nightclub’s Permit Revoked by Council

Acting on complaints from citizens and the police, the City Council voted unanimously to revoke the conditional-use permit under which the controversial Mr. Barry’s nightclub has operated since 1977.

The council voted 5 to 0 Monday night to uphold an April 19 decision by the Planning Commission, which voted unanimously to revoke the permit. Commissioners said the business, operated by the Self family, was a nuisance to the neighborhood because it generated crime, litter, noise and traffic problems and violated terms of the original permit. The Self family appealed that decision to the council.

Originally approved as a dinner house with a cocktail lounge, the club at 12675 Westminster Ave. has evolved into more of a disco, and late night complaints from neighbors and police calls to the area have soared, city officials said.

Todd McWhirter, representing the Selfs, said Mr. Barry’s is in the middle of a self-imposed cleanup campaign that includes adding a self-closing rear door to reduce noise and a crackdown on rowdiness in the bar and its parking lot.

“I’m not going to insult this council by saying that there’s no crime in the area of Mr. Barry’s, but crimes of a violent nature have been drastically reduced,” McWhirter said.

He also suggested that the presence of a police substation nearby was a contributing factor in the high number of police calls to the bar.

But Doug Holland, an attorney representing the city, said, “The Selfs are not victims. They have failed to effectively manage their business.”

The Self family may now apply for a new conditional-use permit to operate a dinner house or take the matter to Orange County Superior Court, said Gary Baum, assistant city attorney.