SEAL BEACH : Plan for Pizza Parlor Meeting Opposition

A plan to refurbish one of the city’s oldest buildings for a pizza parlor franchise has been greeted with skepticism by residents who fear that it will bring parking problems and attract rowdy patrons to Main Street.

The Planning Commission will take up the issue tonight. The ensuing debate is likely to echo several recent controversies that have pitted Main Street merchants against neighborhood residents who want to safeguard the area’s quiet ambience.

The refurbished building in the 200 block of Main Street would be home to B.J.’s Chicago Pizzeria, operated by the Bichsel Co. General partner Gregg Herbert said the restaurant would be “very family-oriented” and would serve “light California” food as well as beer and wine.

Most recently, the two-story building housed a Mexican restaurant, which closed two years ago. The bottom floor is now vacant, and the building’s condition has deteriorated somewhat.

Bichsel wants to renovate the property, removing the exterior stucco facade to reveal the original masonry work, and create a brick patio dining area. The building was constructed in 1925, when a popular amusement park dominated the beach and the city was known as “the Coney Island of the Pacific.” It was one of the first buildings on Main Street.

Residents opposed to the plan argue that there are enough alcohol-selling restaurants already on Main Street.

The residents say the city shouldn’t approve the proposal until officials address their concerns, one of which is noisy bar and restaurant patrons who walk through residential areas at night.

“What we have is an over-concentration of alcohol licenses in a small area,” community activist Charles Antos said. “Before the city approves this, it needs to look at the (larger) issues.”

Antos and others have also expressed concern about parking. Under city codes, the pizza restaurant would be required to provide 26 parking spaces. But the building has only three spaces. Bichsel officials plan to make up for the shortage by paying the city $100 a year for each of the 23 missing parking spaces.

Some residents criticized that idea, claiming that the local parking shortage will still worsen because the city has no plans to use the money to build new parking lots.