WESTLAKE VILLAGE : Pool Hall Approved Despite Objections

The Westlake Village City Council has approved the city’s first pool hall despite the objections of some neighbors.

The council voted 2 to 1 to grant a permit to North Hollywood resident Grigor Ter-Nersesian for a billiard hall and cafe in an old bank building in the 30800 block of Thousand Oaks Boulevard.

Councilwoman Berniece Bennett and Councilman Ken Rufener voted in favor; Mayor Doug Yarrow opposed. Councilman James Emmons excused himself from Wednesday’s vote because he said his property management company manages the mini-mall where the pool hall is to be located.

The permit, which includes provisions to allow Ter-Nersesian to sell alcohol, sparked strong protests from neighbors who filled the back row of the council chambers awaiting their turns to speak.

“I moved here for a reason, that the neighborhood was uniquely Westlake,” said Gregg Miller, a neighbor of the site. Uniquely Westlake, he continued, “is not a billiard hall serving liquor for my daughter or my 4-year-old to walk by. . . . This is a distraction from what we all moved here for.”

But such arguments were countered by those of consultant Mike Kratzer, who represented Ter-Nersesian. Kratzer spoke of his own experiences growing up in the city.

“There is not much to do here but movie theaters and restaurants,” he said. “We need to keep people in the community for their entertainment needs.”

Playing pool at the hall will be costlier than many other forms of entertainment, Kratzer noted. The cost would discourage the poor from playing and would serve to “keep out the people we don’t want,” he said.