Small Eateries Free of Coffeehouse Rules

The city has modified its coffeehouse regulations, started last summer to discourage gang activity, because the restrictions also included small sandwich shops and other establishments not considered problem spots, officials said.

“The redesigned ordinance will maintain a level of control for the Police Department but won’t include sandwich shops, doughnut shops, small delis and other businesses that aren’t coffeehouses,” said Don Anderson, the city’s community development director.

The ordinance, which became law in July, was designed to target the city’s numerous dim, smoke-filled coffeehouses, many of which are in the Little Saigon area. Police and city officials said they had become concerned that some establishments had become meeting places for gang members.

Among other regulations, the city set minimum levels for indoor lighting, limited how much windows could be tinted and required the cafes to close at midnight.

But the ordinance was too broad, City Council members decided last week. They voted unanimously to modify the regulations to exclude small food shops.

The problem was brought to the attention of city officials recently when a potential business owner wanted to open a delicatessen, Anderson said. Because of the way the ordinance was written, the owner would have had to obtain a conditional-use permit, which carries a $1,300 fee and requires approval by the city’s Planning Commission after a public hearing.