REFEREEING RINK’S FUTURE

The little rink behind Wally Schneider’s In-Line Kingdom shop is empty.

No miniature roller hockey goalies practice their defThe Rensive blocks there anymore. No shy 6-year-olds squeak onto the asphalt to find courage behind mounds of protective padding. No parents clench their fingers around the two layers of chain-link fence that surround the arena, stretching out the fence as they cheer on their children.

That’s all over. For now.

So Wally Schneider will go back to being just a Pasadena businessman. He will customize and sell in-line skates. He will stock his Rosemead Boulevard store with wheels, jerseys and helmets. And he will keep a giant lock on the back gate of his property. For now.

But In-Line Kingdom hopes one day to reopen for the 200 youngsters who raced to the outdoor rink each season for roller hockey practice.

Never, say some residents who live near the store.

It’s because of their complaints that the hockey rink is closed. They notified Los Angeles County officials that the store built a recreation facility on land zoned for parking.

Schneider’s store is on Rosemead, but the rink stands where the store’s parking lot is supposed to be--off South Backus Street.

Two doors to the north, the Department of Motor Vehicles spills new drivers onto the alley-like street, clogging traffic and causing parking problems. Some residents say Backus doesn’t need the added problem of roller hockey noise, the swoosh of skates and the whoops of enthusiastic parents.

While residents can’t shut down the DMV, they say they can close the rink.

The Los Angeles County Planning Department is uncertain what to do.

After receiving letters of complaint from residents earlier this year, the county notified Schneider that his rink violated zoning regulations and asked him to shut it down until the issue can be settled.

“There are always remedies that are theoretically possible; whether they are practically possible is up to [Schneider], and what [he] submits,” said John Calas, supervising regional planner of zoning enforcement.

After a meeting with the county last week, Schneider said that none of his options seemed viable. He was told he can keep his players rolling either by turning the rink into a nonprofit community facility or by applying for a zoning change that “normally wouldn’t be successful” in a residential area, Calas said. Because of the rink, the shop is short of the required off-site parking.

Schneider could also file for an exception to that rule. But “I wouldn’t think [his chances] would be very good here,” Calas said. “And if they choose to pursue administrative remedies, there are substantial filing fees to consider.”

Under the advisement of his attorney, Schneider did not recruit new teams when the spring season ended last week. But he is gathering a petition of supportive parents and local residents to submit to L.A. County Supervisor Mike Antonovich.

“The fact that our roller hockey league provides an activity that is a deterrent to gangs was never mentioned” at the meeting, Schneider said. “But there may be a political solution.”