Moorpark Orders Neighborhood Pizzeria to Close by 10

Beer and pizza may seem a natural match, hardly the kind of thing to which anyone but dieters could object. Likewise, under most circumstances, few would bat an eyelash at the idea of a restaurant that stays open past 10 p.m.

But when the proposed pizzeria is smack in the middle of a quiet neighborhood and near a school, the idea of late hours and alcohol upsets some Moorpark residents.

Acting on some of those concerns, the Moorpark City Council voted late Wednesday to deny a request from West Coast Pizza, which will soon move into a shopping center on Tierra Rejada Road near Moorpark High School, to stay open past the center’s 10 p.m. closing time.

But the council did agree to let the restaurant serve beer and wine, noting that the pizzeria’s owners have a reputation as responsible members of the community--a reputation bolstered at Wednesday’s meeting by the testimonials of customers and friends.

West Coast Pizza’s owners, Harry and Kim Carbonati, said Thursday that they will ask the council to reconsider extending their restaurant’s hours.

Their initial request drew about 40 people to City Hall for the council meeting, some armed with stacks of petitions to bolster both sides of the issue.

“Do we really think it’s necessary to have a bar, or a place where we can drink beer, right across the street from the high school?” neighborhood resident Barry Kingston asked the council.

Others were more concerned about the hours of operation. The council had already set 10 p.m. as the closing time for the entire center, which is still under construction, and some people living on the surrounding streets said they dreaded the prospect of traffic and noise later at night.

“We welcome the Carbonatis as the responsible business owners they must be,” said Lori Rutter. “However, we will never relinquish the serenity and beauty of our neighborhood.”

Fans of the pizza parlor, now in the Park Lane Plaza on West Los Angeles Avenue, argued that the Carbonatis were simply trying to improve the service they already offer to the community.

West Coast Pizza, which now has seating for about 12 people, usually closes its doors at 10 p.m., but sometimes delivers until 11 p.m. It does not serve beer and wine. The new, 2,000-square-foot restaurant will have room for 60 to 80 customers, Harry Carbonati said.

Their supporters described the Carbonatis as local entrepreneurs who deserved the city’s support.

“Visit [Kim’s] store, and talk to her, and see that she is the kind of business person we want to develop in Moorpark,” said customer Frank Boller.

A majority of council members, however, decided to stick with the closing time already set for the shopping plaza, saying they did not want to set a precedent for other stores that might want to extend their hours.

“I’m concerned that by granting a minor modification for one business, the pressures that would mount from other businesses in that center would be incredible,” said Councilman Pat Hunter.

Kim Carbonati, however, on Thursday questioned whether Hunter should have voted on the request at all. Acting on the advice of the city attorney, Hunter had abstained from earlier council hearings on the shopping center, which sits several blocks away from his home on Alderglen Street.

Hunter said Thursday that those earlier hearings, which concerned the entire shopping center, could have changed the value of his home by more than $10,000--the yardstick used to determine whether council members living near a project should abstain from a vote.

However, since the Carbonatis’ requests probably would have lesser impact, if any at all, on his home’s value, the city attorney advised him that he could participate in the vote, Hunter said.