Game Arcade Plans to Undergo Review

Plans for a game arcade at Alicia Plaza Shopping Center will be reviewed by the City Council today.

The proposal for a 6,000-square-foot arcade includes setting a $1.95 charge for admission and posting security guards outside. The fee would entitle patrons to play about 50 of the facility’s 170 video game machines at no cost.

Some neighbors and at least one business in the shopping plaza have raised concerns that the arcade might draw teens who would loiter.

“I think this can work as long as there is monitoring of what goes on there,” Councilwoman Cindy Greengold said. “Some of the kids I talked with think the entrance fee will keep out kids who would cause trouble.”

Greengold said her main concern is how the arcade will affect other tenants of the shopping center.

One potential problem is where bicycles would be parked. “There’s no room out front for bikes,” she said.

The arcade would operate from noon to midnight. The city staff has recommended that the council impose a condition that arcade not admit minors during school hours and after 10 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays.

A security guard would be posted outside the arcade from 7 p.m. to closing, according to the proposal. The city would review the need for a guard after six months.