Officials: Deny alcohol permit
GLENDALE— City officials this week expressed concern about granting a beer and wine sales permit to a billiard’s facility, citing its close proximity to a residential neighborhood.
At a city planning hearing on Wednesday, officials requested the permit application be denied for Billiard’s Corner, at 730 South Central Ave., citing the establishment’s hours of operation were vague, and that a sign forbidding anyone 18 or younger had not been posted for many months until it was warned amid police concerns, city planner Christopher Baxter testified.
“We don’t believe the applicant meets the very threshold that the city sets for [conditional use permits],” Baxter said.
The permit applicant Nicholas Oatway submitted on behalf of the billiard’s owner who wanted to sell beer and wine to boost business and the atmosphere, he said. The billiard’s operating permit expires June 2013.
“The use for this space is as a place of recreation for young people to come off the street and enjoy their own company in a public setting,” Oatway said. “The principal use is not to drink. It’s is not a bar.”
Police expressed concerns over the establishment serving alcohol so close to six schools and two tutoring centers, according a city report.
And while no emergency calls have been tied to the business, police Lt. Bruce Fox said officers have responded to drunk or public drinking calls in the shopping center where it’s located.
The billiard’s census tract already allows 10 businesses to sell alcohol, which exceeds that area’s limit of six.
The billiard facility, which is on the second floor of a shopping center with retail, restaurant and office spaces, makes it difficult for police to monitor from the street, according to the city report.
Having a security guard or additional staff could help boost safety and relieve some police concerns, Fox said.
Police also requested the billiard ban smoking, monitor the parking area, have at least three staff members on the premise and not apply tint to the billiard’s windows.
Oatway said the owner would be willing to comply with the requests.