By Clarence Cromwell
The Town Council approved an awning and brick-and-glass enclosure at C.B. Hannegan's April 15, a fortunate turn of events for owners Chris Benson and John Hannegan because the structure was completed more than a year ago.
After a 19-month tour of Los Gatos' development review agencies, Benson that evening received a change to the restaurant's conditional- use permit granting permission for the structure.
Benson said outdoor seating is crucial to Hannegan's profit margin. He also explained that he thought the town staff would accept his original changes to the construction plan without further review by the council. But he needed to finish the work in time for a 1995 St. Patrick's Day event, so he went ahead with the project.
Concerned that noise from the patio could disturb nearby residents, the council directed the Planning Department staff to report back in six months on the restaurant. If neighbors complain of the noise, the council might ask for modifications to muffle noise from the patio area.
On Sept. 14, 1994, the Planning Commission approved changes to Hannegan's conditional-use permit that allowed Benson to attach a small, retractable awning to the side of the building and add outdoor seating.
Before receiving permits to do that work, however, Benson built a fireplace on the patio, and covered the entire patio with a larger awning than he asked the commission for. The awning is supported by the beams of a steel frame, and the frame is bolted to the top of a five-foot-tall brick enclosure around the patio that used to be a three-foot-tall planter box.
Benson later added removable glass panels between the top of the brick wall and the lower edge of the awning canopy.
The result might be more accurately described as a building with a breeze than an awning.
After the awning was up, the town staff directed Benson to file a new application for the patio enclosure; it was denied by the Planning Commission on June 14, 1995. When Benson appealed the decision, the council referred the matter to the Development Review Committee. The committee in November 1995 ordered Benson to lower the chimney of the outdoor fireplace and not to cook in it, then bumped the issue back to the Town Council for the final decision on changing the conditional-use permit.
This article appeared in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, April 24, 1996.
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