The Willow Glen Resident

Brewpub may get the nod to stay open until 2 a.m.

Pub's owner plans to appeal to City Council if needed

By Cecily Barnes

Willow Glen Billiards and Brew might yet get permission to stay up late.

Another San Jose Planning Commission hearing has been scheduled for Feb. 25, and if the 2 a.m. permit request is turned down, owner John Karamanos plans to appeal to the City Council.

When Karamanos requested a permit last November to stay open until 2 a.m., the Planning Commission tabled the matter and told him to come back in July. After wading through mounds of red tape, Karamanos managed to get the issue put back on the commission's agenda. He says he just wants the commission to vote one way or the other.

"If they had said no, we could have appealed it to the City Council, but they tabled it, so now we can't appeal it," Karamanos said. "But we're going to appeal it anyway."

At its Feb. 11 meeting, the Willow Glen Neighborhood Association reaffirmed its support of the brewpub having extended hours on Friday and Saturday nights, as long as conditions were included in the permit to protect neighbors.

The WGNA took its second vote on the issue at last week's meeting, and eight of the 10 board members supported this position, while two felt not enough was done for the neighbors. WGNA board members Tiralisa Kaplow and Pat Whiteside opposed the board's position.

"The policy states that 24-hour uses are not allowed adjacent to residential areas, and the policy was drafted in order to protect residential areas," Kaplow said. "Without proper setback and the separation requirement, the neighbors are going to be impacted."

The remaining WGNA board members said they'd leave it up to the Planning Commission to impose restrictions on the brewpub in order to protect the neighbors.

Neighbors on Meredith Avenue say they will continue to oppose the 24-hour permit until their street is protected either by permit parking or a one-way sign. They also say they want some mitigation against noise from the bar, which they think will worsen when the weather warms up.

"On a good day it's hard for residents to park on our street," said Meredith Avenue resident Kathy Shanley. "Billiards and Brew has permit parking, but they charge $3, and I don't know why anyone would pay when they can park for free on Meredith."

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