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After brief trial period planners nix late-nite fun at The Glen
Neighbors say that the noise from the Lincoln Avenue bar kept them awake
By Jessica Lyons
Last call at The Glen may come a little earlier in the future. On June 23, the City Planning Commission will decide if the popular brew pub, billiards parlor and restaurant will still be allowed to pour drinks until 2 a.m., or if the doors will close at midnight--the current recommendation from city planners.
After a six-month trial period during which the pub was permitted to serve alcohol until 2 a.m. on weekends, The Glen was originally slated for review on June 9. But to accommodate owner John Karamanos' travel schedule, the Planning Commission's public hearing was bumped to June 23.
Last year, Karamanos overcame neighborhood opposition and won a battle he had fought long and hard for: a permit to pour drinks until 2 a.m. on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. But as the trial period comes to a close, city planners are recommending that closing time returns to midnight. They have said that they are prepared to make an exception for up to 10 private events per year, however. At these private parties, The Glen will be permitted to serve alcohol till 2 a.m. and provide live entertainment.
While conceding that the restaurant and billiards bar is an attractive establishment and recognizing that it brings much-desired business to bustling Lincoln Avenue, planners nevertheless determined that a past-midnight closing time is too late.
"Staff feels that the proposed use pushed the limits of what is acceptable at the subject location," reads a memorandum to the Planning Commission. "Staff believes that the Conditional Use Permit, as proposed by staff, provides a reasonable balance between the dual goals of promoting vital uses on Lincoln Avenue and of protecting the surrounding residential neighborhood from undue impact."
Karamanos had little to say about the planning staff's recommendation.
"We'll see what happens," he said. During the six-month trial period, Karamanos says he hasn't heard any complaints. "As far as we know, there have been no problems," he says. "The police department has said they haven't received any complaints. They say they don't even do drive-bys here. The clientele we bring in are very upscale."
Neighbors on Blewett and Meredith avenues, on the other hand, tell a different story. Noise inside the restaurant isn't a problem, they say, it's the outside noise that keeps them awake at night.
"When it's 2:30 in the morning, it gets a little hairy," says Peggy Rossignol, a Meredith Avenue resident. "We see people parking on our street at 2 a.m. They don't mean to be noisy, but their voices carry. And we do have problems with people who are drunk urinating on our lawn."
It's nothing personal against The Glen, Rossignol says, it's a matter of principle. Allowing The Glen to stay open until 2 a.m. sets a dangerous precedent for other neighborhood bars, she says.
"It opens a can of worms. We're not out to get them. We're opposed to any of the businesses staying open that late. None of the other places can stay open till 2 a.m. so why The Glen?"
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Willow Glen, California Since 1992
