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Council Watch
Lincoln Ave. nightclub gets second reprieve on closing time
The Glen's owners retain the Garden Theater's former attorney as counsel
By Jessica Lyons
A last-minute continuance from the city's planning department has bought The Glen a little more time to pour late-night drinks on Lincoln Avenue.
Originally scheduled for June 23, judgment day for the upscale brew pub, billiards hall and restaurant will now come two weeks later. On July 7, the Planning Commission will decide if The Glen will still be allowed to serve alcohol till 2 a.m., or if closing time will return to midnight--the current recommendation from city planners--with the exception of 10 private parties per year.
But if The Glen's landlord, R & S Properties, has any say in the matter, closing time will return to midnight for good. The landlord doesn't want any late-night hours for The Glen--not even for the 10 private events, says Larry Wallerstein, attorney for R & S Properties.
"The neighborhood doesn't like the [2 a.m. closing time], it isn't required by the city and it is beyond what the landlord consented to initially," says Larry Wallerstein, attorney for R & S Properties.
The neighbors don't like being awakened from sleep in the early morning hours, Wallerstein says. And if the neighbors--or the city--are unhappy, it's not only The Glen's problem, it's R & S Properties responsibility as well.
"We are held to the same standard as our tenant," he says. "And we're sympathetic to the neighborhood. I've personally talked to five people who are totally against the Glen's operating hours and I'm not even looking for people."
The Glen's co-owners, John and Stella Karamanos, however, maintain that they have not heard any complaints. The husband and wife team asked that the commission's public hearing be postponed because of a change of attorneys. They said they needed time to bring their new lawyer, Barton Hechtman, up to speed.
Hechtman previously represented Garden Theater owner Luis Tsigaris before the commission.
To determine neighborhood sentiment on The Glen's 2 a.m. closing time, Stella went knocking door to door on Blewett and Meredith avenues.
"I was walking the neighborhoods to see if neighbors had any concerns with our establishment, Stella says. "I didn't hear any problems."
Anyone who answered the door received a $25 gift certificate for The Glen.
"They were given vouchers as publicity for The Glen, and because I was intruding upon their time."
Some neighbors, however, say that key houses on Meredith and Blewett that have historically opposed The Glen's 2 a.m. closing time, were strategically skipped over. Stella says she wasn't out to change anyone's mind.
"I'm not out to change people's opinions," Stella says. "Nobody's going to agree with you 100 percent of the time, and I can respect their opinion. We all have to figure out how we can coincide and live together. A lot of people do want this [The Glen] in their local downtown, and we all can coexist in the world."
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Willow Glen, California Since 1992
