Santa Monica : Coffeehouse Plan Rejected
The Santa Monica City Council on Tuesday voted to deny a request by a nightclub-restaurant on the Third Street Promenade to open a coffeehouse serving alcohol in the basement of its building.
Council members said their vote was, in part, one of “no confidence” in the management of the Golden Monkey Club and Cafe because of chronic noise problems at the club. Several said they had visited the Promenade when the Golden Monkey’s doors stood open, music blaring.
Randy Larscheid, general manager of the Golden Monkey, argued that opening the 2,600-square-foot coffeehouse would be no more than a reallocation of seating, but council members did not see it that way. Councilman Kelly Olsen said he feared that the coffeehouse would be “another bar within the bar.”
Councilman Dennis Zane said the request would translate into “more people, longer lines and more congestion at that corner.”
The club, at Santa Monica Boulevard and the Promenade, is owned by JWS Investment Co. It draws crowds of young adults, who wait in long lines to get inside. The council has expressed fears that young people will take over the Promenade, driving older adults and families away.
But Larscheid said the coffeehouse concept was “an effort to get an older crowd.” He said the council ruling was unfair.
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