Inside CITYHALL

Jennifer Kho

WHAT HAPPENED: The Costa Mesa Planning Commission postponed reviewing

the Q-Club Billiards & Cafe for another 90 days.

WHAT IT MEANS: The commission originally was scheduled to review

the cafe’s compliance with modified permits that were approved in August

on Nov. 27.

The review was delayed until Monday’s meeting because neither the

property owner nor neighbors who have filed complaints about the cafe at

1525 Mesa Verde Drive East attended the November meeting.

The business is allowed to have a small smoking area in back of the

cafe but is not allowed to serve food or alcohol there. It also must

supervise the area to minimize noise.

The owners had applied for permission to create an outdoor dining

patio and sell hard liquor but withdrew that application after the

commission received several complaints in August about customers smoking

and loitering in front of the cafe.

Monday’s review will allow the landlord, Mark Les, to try to resolve

differences among tenants, which include the Q-Club Billiards & Cafe and

the Dancers in Motion dance studio, which filed a complaint against the

cafe.

Les is scheduled to present his resolution of the issue to the

commission in March.

WHAT THEY SAID: “This is not really a land-use issue because it is

not a dispute between two different properties,” said Walt Davenport,

chairman for the commission. “It’s between tenants within a single

property, and we decided the community is spending too much time trying

to work out something that is really the landlord’s responsibility. [Les]

will tell us how he’s going to make it work for everybody.”

VOTE: 5-0 approved

WHAT HAPPENED: The commission approved extended hours for the

Orchid restaurant, 3033 Bristol St.

WHAT IT MEANS: The restaurant is allowed to stay open from 11:30

a.m. Fridays and Saturdays to 4 a.m. Saturdays and Sundays, respectively.

It was previously open until 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday nights. On

other days, the restaurant is open until 9:30 p.m.

WHAT THEY SAID: Orchid Restaurant representatives “say they have a

demand to continue serving food after the normal closing hours, and there

doesn’t appear that it would have a negative effect on other businesses

or residential properties,” Davenport said.

VOTE: 5-0 approved

WHAT HAPPENED: Planning staff approved revised site plans for the

undeveloped part of the Target property. The commission received and

filed the revisions but did not discuss the plans or vote on them.

WHAT IT MEANS: The undeveloped part of the project at 3030 Harbor

Blvd. was previously approved for 58,200 square feet of land, with five

buildings on 17,925 additional square feet.

The developer, Keenan & Bariteau, has modified the project to have

tenants and shops on 56,257 square feet of the property, to consolidate

plans for two buildings -- previously approved to total 7,425 square feet

-- to one 5,200-square-foot building and to increase the size of the

remaining three buildings from 10,500 square feet to 18,933 square feet.