CITY FOCUS:Council pulls up the stakes

Huntington Beach Beer Co. owner Cesar Pena’s plans to open a steak restaurant in downtown Huntington Beach appear to be stuck for now after the City Council appealed the steakhouse’s permit.

Ponderosa Steakhouse was set to open in the Pierside Pavilion, on the south side of Walnut Avenue between Main and Third streets.

The planning commission had earlier approved the restaurant, with planning commissioners Flossie Horgan and Elizabeth Burnett voting against the project.

Residents of Pier Colony condominiums have been worried about noise, among other issues, if the restaurant were built.

“This location should be a transitionary area from the bars to the existing residential zone,” R.C. Alley wrote in an e-mail response to questions from the Independent. Alley is a resident who spoke against the proposed restaurant at a council meeting recently.

If approved, the 5,000-square-foot restaurant will have an alcohol license, live entertainment and dancing, four billiard tables and a 1,000-square-foot outdoor dining area.

“A restaurant, coffee shop, retail space or gym all seem to be appropriate transitionary users; a loud bar is not,” Alley wrote.

Residents are worried about live entertainment at the restaurant disturbing the neighborhood.

The site of the Ponderosa Steakhouse was previously occupied by a billiards hall and a karaoke place, and live entertainment was allowed then, said Michael Adams, a consultant working for the steakhouse.

“The original intent of the building was for entertainment,” Adams said. “The Golden Bear operated here for a while before it closed doors.”

Under the planning commission’s conditions, the restaurant permit would be reviewed after six months, Adams said. “This restaurant will be a good neighbor, and if we can do things so we can be better neighbors, we will do that.”

Residents’ concerns were echoed by Police Chief Ken Small. Small recommended no live entertainment at the restaurant, fearing increased calls for service.

In addition, he asked that Pena install a 6- to 8-foot sound barrier so residents would not be affected by noise.

The council will revisit the request at a future meeting.

Former planning commissioner Steve Ray, who approved the project, agreed that the sound barrier — in the form of a see-through wall — should have been required. He said he did not get enough support to make it a condition.

“I was really concerned about noise from the outdoor patio and the mechanical bull near the door,” Ray said.

The city’s sound ordinance requires that noise from an establishment cannot travel more than 50 feet, he said.

“The residences are 65 feet away, and the feeling was to let them go into business and see if the sound travels,” Ray added.

But residents aren’t convinced.

“Mixed-use projects are difficult,” Alley wrote.