Bohr aims to save Alice’s

A Huntington Beach City Councilman is submitting a proposal to let the Central Park fixture Alice’s Breakfast in the Park stay for two more years.

Councilman Keith Bohr said the council will have the chance to vote on a proposal to let the 28-year restaurant stay on at its current low rent until its owner hopes to retire, in 2010.

“I’m saying, all right, you want two more years — well, you’ve got 28 years of goodwill built up,” Bohr said. “It’s really an opportunity for us to say, in this economy, let’s keep it going and grant your wishes given all the time you put into this.”

Bohr said that the more than 20 people who spoke on behalf of the restaurant at the last City Council meeting, waving a petition with more than 1,500 signatures, made him think this was a special case.

The cinnamon roll haven’s owner, Alice Gustafson, said the news made her hopeful, but knew it was far from a done deal.

Under Bohr’s plan, the city would still try to negotiate with those who have submitted proposals to take over the space and repair it, but would ask them to hold on until Labor Day 2010.

In the meantime, the city would be getting all the permits and entitlements ready to start construction the second Alice’s closed. It wouldn’t take much longer than trying to get Gustafson out the hard way, he said.

“We could try to gouge her, have her go away, have all this negotiation,” Bohr said. “Doing it this way, there’s not a real downside, plus an opportunity to provide a giveback to literally a mom and pop — well, a mom operation.”

Other council members said they hoped to find a solution with Gustafson but didn’t yet offer specific plans.

As for concerns that the restaurant getting special consideration would cause problems with other vendors renting city property, Bohr said this was clearly a special case.

“I can say, ‘Well, have you been in town 28 years, plus? Can you show me a petition with this many names on it?’” Bohr said. “Not many people can make that kind of argument.”