Commission to get a shot at pool hall debate

Jennifer Kho

COSTA MESA -- The Planning Commission tonight will have to sort

through a disagreement over whether a pool hall should be allowed to keep

an outdoor smoking area.

The panel’s review of Q-Club Billiards & Cafe’s compliance with

modified permits, which were approved in August, originally was scheduled

Nov. 27. It was continued until tonight, however, because neither the

property owner nor neighbors who have filed complaints about the pool

hall at 1525 Mesa Verde Drive East came to 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 originally applied for permission to create an outdoor

dining patio and sell hard liquor but withdrew the application after the

commission received several complaints in August about customers smoking

and loitering in front of the cafe.

Greg Dean, husband of Jean Savopolos, who owns the nearby Dancers in

Motion dance studio, urged the Planning Commission in August to approve

modified permits for Q-Club.

“With [George Jabra, manager of the cafe in August] here, I think it’s

going to be a family-oriented business,” Dean said then. “I say give him

a try with the 90 days.”

But now, Michelle Karr, Q-Club’s assistant manager, said Jabra no

longer works there.

And Savopolos said things are just not working out.

“As much as I like to be supportive of everyone’s business, [the

Q-Club] is just not good for my business because people are outside

smoking and loitering,” she said.

“As much as I know the owner does try to keep track of that, it’s not

always easy to get clients to do what you want, and I understand that.

“It’s hard for me, but parents have a right to be concerned about

their daughters when [there are] people staring at them through the

windows and things like that.”

Karr said she is optimistic that a compromise can be reached.

“We are going to need to compromise, but it is going to work out,” she

said. “A lot of people don’t like authority and sometimes people just

laugh at me. It gets pretty silly here sometimes.”

In other action, the Planning Commission is scheduled to review a new

development proposal on part of the Target property, a five-home Garden

Lane development and a request by Orchid Restaurant to extend its hours

of operation.

FYI

* What: Costa Mesa Planning Commission meeting

* When: 6:30 tonight

* Where: City Hall, 77 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa

* Information: (714) 754-5223