December 10, 1996
Jim Prandi, Planning Department
City of San Jose
fax 408/277-3250
re: "Billiard & Brew", CP-96-08-071
Dear Mr. Prandi,
The Willow Glen Neighborhood Association (WGNA) has been working with John Karamanos and Horst Brenner, Billiards & Brew (B&B) partners, ever since they first presented to us their preliminary ideas for a billiards and brew-pub for Willow Glen. Our interests are solely for the good of the community, and so we have helped them and the surrounding neighbors work together to find a plan acceptable to all. We even helped moderate a special neighborhood meeting with adjacent residents.
The biggest concerns have been noise and parking. We feel that the issues have been adequately addressed:
B&B is upgrading the wall behind the property to reduce noise for the Blewett Ave. residents;
they will designate the back parking lot to be handicap and employee parking only; and
they have leased parking spaces in several adjacent lots to handle the full parking demand of the facility.
We have worked with the B&B partners to limit their hours of operation, so as to avoid late night noise.
We understand that some residents of the Lincolnshire Townhouses, behind the Bank of America parking lot, have expressed concerns that the B&B have leased the distant parking spaces, closest to their homes. We doubt that the B&B will cause any problems: the peak demand for the B&B will probably be in the evening, when the BofA lot will be empty, so the B&B patrons will generally use the near parking spaces furthest from the townhomes. In addition, there often is available street parking at that time, so the lot may not even need to be used on many days.
We appreciate the efforts that Karamanos and Brenner have made to create a facility that will be a welcome addition to Lincoln Avenue. They have addressed the various concerns, and have developed a most satisfactory design. We urge that you quickly approve their proposal.
Thank you,
Lawrence Lowell Ames, President.
cc: Councilmember Frank Fiscalini.