Hermosa Beach Club 705 retains CUP under modified conditions
The Hermosa Beach Planning Commission voted not to revoke Club 705’s Conditional Use Permit for on-sale alcoholic beverage establishments (CUP), but instead to modify the permit so as to attract a viable future client.
The 8,900 square-foot club, located at 705 Pier Avenue, has been closed since mid-October and the operators are currently seeking a new owner, representative John Bowler said to the commission during the public hearing. He asked that the commission allow the permit to remain intact to allow the greatest flexibility when looking for a new operator.
The report states that Regency Centers, the company that owns Plaza Hermosa shopping center, is in the process of taking possession of the property from the business owners and is actively marketing it for other uses.
Over a two-year period, police responded to 43 calls to the establishment, including 25 noise complaints. Guns have been reported at the site, as well as numerous battery reports from fights, including at least one stabbing.
“It has proven enough of a problem that the owner has decided to sell rather than to create further issues,” wrote Bowler in a letter to the commission.
The commission decided to modify the CUP by limiting their operating hours until 12 p.m. “Because after midnight is when the bulk of all those problems start,” commissioner Ron Pizer said. The previous permit allowed them to operate until 2 a.m.
They also eliminated cover charges except on Thursday through Saturday and determined that no minimum drink requirements can be imposed at any time. ER