Following a lengthy public discussion, the Hermosa Beach City Council Tuesday night approved a conditional use permit to allow the owner of a new restaurant on the pier plaza to sell liquor inside the establishment that will close at midnight with the exception of New Year’s Eve. The vote was 3-1. Councilman Sam Edgerton was the lone dissenter and Councilman Peter Tucker excused himself from the vote.

The new restaurant, Mediterraneo, is located in the same building as the restaurant formerly known as Brewski’s and is owned by the same individual, Tommy Short. Short renovated the restaurant that reflects the new theme and opened this week.

“The improvements will generally change the character of the business from a brew/pub restaurant to a more traditional sit-down restaurant with a broader and more complete menu,” said Community Development Director Sol Blumenfeld. “The changes include a new seating plan, replacement of bar-height tables and lower restaurant tables, and some alterations to the kitchen. Changes to the exterior facade are also included in the project plans.”

Brewski’s opened in August 1995 on Hermosa Beach’s downtown pier plaza. The original owner sold the restaurant to Short of Fort Collins, Colo., two years later. In September, after eight years of operation, Brewski’s closed its doors.

Many restaurant owners and residents also expressed support for the new venture, claiming the new high-class restaurant would attract an up-scale clientele compared to the plaza’s current crowd of patrons.

“I think what we want to do is attract these kinds of restaurants,” said one woman who lives in the nearby area. “As someone who appreciates a classy restaurant, I always end up driving to Manhattan Beach to spend my hard-earned money because the crowd there is more upscale because of the restaurants. In order to get rid of the crowd down there now and attract a more classy clientele, you have to allow for restaurants like Mediterraneo to operate in the city.”

Brewski’s maintained a beer and wine license. Short requested a full liquor license so that the new restaurant, considered an up-scale, fine-dining establishment, could serve cocktails with its gourmet Mediterranean-style menu. Short also requested the restaurant maintain its closing hours of 2 a.m., but the City Council agreed on midnight following public testimony of numerous residents.

“Between midnight and 2 a.m., I don’t see you attracting a high-class crowd,” said Councilman J.R. Reviczky. “You’re going to end up feeding off the crowd that is down there during that time, and you’re not going to find too many $8 martini customers at 2 a.m. I’ve spent a lot of time in the downtown in the middle of the night and I can tell you what’s going on down there. The fact is, some of you (restaurant owners) just aren’t managing your businesses that well. These people aren’t down there to see me and they aren’t down there to see the police. They are down there to see you, so if you are all so concerned about fixing the problem, it needs to start with you.”

Many people living in the immediate neighborhoods expressed concern about the city approving yet another liquor license to a restaurant that would be allowed to remain open until 2 a.m. They felt it would be one more addition to what they perceive to be a proliferation of restaurants, which are converted into makeshift nightclubs following a dinner crowd rush.

“I’ve watched the downtown go through many stages and what is down there now is an abundance of liquor licenses; we have enough problems, we don’t need another one,” said longtime resident Bob Bergstrom. “The Bottle Inn restaurant has no parking lot, only serves beer and wine, and it’s been around for 25 years. If you want to serve fine food, you don’t need a liquor license to do it.”

The CUP also permits the restaurant to have amplified live entertainment that would require Short to hire a sound engineer to conduct an acoustic study. However, Albro Lundy, a representative of the venture, said the owner was not interested in live entertainment, but rather acoustic music such as a piano, harp or background music from a CD playing in a sound system.

“Mediterraneo is very different and will be a nice upgrade to Hermosa Beach, one it needs,” said Lundy. “The owner wants to create a fine-dining atmosphere, but still allow his patrons to enjoy a martini with dinner. I think it will improve the atmosphere down there. Most homes in the area are million-dollar homes and these people are looking for world-class restaurants. Tommy has been a restaurant owner through thick and thin, and he’s not looking for a get-rich scheme by turning his restaurant into a nightclub.”

The City Council voted to appeal the matter at its last meeting. The issue first went before the Planning Commission which voted to approve the CUP to include the sale of liquor, live entertainment and closing hours of 2 a.m. In 1994, the Planning Commission granted a CUP for the sale of beer and wine, and in 1997, the commission approved an amendment to that CUP for the sale of liquor and the use of live entertainment. The establishment never implemented its authority in its CUP to sell liquor.

As a newly elected councilman, Tucker excused himself from the discussion since he participated in the vote as a Planning Commissioner prior to his election into office. All Planning Commission decisions may be appealed by the City Council, which reserves final judgment on any matter. However, if the council experiences a deadlock vote on any matter, the Planning Commission ruling is then upheld.

Edgerton, who wanted to uphold the commission’s decision, voted against the approval claiming the restaurant should be given its full hours of operation and felt the city discriminated against a restaurant owner who’s been a model business entrepreneur in Hermosa Beach.

“This business here has a proven track record and I think to punish it for past problems is not a very fair way to welcome a new business,” said Edgerton. “It may be as simple as the pier has just become too popular and I don’t agree that the crowd is the same as it’s always been. It has become more upscale compared to when Hell’s Angels used to frequent the bars downtown and start fights. It’s not perfect, but it’s better and safer than it was in the past.”