Rooftop Bar Expansion Belongs on the Ballot

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Editor,

I am very grateful to Village Laguna for sponsoring an informative presentation on roof top bars last Monday evening.

While there were many diverse opinions on the subject, there seemed to be no clear-cut consensus as to the future compatibility of roof top bars in our neighborhoods.

From the thoughtful comments presented by the audience, it seemed that most people had a less than favorable opinion on the existing bars and their impact on the community. They also commented that having roof top bars on top of historic buildings violates the very intention of preserving those beautiful buildings as none of them had that originally.

Another comment was about public safety. Well it seems obvious that if you limit roof top bars to those already approved you are doing the community a public service because less drink equal less drunk equal less DUI. And that certainly is a benefit to our community.

Another insightful comment was from a gentleman who stated that 75 percent of the city budget comes from the resident’s contribution through property tax and 25 percent comes from the business community.

If that’s true, then every commission or council decision should be weighted to stand up to that ratio and benefit the residents 75 percent of every decision. I doubt if any city commission or council could live up to such a rule. So if we cannot depend on them to take a hard stand on the future of roof top bars, we should petition to place the matter on the ballot and let the entire community determine what type of community they want. Thanks again to Village Laguna for bringing this matter forward.

 

Don Sheridan, Laguna Beach

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