Two families trying to bring life to the downtown and it has been a slow and painful process for one of the families.
It started in 2001 for Jason Abboud and his family and immigrant from Lebanon who purchased a building in downtown Pomona from an estate sale. Many of the locals wanted to buy this building and had put offers.
Abboud was able to purchase the building and slowly purchase total of 9 buildings making it a total of two and half blocks for downtown. The buildings had 90% vacancy and needed a lot of work. Slowly Jason Abboud started to lease space to antique dealers as this was the only type of business allowed to lease in the Antique colony. He offered the buildings at 20-40 cents per square foot and once the retail was leased, he converted the abandant second floor of the buildings into work live lofts. He created a website www.secondstreetpromenade.com
Still with no traffic on the street, with Western Medical University next door, it made sense open a Pizza restaurant on the corner of 2nd and Garey Ave. Very few students dared to walk two blocks to the restaurant as they were scared and intimidated by the homeless and the pan handlers.
Few of the owners got together and decided to create a self improvement district which provided 24/7 security, and many services that the city of Pomona did not have a budget for including clean up of sidewalks, alleys, picking up trash, marketing events including farmers market etc. Jason Abboud was the president of the committee that helped establish the DPOA and Metro Pomona.
Many of the merchants where worried that the new tax would trickle to the tenant and marched and held signs that the Abboud and the Tessier will bring the end of business for downtown. This would cost the Abboud family approx 15000 per year and for the past 6 years the Abboud’s paid the extra tax to provide marketing for the downtown, a safe and clean environment for their tenants.
Lunch Business at Angelo’s Pizza was good however downtown Pomona was a ghost town in the evenings and business struggled. The only time there was a sign of life was when the glass house had a concert and many of the people ventured out to walk around the street either to etch glass, graffiti walls and now with Angelo’s they can get a bite of Pizza.
The city gives the Tessier family the Fox Theater for a deal that they could not refuse, the Tessier family and couple of prospective tenants decided to get entertainment permits for the Fox, the Brick and the Comedy Theater. Full liquor and entertainment with ability to open till 4 AM. The roof of the Fox Theater gets to open 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Jason Abboud applies at the same time and planning grants him the same approval for Angelo’s and the new Metro Pomona Brewery restaurant & Banquet Facility. Councilman Freddie Rodriquez appeals the planning commission approval for Metro Brewery & Banquet facility for 4 AM closing, Councilwoman Paula Lantz appeals the planning commission approval for the Angelo’s Pizza.
Abboud tried to reach to both council members that the idea of staying late has been proven in many cities that it helped reduce incidents. It did not mater that Planning Commission did approve two other businesses it was not for the Abboud’s.
Never the less business at Angelos more than tripled in sales, thanks for evening business. Angelo’s was hosting bands, comedians and dj and corner of 2nd and garey was busy.
Jason Abboud cousin decided to open Samir’s smoke shop on 130 e. 1st street (behind Angelo’s). Samir’s sold cigars, cigarettes, and bulk tobacco for hookah and pipes. Patrons purchased the tobacco to go and some choose to smoke it inside as it is done in many smoke shops all over. Samir would offer his patrons coffee or tee and the smoke shop was a hit and many people from city staff, council, x-mayor and business people went to the smoke shop.
City manager Doug Dunlap retires, new city officials and new city officials starts a downward spiral for business east of Garey Ave. A new restaurant wanted to open on 2nd street west of Garey Ave that wanted to offer hookah tobacco, they were granted a permit, the new planning department decided that Samir’s could not have smoking inside and needed a conditional use permit. The operator requested to get the same permit that the restaurant got and they refused. Letters and threats by city Attorney and code enforcement shut him down. Jason Abboud forked up the money to get Samir a conditional use permit, planning had to get evolved and limit his hours to only few days a week, required him to get a sidewalk permit for 400 dollars to allow patron to smoke outside. 3000 dollars later he is now open, he had lost many of his customers and now only could open couple days a week.
Planning and City Attorney went after another tenant of the Abboud, Locust Lounge. Many letters threats, pressure by the police department shut down Locust Lounge.
The next target now was Angelo’s. A gang member gets shot at a bar in downtown Pomona, the city does not do anything, picinni dancers in another gay and lesbian bar with picini dancers dancing on the bar is not challenged especially when the person head of security a city employee giving tickets in the day times. Angelo’s draw attention as been a successful business with lines of people waiting to get in on Friday and Saturday. As one of two people that spoke against Angelo’s in a council hearing that he was not happy to wait to get in to Angelo’s after 10 as there is a long line of patrons. Code enforcent send a letter to Jason abboud in August with few items, Abboud responds to the letter the next day. In Feb 2009 Samirs gets invited to the planning to discuss conditions for his operation. Jason goes with Samir and explains Samir being and asset to the community by being open he is watching for the neighborhood and that many of his clients are tenants that live in the lofts during the week it helped made it look like there are people on the street. After the hearing Abboud gets a letter from planning with more conditions for Angelo’s. Jason responds in a letter back to planning department showing how he met the conditions and that couple of the conditions where not fair.
Instead of having a hearing as required by code, the director of Planning Mark Lazaretto and Planning Manager Brad Johnson decided that the seek a revocation hearing by the city council to modify and or revoke Angelo’s Entertainment License. Jason abboud tried to reason with both saying that this hearing will cost the Abboud’s attorney fees and it will cost the city attorney fees. The feel on deaf ears, Abboud hired a council and met with city attorney and bills started to pile up on both.
City Pomona police department set up a car outside Angelo’s every Thursday, Friday & Sunday. Patrons, where being harassed and arrested for any thing. Some of experienced Promoters that Jason hired to promoters to market the downtown express to Jason that they have not seen anything like this.
One week before the hearing, the city attorney provides a two binders for every letter sent out, copies for permits on the building since 1930’s, charts and service calls. You can tell that the city of Pomona paid their city attorney lots of money to try to build a case.
Jason Abboud requested from the police records reports for other bars in downtown to see how they compare, and questioned some of the evidence presented that it was for other venues. This information was not given to Abboud, in an email by police dept they agreed to give it to him after the hearing because it takes too much time to compile. The hearing went one; Abboud has already spent $ 40,000 in attorney cost, business dropped with police presence outside of the restaurant on every event. Abboud had witness waiting to testify however was persuaded by his attorney that is tough to fight city hall and if we lost we can appeal and it would cost $ 50,000 in additional cost and we might get a judgment in our favor in the millions of dollars. It was a bad decision that Abboud cohursed in accepting 11 new conditions: cutting his hours, on slow days Sunday-Wed from 2 am to 12 am with last call at 11 pm! Thursday through Saturday, hours stay till 2 am however last call for alcohol to be at 1 am. Cannot serve liquor in the patio after 8 pm, 21 and over after 10 PM. Any event if it was a banquet, fundraiser, band, or dj which was majority of Angelo’s clientele where 18 and over.
All of the promoters even though were loyal to Abboud, changed and went to work at other bars in Pomona that can open till 4 AM in the morning. Abboud completely complies with all of 10 conditions, on 11 th conditions was not defined it council meeting, abboud received a letter from director of Planning and planning manger added few more items.
Jason Abboud invites Councilwoman Paula Lantz and Tim and planning manager Brad Johnson and Frank of chamber of commerce to visit the new brewery abboud is building. The meeting started at Angelo’s councilwoman Paula and Brad mentioned that fact that small bench in the back needed to be removed, small stage has been there for 5 years when the restaurant was built need to go and permit for a band stage that was relocated from one spot to another by the order of planning dept. The conditions where not much, Abboud took care of the conditions prior to the council meeting on the following Monday. Everyone was impressed with the new 4 story brewery and banquet facility and it went well.
On Monday council meeting. Director of Planning, Mark Lazzaretto goes in-front of city council and says that Angelo’s did not comply. Councilwoman Paula Lantz agree that with mark as she saw the stage and the bench, Abboud tried to talk, he was told he did not have a speaker card, finally was allowed to speak for 3 minutes and was not allowed to present an evidence to contrary of what he was being accused.
With business at 30% of what it was the operator is loosing money to stay open, he finally finds couple new promoters for comedy and band. As required by the conditional use permit, entertainment is allowed however in order to charge at the door, you have to get an entertainment license. The licensed expired in Oct, the city agreed to allow the operated extension to come up with the money to pay the license. With business low and no entertainment, Abboud decided to spend $2500 in penny savor adds to build the business, about $ 1000 in printing, lost over $ 10,000 in Oct and $ 15,000 in November to keep the doors open.
He borrow more, now on the line of credit to pay for the entertainment permit.
Angelo’s manger tries to go to pay for the entertainment permit, the clerk is out for week on sick leave, the other clerk said that Angelo’s will need to get this approved by planning manger.
Initiall Brad wanted a revised plan for the restaurant layout that was done; now he wanted a new application before he accepts the money. Renan explained to Brad the urgency as now we have events that we are advertizing and we are charging $5-10 fee to pay the promoter for the cost of advertizing. It was for the next day, Brad is not there, and finally someone accepts payment for the permit.
On the same day before the city closes and before Angelo’s comedy night, we get an email that the permit has not issued and it is missing two key points.
On Thursday evening a police offers comes in and asked if Angelo’s was charging for entertainment. On Friday another officer comes and says that on Thursday morning the police dept gets an email saying that Angelo did not pay for their entertainment permit!
On Tues, Abboud still does not know what are the two key conditions for the approval sends an email to Brad saying please let me know was they are as this should have been a slam dunk show the plan, pay a fee and now more requirements. At 6:11 PM after the city goes on their holiday till Jan 4th, Angelo’s get an email from Brad saying that still looking five things and not two key things as the previous email:
Who building owner (Abboud owns the building and the restaurant) Floor Plan (it was submitted showing the dining areas and the dance floor) Planing wanted more details including scaled drawing showing the layout of tables and chars for each entertainment event.
Site plan (that was submitted with the last entertainment permit and with restaurant plans) Description of activities in the restaurant (that was submitted with the new application)
List of events: describe all promoters, type of events, and days and times of each event. (the conditional use permit issued by the city that planning sent us a copy of details of all uses and days of operation)
Similar delays on an application for a new restaurant that Jason Abboud is opening called Hardy Café to replace Locust Lounge. An application was submitted Dec 1 and still not approved it normally takes 20 days to get approved with the city closed till Jan 4th it seems that there is no rush on behave to the city to help an operator open for Christmas or new years party. This loss will cost the operator about 10,000 to 20,000 in loss of revenues from missing out on the best month to do events for a restaurant.
In an email from Brad Johnson
Mr. Abboud. It is not the position of the City to make it difficult for you or any business owner to operate their business in the City of Pomona. We are diligently working towards the same goal of continued revitalization of the City’s Downtown core. It is the position and duty of the City to ensure that any applicable City ordinances are followed and any conditions of approval under CUPs are adhered to. As you are aware, from recent City correspondence, City Council hearings and status update meeting on your CUP modification, the city is not convinced that you are complying with your revised and agreed upon conditions. The entertainment business permit is not the same type of permit as a business license permit as you reference in your comments below. In response to your request for the missing elements of your recent request for renewal of your annual entertainment business permit, I have attached a letter that was mailed out to you earlier today. Once the business license division determines your application is complete, it will be routed to the respective City divisions (including planning) as outlined in the Entertainment Permit Ordinance, for review and comment. Please work with the business license department to complete your revised application submittal. City hall is closed beginning December 23rd and will be open again January 4th. City staff will be available after Jan 4th to discuss this matter with you. Thank you for your cooperation on this matter.
Brad Johnson
Planning Manager
Community Development Department
What is the real motive behind all these delays and road blocks is it because of of status of being an immigrant, or is it jelocy and or ulterior motives to help another operator get business so that they can pay rent and allowing business on East of Garey to suffer and close. Is there a conspiracy to put abboud out of business so someone can come in and buy him out as he has been approached recently with offers to buy him out.
Is this business as usual in city of Pomona or is he and his tenants being singled out. We may never know.
* All articles, views strictly express the views of their signed authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Beirut Times management.
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