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Redcoats British Pub will now be allowed to offer music and dancing from Thursday through Sunday after the Planning Commission unanimously approved its request Wednesday night to add two additional days of entertainment during the week.
The restaurant, located at 336 St. Mary St., had been offering DJ music for its patrons on Friday and Saturday nights but was looking to extend the entertainment to draw a wider age group and more sales as the business has seen its profits decline in the current economic downturn.
Redcoats owner Mari Kennard said she opened her restaurant in 2005 with 50 employees; now with the economy she has just 21.
“If you talk to all of the merchants downtown, you’ll find that we’re all in survival mode,” she told the commission. “There is a demand for this. My hope is that with Wednesday and Thursday music, it will attract more people and expand it to those who are not in the younger age group.”
Kennard added that she’s gone above and beyond to be courteous to her neighboring business and Gene and Genie Finch, who live 30 feet from the restaurant.
But while Gene Finch said he’s supported Redcoats since it opened, he couldn’t back the proposal to have the indoor music until midnight on Wednesdays and Thursdays, asking instead that the commission limit the entertainment to 10 p.m. Music is currently allowed through 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday nights.
“All we’re asking for is a good neighbor policy,” he said. “The music vibrates.”
In addition, Finch said he keeps all his windows and skylights closed because the smell of smoke is always emanating.
But Kennard, who was backed by her security staff and other downtown business owners who spoke, said it can be difficult to police people on where they smoke and dump their cigarette butts.
As part of the commission’s approval, a condition was added that Redcoats must provide signage to direct smokers to the side of the building where there is a bench, as well as replace a smoking receptacle that was stolen.
Of COURSE the planning commission approved it, want to bet they all get free drinks for life at the bar? With the merchants steamrolling everyone else it had to pass. Bet they packed the hearing with their shills again.
I could agree with later hours if the establishment is RESPONSIBLE about it. Along with the smoking signage will they also have the following?
1. Please step to the curb to puke, and try real hard not to spew on innocent pedestrians or their vehicles.
2. When you throw your bottles at vehicles, please be sure that you have a particular reason to aim at that vehicle. Drivers should not be randomly targeted.
3. Men — when relieving yourselves on the property of local homeowners, please try to do so without exposing yourselves to small children. And remember that high nitrogen harms some plants so be careful what you aim at.
4. Women — oh, never mind, ladies just should not do that in public.
5. If you are underage and are using fake ID please try to make it look real. Kinko’s color copies just do not cut it.
6. Please post a phone number for a taxi company that employs only politically conservative caucasian drivers. The patrons of Redcoats have been known to physically attack persons of non-caucasian races.
If Redcoats can control their rowdy crowd they should be allowed to continue to have music. Control will entail not serving inebriated patrons (it’s the law!) and not serving underage drinkers (yeah, that’s the law too). My money says that they might just as well rename it the Union Jack Too.
Dear ‘love downtown:’ Your insinuation that Pleasanton Planning Commissioners take bribes is offensive and disgusting. These are volunteers you’re insulting, and to think that they should be treated as you do is truly sad. I hope you grow up soon.
I agree – since when is it appropriate to post offensive insinuations about Commissioners? C’mon… Feel free to disagree with the outcome but do so in a grown-up, civilized manner…
I have always done my best to be polite and take the HIGH ROAD. Some people forget that it’s not cool to insult other posters. I must say that I agree with love downtown! Like about 500%. Bribes…I’m not one to get into a fight over small change.
Simple-change whose on Council, and your Planning Commission will change.
I thought the original post was funny. It was a humorous look at a real problem downtown. I for one like the idea of having some nightlife past 10pm in the downtown area, but not if it centers around alcohol, particularly at an establishment that has documented problems with underage drinking and rowdy patrons.
It was funny except for the first part, insinuating the Committee members take bribes. That’s not funny and it is actually slander.
It’s only slander if someone proves it to be a false statement.
Has anyone ever heard of PPD sending decoys to redcoats to deal with the underage drinking problem?
Until the City Council changes. The Planning Commission has no power. It is only advisory. Ever wonder why there are so many 3-2 votes on the City Council. Until the Council Changes, it will be pro-growth and massively so!
Qwerty – the reality is that there are very few places that support a nightlife after 10pm that do not center around alcohol. I’m having troubles thinking of very many. What do people think about when you here that this place has a great “night life”? They think that the place has a lot of different bars and restaurants and lots of people hang out there.
DDdd: what you said is true. However, I can think of a lot of places where you can enjoy a light meal, drinks and music or dancing at 10pm or later *without* being surrounded by drunks who will puke or urinate on the street. If redcoats had some class then maybe people wouldn’t be so frustrated about this situation. I don’t think I’ve heard anything positive about the place.
If you see this behavior call the police, COMPLAIN! They can have their permit revoked. It has to be done based on documented behavior not postings on the Pleasanton Weekly. No one wants that kind of behavior anywhere.
Call and e-mail the City Council members and let them know you have had enough of the rowdy and illegal behavior that goes on at Redcoats. They should require that Redcoat hire more security to control the rowdiness and lawlessness, and the Pleasanton Police should keep closer tabs on their security. The cops and/or the state ABB should be using decoys to bust them on the underage drinking, and if necessary shut them down.
I’m glad this got approved. Downtown needs more activity and needs to become a real downtown, not just a place that shutters its doors by 7pm. Maybe the restaurants will serve past 9 on a weeknight. This is a good start.
Redcoats isn’t *my* kind of place (the menu needs to be pared down so they can do a few things well instead of a lot of things poorly) and the crowd there are the ones that are glad to drink beer all night (because the cocktails are atrocious). HOWEVER, it’s a start. Hopefully someone with a nice bar stays open and serves late and things start picking up down there.
There’s no reason why it can’t be a nice, daytime shopping destination and a fun, nighttime dinner and drinks destination. This mindset is the key to a successful and vibrant downtown.
Redcoats is currently operating under a conditional use permit. They are required to take care of *any* conditions that are “detrimental to the public health, safety, or welfare, or materially injurious to the properties or improvements in the vicinity”. http://www.ci.pleasanton.ca.us/pdf/pcsr-091118-6a.pdf
However, it’s like anonymous and Wonderful Willie stated above – if you don’t make your complaint heard in the appropriate place to the appropriate people (ie. the Police and the City Council), then the City can do nothing to force compliance with the conditional use permit, or, as a last resort, revoke it.