WHITE ROCK CAFE is reborn as a VIETNAMESE DRINKING BAR

[ncvl3615]

Discussion as posted on the Alum Rock Neighborhood Network (ARNNE) Yahoo Group

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A while back, the Thai White Rock Cafe closed its doors. A new
establishment has opened in its place this week. I went in to eat
dinner tonight. The waitress seemed shocked to see me. Here's the
conversation:

ME : Hi, table for four please
WAITRESS: You looking for restaurant?
ME : Yes, table for four please.
WAITRESS: This is no more restaurant, now Vietnamese Drinking Bar
ME : Uh, can I see a menu?
WAITRESS: No English menu.
ME : OK, show me the Vietnamese menu. (She hands one to me).
WAITRESS: This only drinks.
ME : Riiiight, where is the owner?

MONICA: I'm the owner.
ME : Do you have a license to operate a bar?
MONICA: Yes, I have a beer and wine license.
ME : But that a beer and wine license that goes with a restaurant,
not a bar.
MONICA: This is a restaurant.
ME : No it's not. There is no menu. There are no place settings on
the tables. There are several big screen TVs with scores on them. And
the waitress is a cocktail waitress.

How did this pass through without scrutiny? And the landlord didn't
stop this either?

[ncvl3615]

I cannot believe that the Miss Cafe, which appears to
be a much larger venue, is not enough to satiate the
need for Vietnamese Drinking Bars. I am very
disappointed that we lost a very good, family-oriented
establishment to a drinking bar!!

What can we do to close this place down?? There must
be something we can do, is there a regulation or
statute? It's so close to a high school!

I am willing to speak to our Council person or
whomever. Any feedback??

--Rebecca

[ncvl3615]

Rebecca has the right perspective on this.

The obvious question is why do places like Miss Café (by the way, if you don't fully understand what this shaky place is all about, then attend the next neighborhood mtg and you'll hear plenty) and this new bar pop up in our neighborhood but never seemingly so in places like Saratoga, Los Gatos, Campbell, or say Willow Glen? What do you think would happen if they tried to open up in those neighborhoods?

At the end of the day, if there's no neighborhood resistance, then these types of places will con't to thrive here --like water flowing downhill, they find the path of least resistance. And right now that path leads to East San Jose.

-Joe

[ncvl3615]

Hi all -
I think this is a concern – not because it is Vietnamese but because it is another bar/cocktail lounge that has gotten through the process by coming across as a restaurant and then not following through. (Lito - New concern is the old White Rock café – Read Cityview100’s email, very disturbing)

When I pulled the development proposal for Miss Café from the City’s permit website a few months ago it proposed to be Miss Café/Deli. Where is the deli now? The scenario that cityview100 described sounds like the same thing. It is trying to come off as a restaurant but it isn’t according to his experience.

This is a problem for a lot of reasons and is why we need the city to come in and enforce something.
Let’s start calling Ryan Ford, Councilmember Campos’ Chief of Staff today - 535-4905 so there some answers by the time the ARNC meeting rolls around.

By the way, Lincoln Avenue in WG has had its share of places the neighbors were not too thrilled about – anyone remember Beavers? But, its takes community will to turn this stuff around and it isn’t easy or quick.

- Andrea
St. John Vianney Neighborhood

[ncvl3615]

Could you please clarify the situation? Is there another Vietnamese Drinking Bar planned for somewhere in the area?

Thanks,
Lito
Victoria Ranch Neighborhood

[ncvl3615]

If we were only so lucky that these places were still in the "planning" stages. No, they're already here. Miss Café, on White near Osh, and now this new place on White, replacing the White Rock Café restaurant.

I'm guessing a big issue is that nobody knows these places are coming in, so nobody knows to resist them. These places just pop up - it seems there is no notification or information trail to let people know what's coming or to give the community any voice.

By the way, categorizing Miss Café as a Vietnamese drinking bar is being very generous. Maybe a smoking, gambling, sex bar would be a bit more on target.

-Joe

[ncvl3615]

Unbelievable ....... and I thought we had the inside scoop on this one. Alice and I had been talking to Sophia, the old owner of the White Rock Thai, about these new tenants for a while now and she told us they were going to open a "nice" Vietnamese restaurant. We were looking forward to having another "nice" restaurant in our area.

Okay, so as Judy recommended .... this is being forwarded to all the usual City officials.

David
ARNC President

[ncvl3615]

Hello Alum Rockers –

I have forwarded the first three messages on this topic to Anne Stedler who is the San Jose Redevelopment Agency’s Retail Specialist. (I’m not sure that’s her exact title, but you get the idea. Her job is to find suitable tenants for areas like The Village.) I’ve copied the messages to Teresa Faz who is RDA’s mentor to the Alum Rock Village Business Association. Hopefully, Anne and Teresa will explain how the City justifies blighting our neighborhood with another questionable business such a Thien Y.

Don’t hesitate to forward messages to Councilmember Nora Campos’ office. She and her staff need to know what’s happening.

Judy Thompson

[ncvl3615]

Anne Stedler’s reply is below.


Judy

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From: Stedler, Anne [mailto:Anne. Stedler@sanjosec a.gov]
Sent: Wednesday, February 06, 2008 10:21 AM
To: 'JudyET@earthlink. net'
Cc: Faz, Teresa
Subject: RE: New Vietnamese " Restaurant "


Judy,

Thanks for the heads up. And thank you for letting me know the customers' experience. Please continue to keep me in the e-mail loop, Judy. I have forwarded the messages to the Council office, Code Enforcement and the PD. This is horribly frustrating for everyone.

I am trying also to reach the departed owner of the Thai Restaurant to see if she has any leverage.


Anne

[ncvl3615]

Can this be true. If it is another bar, what can we do about it? Is there a law about bars that are close to schools? Along with the increase in graffiti, we do not need an increase in bars in our neighborhood. If anyone knows who to contact about this, please post something to the list so we can start writing letters or calling.

Thanks, Linda

[ncvl3615]

There may not be duplicity involved on anyone's part in siting this, unfortunately.

The area is zoned Commercial Pedestrian, which allows for Drinking Establishments as long as they have a "Conditional Use Permit", which can be issued by the City of San Jose Planning Commission, or the City Council, if in their judgement the proposed use at the location requested will not: a. Adversely affect the peace, health, safe ty, morals or welfare of persons residing or working in the surrounding area; or b. Impair the utility or value of property of other persons located in the vicinity of the site; or c. Be detrimental to public health, safety or general welfare; and 2. The proposed site is adequate in size and shape to accommodate the yards, walls, fences, parking and loading facilities, landscaping and other development features prescribed in this Title, or as is otherwise required in order to integrate said use with the uses in the surrounding area; (see http://www.sanjosec a.gov/planning/ pdf/zoning_ code.pdf).

But even if the permit was issued with the City's full knowledge it would be a bar, we also protest this usage. Alum Rock--which is indeed trying to promote a pedestrian atmosphere-- already has enough seediness with the karate place shuttered, a soon-to-be-open Starbucks which will most likely fail due to lack of convenient parking, and that dreadful boarded-up "produce" building.

Richard & Veronica Wildanger

[ncvl3615]

ARNC is currently in communication with SJ Code Enforcement

David

[ncvl3615]

I think we should all send a note to Neil & Sandy Callahan as well as the realtor who handles the Alum Rock building where White Rock went in thanking them for what they are doing to our neighborhood. I sent my daughter Leslie a copy of the e-mail as her friend's husband is a SJPD Vice cop ( he told us about Miss Cafe being the front for a whorehouse down Cedar Lane or one of those small residential streets across from Ms Cafe) so maybe a heads up to SJPD is a good idea, besides calling Campos' chief of staff. What a mess this is t urning into..

Lila