By Khalida Sarwari
Discussion about a not-yet-open tapas bar in downtown Saratoga dominated a meeting of neighborhood associations on June 19. A vocal group of opponents showed up to express their concerns about the establishment being more bar and less tapas.
Questions about the Meza Bar came up during community development director James Lindsay’s presentation at the senior center at a joint meeting between neighborhood associations and city officials. Lindsay fielded questions from two or three individuals about whether the bar would be “topless.” He assured them it would not and that the owner of the bar, Ante Bilic, would meet with residents upon his return from a family vacation.
Bilic is the owner of Sunnyvale establishments Sporty’s Bikini Bar and the Kit Kat Club, which is currently shuttered.
Following the question-and-answer session with Lindsay, residents broke into groups to discuss various issues. While some brought up recent problems with coyotes and rampant mailbox theft, the topic of conversation at one table was focused mostly on the
Meza Bar. The concerns raised were primarily about the bar’s hours of operation and its proximity to residential neighborhoods.
Radul Spasoiu lives on Third Street and said Meza’s parking lot, at 14486 Big Basin Way, is only 50 feet away from his young daughter’s bedroom. He doesn’t want people walking around the area late at night, especially at 2 a.m. when the bar closes.
“There should be some regulation,” he said. “I can’t believe there’s no regulation. It just does not make sense.”
He said he moved into his house four months ago and didn’t receive any notices about the bar.
Aida Scott, another resident who lives nearby, said the bar is uncomfortably close to Saratoga Elementary School and such family-friendly establishments as Yolatea.
“Saratoga is a village with many residences in close proximity of the business,” she said. “No other business is open this late. The Bank bar at the beginning of the the Village is the exception, but they do not have any residences near them and have plenty of parking behind them.”
She said she finds it problematic also that the owner intends to serve food that is prepared off site but didn’t apply for a restaurant business license.
The group also brought up concerns about safety, parking and noise levels.
“There is no Village; it’s just one big money-making machine,” Scott told Councilman Howard Miller at the neighborhood meeting. “When we elect officials, it’s to look after the interests of residents, not businesses.”
Miller appeared responsive to the concerns raised by Scott and her neighbors while attempting to explain the process to them.
“We have to sort out what this place is going to be like and how it’s going to operate,” he said.
The conditional-use permit application for Meza Bar was processed in January. According to Scott, the reason residents didn’t raise issues with the bar earlier in the process is because the city sent notices to the neighborhood indicating that the applicant had applied for a conditional-use permit for a restaurant with alcohol sales.
Meza Bar the hot topic when neighborhood groups get together
