The world’s largest Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant and sports bar opened to the public at 260 S. Brea Blvd. in Brea, on Monday, May 23. Backed by local investors including several Southern California baseball and football players, the new $5 million restaurant is the latest redevelopment effort for downtown Brea by local business owner and former sports agent, Dwight Manley, who grew up in the town, according to Restaurant News.
Did you know that a Buffalo Wild Wings was going to open up in Santa Ana, over by Orchard Hardware on 17th and Tustin, back in 2008? That didn’t work out though as a handful of NIMBY residents in the northeastern part of Santa Ana protested the establishment’s Conditional Use Permit (CUP.) Eventually the owners of the proposed restaurant cleared out of town, abandoning all hope of ever being able to open for business here in Santa Ana.
Here is what the NIMBYs’ leader, Mike Tardif, posted about their protest on the Orange Juice blog article about the ill-fated Santa Ana Buffalo Wild Wings:
Dear Mayor Pulido and Members of the Santa Ana City Council:
We hereby request that the City Council call a public hearing concerning the alcohol (ABC) Conditional Use Permit granted to Buffalo Wild Wings, by the Planning Commission, for on-site sale of alcoholic beverages.
The residents of Parkwood, Meredith and Portola neighborhoods are very concerned that the negative effects of this “sports bar” on their neighborhoods have not been properly taken into consideration.
Respectfully submitted by,
Tom Childress
Kathy Ingersoll
Lee Ingersoll
Brad Day, Board Member Meredith/Parkwood HOA
Andy Martinez
Emmy Martinez
George R. Staff
Chrissy Staff
Rick Legowski
Peggy Legowski
Mike Tardif
Mercedes Tardif
Bridget Tardif
Tony Diaz
Jose Diaz
Carolyn Diaz
Muriel McCormick
Celesta Severtsen
Michael Severtsen
Jimmy Kabaian
Thomas Accongio
Nadine Accongio
Maria Cabrera
Milo Van Beck
These people are probably proud of themselves. But what did they accomplish? They cost our city jobs and tax revenue. The newspapers are praising the new Buffalo Wild Wings in Brea today – but it should have been ours, here in Santa Ana, were it not for the selfish actions of a handful of NIMBYs. What a shame.
So do you want to know what you missed out on fellow Santa Ana resident? Here’s a few comments about the new Buffalo Wild Wings in Brea, from their Yelp page:
Yep. We could have had a Buffalo Wild Wings in Santa Ana. But the NIMBYs killed it…and now it is in Brea instead. Go figure.
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Sean,
Yes I do. But an urban area is quite a different animal than a suburban area. Many folks live in suburban areas to, at least in part, flee the congestion of an urban setting. They don't normally expect bars that are open until 2am on the other side of their backyard. Many folks who move into an urban area do so knowing full well that they will be in close proximity to many kinds of businesses...in fact, many embrace that lifestyle. Drawing an equivalency between the two is absurd.
anon,
Santa Ana is pretty much all an urban setting these days. Perhaps you could argue that in the 60's and 70's this north Santa Ana neighborhood was the suburbs. Times have changed.
When you live in a neighborhood adjacent to a retail center such as the one where Buffalo Wild Wings was proposed you do so knowing full well that businesses including restaurants that are open late may come there.
It would be one thing if this retail center wasn't there and it was suddenly created or rezoned. It is absurd to think that a retail center isn't going to be used for retail purposes including restaurants such as BWW.
Mill said:
"There was a commercial retail center there when the overwhelming majority, if not all, of these folks purchased their homes. They had to know that businesses would sometime come to this center including the possibility of restaurants."
The residents would have been fine with BWW as a restaurant - if they weren't asking for exceptions to the Municipal Code. Heck, there are several restaurants in that shopping center now - the residents didn't (and don't) have any problems with those.
Besides, this is stupid - what is your point - this was settled over 2 years ago?
Mike,
I think admin's "point" is that BWW should have been built in Santa Ana and that we should be reaping the rewards that Brea is now seeing from having it in their city. I agree with this position.
"Stupid"???
That doesn't sound like a word used is civil discourse and rational discussion regarding our community. That type of language could be seen as inflammatory and divisive speech.
I am trying to have a discussion regarding past and future development in our city. Lets leave the firey rhetoric aside.
Sean,
That area is definitely NOT urban. Gimme a break. Unlike downtown, there are vast swaths of detached homes in those neighborhoods. They are rightly concerned about the businesses that front those main streets.
Mill said:
"It would be one thing if this retail center wasn’t there and it was suddenly created or rezoned."
According to the original EIR, over 30 years ago, parking was designed to be in the front of the building - now parking is in the rear.
Combine the change in parking from the original EIR and the request for exceptions from the Muni Code for late hours, that every other restaurant has to operate according to, and this is a no go for the affected residents.
Residents lives would have been made much worse by having 100 or more cars park in the rear of the building - with noisy sports bar patrons and employees leaving at 2:00 in the morning and residents bedrooms only a few feet away.
Mike,
The parking issue could have been addressed and corrected. In fact I believe we were putting something together to alleviate the concern regarding the parking in the rear of the building.
It was a simple fix and not something so big that the whole project needed to be scrapped.
We did the same thing when the Golds Gym was given its approval at that site.
Regarding the hours of operation, other restaurants can seek to extend their hours in the same fashion that BWW did. BWW was not given any special treatment in this fashion.
Andy Dick may be disappointed that there is no BWW in Santa Ana.
"Wacked out crazy comedian Andy Dick was arrested early this morning .. on suspicion of drug possession and sexual battery."
"Cops busted the 42-year-old Dick just before 2 AM this morning in the parking lot near a Buffalo Wild Wings."
http://www.tmz.com/2008/07/16/andy-dick-busted-outside-chicken-joint/
The new BWW sports bar in Brea is located in a shopping district and the bar itself is more than 1,000 feet from the closest residence.
I guess they know how to do it correctly in Brea.
Mr. Mills, with all due respect, you are a Commissioner of the City of Santa Ana. As such, you are obligated to uphold;d the rulings and regulations of the City Council.
If you have such difficulty doing this, then you need to be on your way. And, as the door swings , grab some Planning Law books and read them, learn from them, and apply them. Pick up some economics books as well . See what Brea did. See where they located the business. Look and Learn.
You had the chance to divert a decent revenue generating business to a more appropriate site in the City , but you BLEW IT!! You let them move on instead of redirecting them. That was BAD FOR BUSINESS. instead you waste your time and ours bellowing on Blog sites.
I only hope that whatever Council person appointed you, sees how shallow your talents are and finds a suitable replacement. Someone who is capable.