Will Dancing Be Allowed at The Abbey?

Will The Abbey be allowed to have dancing?

That question will once again be before the on Thursday night as it holds a second hearing to determine whether to change the bar’s conditional use permit (CUP) from a restaurant to a nightclub, a change that would legally permit dancing there.

The commission first , but continued it until June 16 due to an incomplete report from City Hall staffers. That initial report did not answer basic questions the commissioners needed to make their evaluation.

Abbey founder and President David Cooley is optimistic things will go in his favor this time.

“The Planning Commission has had more time to work with city staff to understand the project,” Cooley said during an interview last week.

Cooley said he planned to have some of the commissioners in before Thursday’s meeting to view the $1.8 million worth of renovations he has done. The upgrades include expanding the bathrooms and kitchen, as well as creating a 265-square-foot dance floor.

He also held a meeting two weeks ago at the  to address questions from 45 area residents in attendance about the changes at The Abbey. After that meeting, two attendees, Bonnie Edrick and Frances Diaz, sent out an email saying, “We believe David Cooley sincerely desires to work with us and he and his staff are available to consider any complaints, comments and/or suggestions.”

Cooley said he is not interested in turning The Abbey into a nightclub. Its current status as bakery, restaurant and lounge is important; however, he is petitioning for the nightclub CUP so he can allow his patrons to dance.

Cooley told a story of a young man who came out as gay to his mother and brought her to The Abbey a few weeks later. “The mother had never been in a gay bar before, but within an hour, she was dancing,” he said. “I want to have the nightclub permit to let people dance if they want to. I don’t want people to get a $750 fine for dancing just because I’m not licensed for that.”

Many in town believe Cooley is petitioning for the change so The Abbey can continue to allow smoking on the premises. The city’s , due to take effect Jan. 1, would ban smoking on restaurant patios, but allow it on nightclub patios.

Cooley said the smoking ban has nothing to do with the CUP change. City Planning Manager John Keho confirms that The Abbey filed its paperwork for the nightclub CUP in January, weeks before the City Council voted to adopt the smoking ban at its Feb. 7 meeting.

If the nightclub CUP is granted, The Abbey will be required to provide 150 parking spaces for patrons. Cooley plans to rent those spaces in the city’s new parking deck off Robertson, behind the new library. So far, that deck has gotten little use, but Cooley says he will help fill it, plus provide revenue for the city.

At that May 5 Planning Commission meeting, Cooley walked out before the commissioners had finished discussing The Abbey’s petition. Tongues have been wagging ever since, with some residents calling it disrespectful to the commission, and others saying Cooley felt entitled.  

Cooley told Weho Patch that he walked out because he was frustrated by the proceedings. “I just felt like I was very prepared for the meeting. I felt like they were not prepared and I grew frustrated,” he said. “It cost me $18,000 to prepare for it.”

In addition to The Abbey petition, the Planning Commission will also hear a petition for a new upscale restaurant called Bar Varsity. The petitioners want to demolish the building on the southeast corner of Robertson and Santa Monica, just two doors up from The Abbey, which most recently housed Java Detour. In its place, they propose constructing a 5,212-square foot ultra-modern Frank Gehry-esque building made of concrete with curving walls and roof.

Also on the agenda is a controversial petition to build a four-story, 17-unit building in place of an existing two-story apartment building at 1350 Hayworth Avenue. Neighbors and preservationists are concerned because it is next door to the Hollywood Riviera apartment building, which has a Historic Cultural Monument designation. They say the new building will not fit the neighborhood and will impact the Hollywood Riviera.

The Planning Commission meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday in . The meeting will also be televised on local cable access channel 10.