The San Jose Planning Commission on Sept. 22 approved a restaurant and bar in the old Blockbuster Video building at Almaden Expressway and Crown Boulevard.
The proposed restaurant, called Almaden Mining Co., had come under scrutiny from neighbors who already deal with noise from delivery trucks and teens in the Safeway shopping center parking lot. Six residents spoke against the project at the meeting, but more than 25 people stood up in favor of it when cued by one of the speakers.
The debate centered on whether the restaurant should be allowed to serve hard liquor, which some feared would cause more problems. Restaurant leaders agreed to build a new soundwall and move a mature Crape Myrtle tree to help block the sound, and they said its 13-table outdoor patio would not include televisions or music.
The patio would be closed at 9 p.m. on weeknights, and the restaurant would close at 11 p.m. every night.
Although there will be a few bar stools and bar, restaurant partner Wayne Renshaw emphasized that it will be a family restaurant where youth sports teams can eat after games, for example.
“We want to emphasize that it is not a bar,” Renshaw told the commission.
The commission voted 6-1 in favor of the restaurant’s conditional use permit. Several commissioners noted that there are few dining options in the Almaden Valley, and they expected the new owners to be good neighbors. The city council is expected to approve the permit in the coming weeks.
Owners anticipate a January or February opening.
