Andrew Edwards, the owner of Extron Electronics, appeared before the Anaheim Planning Commission today to ask that the restaurant he envisions for his property at 1025 E. Ball Road be permitted to collect entrance fees and stay open until 2 a.m., seven days a week.
The Ranch is proposed to be a high-end country-and-western-themed restaurant with live entertainment and dancing (“like the Grove,” according to Mr. Edwards), serving good ol'-fashioned American food: steaks, chops and the fixin's. The location is also to be the new corporate headquarters and training center of Extron Electronics.
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I happen to live near the proposed venue and so I and many of the
residents of the adjacent neighborhoods spoke to the Planning
Commission this afternoon about our concerns. Extra security on
Edwards' property does not mean a decrease in crime, it just pushes the
crime that would happen on his property to the adjacent areas; also,
there's nothing rent-a-cops can do about drunken morons with glasspacks
on their pickup trucks roaring off after a night with Banjo Bob and the
Bullfrog Boys.
The Planning Commission granted his application and directed him to
work with surrounding property owners. To Mr. Edwards' credit, he is
trying to mitigate his negative effect on the area; he has purchased
four units in the adjacent condominium complex for his employees and
has reworked the building to minimize the impact on the surrounding
area, but a nightclub is a nightclub.
I'm not convinced he has it right. I don't think there's much market
for an expensive restaurant with country and western live entertainment
in that part of Anaheim, but it'll be interesting to see if he can make
it work, and to see what kind of neighbor he'll be once his permits are
all worked out.
Don't break my heart, Mr. Edwards, my achy-breaky heart.
