By Jonathan Friedman
Associate Editor

June 15, 2016 -- Two unrelated Santa Monica businesses will be asking the Planning Commission on Wednesday for the right to serve customers alcohol.

Doing the asking are the Loews Broadway 4 Theater on the Third Street Promenade and Santa Monica Brew Works, which is the city's only brewery.

The theater’s request is one that has been granted to several of its nearby rivals to meet a recent regional trend of drink service with the movie-watching experience.

“The alcohol would be sold at a new bar area, identified on the plans as ‘McGuffins,’ and would be separate from the general concession area,” Planning Manager Jing Yeo wrote in a report to the commission.

She continued, “Alcohol would be served in different types of cups than non-alcohol beverages. All other non-alcoholic beverages and food options would be purchased at the general concession counter.”

Only people coming to the theater to watch a movie would be able to purchase alcohol.

The commission has previously granted alcohol permits to the nearby seven-screen AMC Theater, as well as the ArcLight Cinemas at Santa Monica Place and Laemmle on Second Street (“Santa Monica Commission Approves Movie Theater Liquor,” November 20, 2015).

Santa Monica Brew Works, which opened two years ago on Colorado Avenue off 20th Street, wants a 112-seat “beer sampling area” in a space that is currently used for storage.

Yeo wrote, “The sampling area will include a long service counter with non-permanent counter seating and high-top shared ‘family-style’ tables all of which will be indoor only. A small amount of floor or counter area will be used to sell retail items.”

She continued, “There will be no table service as patrons will request beer from the staff at the counter, pay and then sit at any open table or seat. There is also no food service proposed although small snack items may be available for purchase.”

As currently proposed, Santa Monica Brew Works would only be able to serve beer on weekdays from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. (extended to midnight on Friday), noon to midnight on Saturday and noon to 8 p.m. on Sunday.

Only beer brewed there could be served.

Also on the commission’s agenda is a technical item involving the 500 Broadway project.

This is a planned mixed-use development replacing the former Fred Segal complex near the light rail station that was approved by the City Council in May (“Council Approves Downtown Santa Monica Mixed-Use Project Near Rail Station,” May 16, 2016).

The commission has been asked to approve an application that would create an “air-space subdivision,” allowing the owner to lease or finance the residential and commercial portions of the project separately.

The 500 Broadway project is expected to include 249 residential units in a range of sizes and nearly 60,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial space, including a grocery store.