11/15/06

Everyone losing in lease dispute

Editor:

For more than 20 years Sharky's on the Pier has been a proud member of the Venice community. We strongly believe in giving back to our friends, neighbors and city. In fact, we gave more than $25,000 to more than 60 local organizations last year alone.

Blessed with a growing patronage, we decided several years ago to pursue a restaurant expansion. The resulting negotiations with the city of Venice lasted three long years, but we eventually carved out a lease that allowed our expansion and enabled the city to proceed with plans for extensive improvements to public beach access areas.

The expense to us? In addition to the three years of time and energy, we've already spent money obtaining building permits for improvements to public areas on city-owned property and we've agreed to pay more than $1.6 million toward planned improvements on that property.

And that's just the beginning. We also pay more than $360,000 in rent, and plan to spend at least $5 million for the restaurant's expansion -- even though we do not own the building in which Sharky's operates or the land on which it sits.

Now, certain members of city council have decided to renege on an agreement that was negotiated fairly and openly. It was easy to do, since most of the people who represented the city during the original negotiations are no longer there to speak up. As a result, tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees are being accumulated by the city.

If the courts rule in our favor, the city will be forced to pay not only its own legal fees, but ours, too; after just two months, our bill exceeds $8,000.

If the courts rule for the city, all of the time, energy and money already spent will be for naught; the city will be forced to start over and pick up the full tab for planned public improvements.

Either way, everyone loses -- including Venice taxpayers.

http://www.venicegondolier.com/NewsArchive3/111506/op2.htm