Proposed Highlands Starbucks Irks Council with 11 p.m. Close

A plan for a new Starbucks to be open from 4 a.m. to midnight at Highlands Village (formerly Palisades Highlands Plaza) was opposed by the Pacific Palisades Community Council and its Land Use Committee last Thursday.

Keith Glassman, a Starbucks representative, said the new coffee house will be located in the space currently occupied by Collar and Leash, on the side above Sunset Boulevard. Glassman, who gave no date on when Starbucks would open, said the pet store will downsize but remain at Highlands Village.

“We were originally asking for 4 a.m. to midnight but will ask for 4:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.,” Glassman said. “By right [under current zoning requirements], we are allowed to operate from 4:30 a.m. to 11 p.m., but we need your support before we go to the Zoning Administrator meeting.”

Paul Glasgall, who represents the Highlands on both the Council and LUC, said the proposed Starbucks would be located in a “quiet residential neighborhood” and seemed perplexed as to why the company was seeking such late-night hours. Every store at the plaza closes early, he added.

“We found that by having the extra hours, people can enjoy a cup of coffee and linger longer,” Glassman said during the LUC meeting. “We want the support of neighbors.”
However, the LUC members seemed unconvinced about the need to have a late-night business in an otherwise quiet neighborhood.

The Starbucks on the corner of Sunset and Swarthmore operates from 4:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. and “it’s on a busy street,” said Glasgall, who fears that the proposed late hours will attract transients and potentially increase crime in the area.

Glasgall said there is not a single Starbucks in the greater Pacific Palisades/Brentwood area opened past 10 p.m., with the exception of the one on Santa Monica’s Third Street Promenade.

After some discussion, the LUC agreed to a motion—approved by the Community Council later that same night—recommending the store hours of 4:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., which would align with the Starbucks on Sunset and Swarthmore.