City Officials Prepare to Reconsider Nightlife in Carmel, City Mulls Cap on Wine Bars.

One night during this year’s AT&T Pro Am, Giuseppe Panzuto and his business partners decided to keep Cantinetta Luca open late. About 60 people gathered to eat finger food and dance while a DJ spun tunes, he recalls.

By his account it was a success, even though he got shut down by police due to a noise complaint in sleepy Carmel. Still, Panzuto saw an opportunity to attract locals and tourists – particularly Brazilians and Europeans, who tend to be night owls.

“We want to capture business,” Panzuto says. “Carmel is losing a young crowd, ages 30 to 50. They’ll book in Monterey, where at least there’s a little bit more life. In Carmel, there is no life.”

Panzuto applied to the city Planning Commission for extended hours, seeking to stay open until 1am instead of 10pm on weekends, and to host a DJ. “There was concern that if you allow a restaurant to stay open until 1, the primary use would become a bar,” Associate Planner Marc Wiener says.

City planning commissioners, lacking a quorum May 1, advised Luca the late-night hours wouldn’t fly. In the course of considering Luca’s application, city planners heard there may already be unpermitted late-night activity in Carmel while code enforcement officials are off the clock.

That’s prompted an investigation of the city’s nightlife. “It’s something the city’s trying to review, and we’ll take the appropriate action if we determine there is an issue,” Wiener says.

On May 23, Wiener sent a list of restaurants and bars to Carmel police, so they’re aware of permit conditions like operating hours and live music. Planning commissioners also directed city staff to reconvene the wine-tasting policy subcommittee, which will consider whether the city should consider a cap on wine tasting rooms (there are currently 17) like there is for bars.

City code caps the number of bars at three. Also, dancing is prohibited in establishments that serve alcohol, and music volume can’t exceed 55 decibels.

Considering those rules, Panzuto withdrew his application. “We just gave up,” he says.

That bugs neighboring restaurateur Rich Pepe, who’d hoped Luca might pave the way for later hours at his place, Vesuvio.

Pepe lost a run for mayor last year and plans to run for council in 2014 on a pro-business platform. “I’m a little concerned for Carmel that they just want to hold the business district down,” he says.

“What kind of village do they want? Do they want to keep it as a refined oasis?” asks Barbara Livingston, president of the Carmel Residents Association.

“We believe it is time to ask: Should Carmel be headed for a proliferation of wine bars masquerading as wine tasting rooms, lounges and club scenes?” CRA’s May-June newsletter asks. The editorial also cites Monterey’s battle against rowdy nightlife as a cautionary tale.

Wine bars are already limited to five per city block, but Livingston worries some of them might be exceeding the 2-ounce serving size or cultivating an atmosphere that encourages visitors to hang out.

That doesn’t sound all bad to Mayor Jason Burnett. “People who’ve tasted a few glasses of wine are maybe going to be a little more willing to splurge on a piece of artwork,” he says.

“I would like to see Carmel stay open a little bit later,” Burnett adds. “There is a point where we’ll want to say, ‘Enough is enough,’ but we’re not there yet.”