How come it took so long for Spuds to open?
A. Spud first applied for a zoning permit with the City of Berkeley in June 2003. At first the City misplaced Spud’s application, then after a five month delay, the City scheduled Spuds first zoning hearing for mid-November 2003. On the afternoon of the hearing, the Citys legal department declared that Spuds requisite parking arrangement was not legal, due to the fact that the citys zoning code allowed shared parking of businesses by non-profits, but not vice versa. After a wait for the City to modify the code, Spud finally received its zoning permit in January 2004. Due to the delays experienced, Spud lost one of its financial backers, forcing it to seek alternative financing, which was finally accomplished in May 2004. This was followed by a series of plan-check boondoggles with the city, creating further delays for Landmark approval, seismic evaluation and building code modifications forcing the redesign of bathroom and exit doors. Berkeley s Permit Center operates on three week cyc
