The two sides sparring over the controversial deck expansion to the Pacific Beach Shore Club presented their cases at the monthly general membership meeting of the Pacific Beach Town Council (PBTC) in July. Now, an advisory vote rests in the hands of the PBTC general membership. A ballot was mailed out this month with the PBTC newsletter to gauge support and opposition within the business and residential community. Ballots are due Sept. 8. The rift developed in April when PBTC President Rose Galliher wrote a letter of support for the project to the San Diego Police Department on behalf of the PBTC board. Some from the general membership, however, challenged the board’s decision to send the letter without the input of the general membership, setting up an onslaught of debate and chaos at subsequent general membership meetings. Scott Chipman, a general member of the PBTC and a board member of the Pacific Beach Planning Group, had been urging the board for weeks to make a motion for a vote of the general membership to decide whether the PBTC should lend formal support to the 1,850-square-foot deck expansion project. After weeks of wrangling, the motion was passed during the June 16 general membership meeting, followed by a formal presentation by both sides July 21 — with obvious exasperation on the part of some board members. “We have dealt with this for four, almost five months now,” Galliher said. “Everything that could’ve been said, would’ve been said, should’ve been said, has been said, and we’re just not going back and forth today,” Galliher said. The ongoing debate over the expansion has encompassed parking, the appropriateness of zoning and now alcohol licensing — a discussion that has become heated and, at times, seemingly personal. Barrett Rinzler, an owner of the Shore Club and president of Barr-Matt Management, which owns Martini Ranch as well, pitched support for the expansion to the PBTC general membership. “The purpose of the patio is so that we can offer outdoor dining and drinking, just like virtually every other restaurant or bar anywhere to the north, anywhere to the south, anywhere to the east of us,” Rinzler said. He added that many other neighboring establishments already offer outdoor seating with ocean views. The Shore Club wants to remain competitive, Rinzler said. “Now we are back here again not for zoning, not for parking but because of the actions of certain people in the room — you all know who you are — that have made this nothing more than an alcohol-related issue, which, to my knowledge, this board has no right to approve or deny anything related to alcohol,” Rinzler said. Chipman then countered with his reasons for PBTC members not to support the expansion. “The decision to support or not support the expansion of the PB Shore Club alcohol license was not intended to be about the Town Council and it was never intended to become personal,” Chipman said. “I apologize if I have not made that clear for the last four months.” But, he agreed the issue was not about parking and zoning. “Since the April general membership meeting, our only goal has been to educate Town Council members on issues relating to the alcohol license expansion and to have a general membership vote,” Chipman said. He stated that Pacific Beach has many driving under the influence arrests and higher crime rates than the citywide average. He also said that within the census tract where the Shore Club is located there are 64 alcohol licenses where only 10 should be allowed by state policy. The August general membership meeting for the PBTC was scheduled for last night, Aug. 18.