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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Friday, February 8, 2002

Gloria Bridal wins a round

By Curtis Lum
Advertiser Staff Writer

The owners of a Makapu'u wedding chapel won preliminary approval of a liquor license yesterday despite a deadlocked Honolulu Liquor Commission.

Gloria Bridal Services has applied for a license to sell alcohol at its chapel next to Sea Life Park. The license would allow couples to buy champagne for wedding toasts and also permit Gloria Bridal to serve liquor at receptions.

The company made a similar request in 2000, but that application had been withdrawn because of opposition from the Waimanalo community. Gloria Bridal reapplied for the license, but the commission last week was unable to act on the measure because it lacked the required three votes to approve or deny a motion.

The panel yesterday remained deadlocked, with commissioners Orlando Soriano and Clyde Eugenio voting to deny the license and Chu Lan Kwock and Dennis Enomoto supporting the request. Commission chairman John Spierling recused himself.

But deputy corporation counsel Paul Au, whose office advises the commission, said state law requires that an application proceed to a public hearing if the measure is not denied at the preliminary hearing. He said the same law does not apply should a stalemate continue at the public hearing, when a final decision will be made.

Au said there is a law that calls for certain land-use requests, such as zone changes, to be automatically approved if action isn't taken in a timely manner. But he said he would have to do research on whether the law applies to the liquor-license application.

The public hearing will be held within the next six weeks.

Yesterday, Waimanalo residents Wilson Ho and Al Lewis spoke against the application, along with Kailua resident Shannon Wood.

Ho, who chairs the Waimanalo Neighborhood Board, said Gloria Bridal officials have done nothing since the first application to address the community's concern of customers who drink at the chapel and are allowed to drive their cars.

Lewis said Gloria Bridal has not lived up to its promise of hiring local residents and has not made an effort to meet with the community to iron out their differences.

"It's important that businesses that do come into the community should also contribute to the community and help to be a partner of the community, and not just to come in and make money," Lewis said.

Three people did speak in favor of the application, including Waimanalo resident Michael Tacub, who was married at the chapel. He told the commission he could not afford a fancy wedding, but that Gloria Bridal gave him a good deal to hold his ceremony at the chapel.

Pastor Aquarian, who performed the first wedding at the chapel, also supported the application. He described the chapel as "one of the most beautiful sanctuaries that is on O'ahu."

"If you've been up there, you can see that they really took some time in creating this place," Aquarian said. "It's a first-class chapel."