Burbank Council Votes to Limit Video Arcades : Ordinances: The city may restrict youth hangouts and pool halls even though police say the establishments are not magnets for trouble.

The Burbank City Council wants to limit new video arcades to those set up in restaurants, bowling alleys, hotels, cocktail lounges and pool halls to prevent the arcades from attracting loitering youths--even though police say the arcades do not create crime problems.

The council voted 4 to 0 Tuesday night to direct city planners to write an ordinance limiting video arcades and pool halls. In particular, council members want restrictions on stand-alone video arcades they fear could become hangouts for young people.

The city has rejected two video arcade permit applications in the past three months, while administrators worked on an overall policy for such businesses, said city planner Rick Pruetz.

In the past, neighbors have complained about pool halls and video arcades, which they feared could attract gang members who might commit crimes nearby. Mayor Robert Bowne once even suggested banning video arcades from commercial zones, restricting them instead to industrial areas.

“What we’re looking for is to put the arcade into another use so that it’s secure,” Councilman Tim Murphy said.

Police statistics do not confirm that existing arcades and pool halls are magnets for crime, but many people in the community still regard youth hangouts as dangerous, Murphy said.

“People really have a lot of negative images of kids standing around outside,” Murphy said. “Many people imagine that bad things will happen at these places, but so far we have had very little crime. All of the imagined problems have just not happened.”

Burbank Police Chief David Newsham agreed. “We really don’t have problems with them right now,” he said Wednesday. “They are generally used by kids who have no criminal intent.”

Under the proposed guidelines, any business could have three video or pinball machines. Bars, restaurants and bowling alleys could have up to 10 machines. Large hotels or shopping malls would be allowed to have up to 60 machines, Pruetz said.

There are two additional applications pending for new or expanded video arcades, Pruetz said. The Burbank Planning Board is scheduled to hear a request Monday to open a 60-machine arcade at 220 North Victory Blvd. The council has scheduled a Dec. 8 hearing on an expansion request by Fantasia Billiards on North San Fernando Boulevard near Orange Grove Avenue.