The city Liquor Commission will require a late-night Pearl City lounge to address complaints from apartment dwellers who live next door, as a condition of its license renewal.

At a commission meeting Thursday, community members aired their concerns about noise and the conduct of patrons outside Sportsmen Lounge when it closes at 4 a.m.

The lounge, at 829 Lehua Ave., is in a residential area and near Lehua Elementary School.

In addition to the noise, fighting and people urinating on apartment building property nearby, Lehua Avenue resident Jerilyn Anderton said as many as 200 motorcycles are sometimes parked around the lounge.

They not only block access for residents but create a disturbance when they start up to leave.

"Keeping Sportsmen Lounge open is detrimental to the community," Anderton told commissioners. "There shouldn't be a bar in a residential area. Children are in harm's way."

Anderton, a Pearl City Neighborhood Board member, spoke as a neighborhood resident.

The board supported a community effort, which included Pearl City's elected officials, that had sought the nonrenewal of Sportsmen Lounge's license, which expires June 30.

Attorney Keith Kiuchi, representing bar owner Frank Suinn, argued that nonrenewal would deny Suinn his property rights.

Liquor Commission Chairman Dennis Enomoto and commissioners Iris Okawa, Danny Kim and Jon Yamaguchi decided to continue the hearing to this Thursday, at which time they will go into executive session and then announce what "corrective measures" would be required. The commission will render a decision on the license renewal on June 29.

Deputy Corporation Counsel Moana Yost said one of the corrective measures the community has wanted is the hiring of security guards at Sportsmen Lounge, to encourage patrons to not hang out after closing. The bar recently began using three security officers on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, and the community wants it extended to Sundays and holidays.

"They have to make this a safe place for people to live," Yost said.

According to Pearl City police statistics, officers responded to 7.1 complaints per month at the bar in 2005, up from 2.17 complaints per month in 2002.

State Rep. Mark Takai, D-34th (Newtown, Waiau, Pearl City, Waimalu), told commissioners Thursday that other measures the community wants are to have the bar switch the entrance to its second door, which is farther away from apartments, and use the current entrance door as an emergency exit only; change the closing time to 2 a.m.; and restrict large motorcycle clubs from congregating there.

Kiuchi, who was retained after Suinn attended a Pearl City Neighborhood Board meeting in March and heard the community concerns, said changes already have been made.

"We've terminated the previous manager's management agreement as of April 30, shut down the bar for a week to have it renovated, put in a new manager and new format," Kiuchi said. "The previous format was a disco format, which obviously resulted in complaints.

"The present format is much more of a sports bar and there's not that much business anymore between 2 and 4 a.m. It's the only 4 a.m. licensee left in Pearl City."

Suinn estimated that business has been down about 30 percent since May 8.

Reach Rod Ohira at rohira@honoluluadvertiser.com.