Ryan Burns / Thursday, July 23 @ 12:52 p.m. / Agendizer
Return of the Alibi: Greenview Market Owner Looks to Join Arcata’s ‘Tavern Row’ Revival By Reopening the Plaza’s Two-Sided Watering Hole
The bright and dark sides of The Alibi, located at 744 and 754 Ninth Street in Arcata. | Image via Google Street View.
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Is Arcata’s beleaguered Tavern Row on the verge of a full-fledged revival?
Fresh off news that local dive bar don Salvatore Costanzo aims to reopen the Sidelines sports bar, the latest Arcata Planning Commission agenda brings confirmation that another of the Arcata Plaza’s shuttered watering holes may soon make its return. Two of them, actually.
Singh Bhupinder, owner of Greenview Market on the corner of Janes Road and 11th Street, has applied for a conditional use permit, via an LLC, to reopen both sides of The Alibi, the linked pair of bars at 744 and 754 Ninth Street, on the Plaza’s north side.
The original, “dark” side of The Alibi, with its martini-shaped door handle, padded booths and faded murals of anthropomorphized dogs, was a fixture of Arcata’s downtown drinking, dining and music scene for decades until it abruptly closed in 2024. The “bright” side, which featured more windows and new fixtures while serving food from the adjoining side’s kitchen, opened in 2015 in a newly constructed building on the previously vacant next door lot.
When we first caught wind of Singh’s plans more than a month ago, we called up Greenview Market to ask for details. When we got him on the phone, however, he told us in no uncertain terms that he had no interest in filling us in. He’d call us if and when he wanted to talk. He could not be reached for comment before publication time today.
Arcata resident David LaRue announced on Facebook last August that his “crazy friend Singh” was in escrow for both properties.
“He will keep the bar and open an Indian food restaurant,” LaRue wrote. “The historic building requires extensive renovations, but Singh seems up to it.”
In February, LaRue reported that his friend’s purchase of the properties had been finalized.
“Now comes the start of the rehab,” he wrote. “It is going to be huge. The 115 year old building is THARSHED [sic]! It needs a new roof and floor, just for starters.”
Singh plans to reopen the business in two phases, starting with the newer, “bright” side of the establishment, according to the agenda for Tuesday night’s Planning Commission meeting.
“During this phase, the business will operate as a bar serving alcoholic beverages only,” the report says. (Singh is still in the process of applying for a liquor license.) The “dark” side of the business, where the commercial kitchen facilities are located, will remain closed while undergoing rehabilitation and structural improvements, so food service won’t be offered until some unspecified point down the line.
When the the business opens, it will operate from 8 a.m. to 2 a.m., seven days per week, and while the existing permit has lapsed, city staff recommends approving a new one and granting a “common sense” exemption to the environmental review process typically required of new businesses. Staff’s reasoning is that there are no exterior modifications planned, and the scope of the project is limited to reactivating a longstanding commercial use.
Any future modifications of the facade, including new signage, will require separate review and permit approvals.
A project description notes that when The Alibi reopens, it may occasionally offer “low-impact entertainment” such as live music, karaoke and trivia nights. It’s expected to have 26 employees to start, with another 27 hired whenever the original location gets ready to open.
The staff report notes that The Alibi is one of three Plaza bars likely to request permit reactivation in the coming months. The other two are Costanzo’s planned Sidelines revival and a reopening and rebranding of Toby & Jack’s, which, like Sidelines, was raided by law enforcement in 2018 following a 10-month undercover investigation into illegal drug dealing.
Back in May 2024, the Outpost reported that Toheed Ahmad, owner of Arcata’s Fourth Street Market & Deli, planned to reopen “TJ’s” as Habibi Bar & Grill, offering cuisine from India, Pakistan and the Mediterranean region along with a full bar.
Reached by phone today, Arcata City Manager Merritt Perry said that while Ahmad is still pursuing the project, he has grown worried about his ability to run both a restaurant and a bar, so he wants to revise his plans to start with just the bar.
“The City is excited about having businesses back in there,” Perry said in reference to the now-vacant bar buildings. He noted that, since the permits for those buildings have all lapsed, the City can add conditions on any new development while requiring the new owners to comply with the Arcata’s updated general plan.
If you’d like to weigh in on the plans for reopening The Alibi, head on down to City Hall on Tuesday evening for this Planning Commission hearing, which is scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. Details below.
Arcata Planning Commission
July 28, 2026, 5:30 p.m.
1. CALL TO ORDER
a. Land Acknowledgement
a. Roll Call
2. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS
3. CONSENT CALENDAR
a. Approve the Minutes of the Planning Commission Meeting of June 23, 2026
4. ITEMS REMOVED FROM CONSENT CALENDAR
5. PUBLIC HEARINGS
a. Adopt a §15301 Class 1 CEQA Exemption and a Section §15061(b)(3) “Common Sense” exemption and Approve the Conditional Use Permit – Alibi Bar Re-establishment at 754 9th Street, Arcata
The staff report for the Planning Commission meeting recommends approving a Conditional Use Permit for the re-establishment of a bar and entertainment venue at 744 and 754 9th Street in Arcata. The project involves reopening a bar in existing buildings without making any external modifications. The proposal has been supported by prior approvals and does not significantly impact the environment. The recommendation is based on the site-specific findings and conditions of the project.
— LoCOBot
Vers 1:
Nous sommes réunis ce soir,
Pour discuter d’une affaire important,
La renaissance d’un bar légendaire,
À Arcata, un lieu charmant.
Refrain:
Alors, adoptons une exemption CEQA,
Et approuvons le permis conditionnel,
Pour le bar Alibi, si cher à nos cœurs,
À 754 9th Street, c’est essentiel.
Vers 2:
Le projet consiste en deux bâtiments,
Qui ensemble forment le même lieu,
Le bar Alibi, si emblématique,
A besoin de renaissance, c’est un vœu.
Refrain:
Alors, adoptons une exemption CEQA,
Et approuvons le permis conditionnel,
Pour le bar Alibi, si cher à nos cœurs,
À 754 9th Street, c’est essentiel.
Pont:
Laissons le passé s’élever,
Dans ces murs chargés d’histoire,
Le bar Alibi va renaître,
Et retrouver sa gloire.
Refrain:
Alors, adoptons une exemption CEQA,
Et approuvons le permis conditionnel,
Pour le bar Alibi, si cher à nos cœurs,
À 754 9th Street, c’est essentiel.
— LoCOBot
DOCUMENTS:
Staff Report • Attachment A - Draft Action, Findings, and Conditions of Approval.pdf • Attachment B - Project Description.pdf
6. BUSINESS ITEMS
7. CORRESPONDENCE/COMMUNICATIONS
8. ADJOURNMENT
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