A special meeting of the Pacific Beach Planning Group is slated for Wednesday, Aug. 31 to open community discussion on the group’s report, “Alcohol License Policies and Issues in Pacific Beach.” The point of the meeting, said planners, is to encourage discussion and collaboration as a means of moving forward in light of the controversial report. The planning group issued a draft report of its findings on Feb. 23 after more than a year of research. The report has been welcomed by proponents of stricter alcohol licensing in Pacific Beach who want rowdiness and unruly drunken behavior curbed, but the report’s findings have also met with backlash from merchants who say tighter alcohol licensing and regulation will be a business killer and a discouragement for development. The special meeting of the Pacific Beach Planning Group is set for 6:30 p.m. at the Pacific Beach Woman’s Club, 1721 Hornblend Ave. According to an electronic memo distributed to stimulate community participation, “the only way Pacific Beach will move forward on these issues is through community discussion and collaboration, followed by strong community input to city officials about solutions needed.” The report is available by visiting pbplanning.org. Here is a link to the report: http://www.pbplanning.org/wp-content/uploads/DRAFT-ALRC-SUMMARY-REPORT-Feb-21.pdf