Following more than six hours of testimony from professionals, neighbors and other interested parties over two separate meetings, the Surf City Land Use Board narrowly denied an application for a 100-person outdoor dining and bar space in the Surf City Hotel parking lot.

The application, first heard by the board at its Feb. 28 meeting, initially requested approval to permanently move 124 dining seats outdoors while also erecting a semi-permanent structure to create an outdoor dining space in the…