WALNUT CREEK, Calif. (KRON) -- A Walnut Creek institution that has called the city home for more than half a century may soon be looking for a new address. Dan’s Irish Sports Bar, located near Civic Drive and North Main Street, is searching for a new location amid a dispute over its lease. Phot o: KRON4 News. Owner Saul Tallarico said the bar intended to stay at its longtime location, but negotiations over a new lease have taken an unexpected turn. “I kind of grew up in this bar,” Tallarico said. Tallarico has worked in the building for about 30 years and became the owner of Dan’s in 2011. “You can come in here in a T-shirt and shorts, in a business suit, a dress and you're at home,” Tallarico said. He said he had been negotiating a new lease for years. During that time, the bar received an extension to make improvements requested by the landlord, which Tallarico said he completed in good faith. “Then all of a sudden things changed and money was asked for in order to receive the lease we thought we had already agreed on, so it just kind of went in a way we didn't like,” Tallarico said. According to Tallarico, the property manager then demanded a $500,000 personal fee, separate from the landlord, to secure the space over a competing tenant. Tallarico is now looking at other locations for Dan’s. Walnut Creek Mayor Kevin Wilk said the possibility of losing a longtime business is disappointing. “There’s a lot of businesses that come and go, but somebody who’s been here for over half a century and then seeing there be some sort of dispute over the lease or something else, it’s always a disappointment,” Wilk said. Inside Dan’s, the walls are covered with posters and memorabilia from musicians who have performed at the bar over the years. Regular Jenny Cash said the potential move would mean losing an important gathering place for the community. “We’ll lose a big piece of social and arts here in the community,” Cash said. While the future of the current location remains uncertain, Tallarico said Dan’s will continue regardless of where it ends up. “Dan’s is so much more than the building and more than the address,” Tallarico said. “Yes, these four walls have hosted a lot of great times for myself and a lot of people, but those great times will just continue somewhere else.” There is no firm date for when Dan’s would move or where the bar could relocate. Tallarico said there is still a slim chance the business could remain at its current location. ...read more read less