Soon there will be no more late night Acme Pizza runs.

Acme Pizza, 200 E. Beaver Ave., will be moving out of town in May. The move is the result of an ordinance recently passed by the State College Borough Council, Acme Pizza owner Dave Cini said.

The council passed an ordinance in the name of riot prevention that would prevent downtown businesses with vendor windows, such as Acme Pizza, from staying open after midnight. According to the ordinance, the pizza place could stay open, but could not use the window service it now operates on, Cini said.

The council's search for riot prevention measures escalated after the third riot in four years broke out on East Beaver Avenue March 24. The same stretch of East Beaver Avenue, commonly known as "Beaver Canyon," was also home to riots during the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts in 1998 and 2000. Businesses, such as Acme Pizza, are now suffering the consequences of the late night disturbances.

Cini said the council's ordinance directly targeted Acme Pizza and makes him feel that his business is not welcome in State College.

"We're not going to sell pizza where we're not wanted," he said.

Despite rumors that Acme Pizza would move to another location in State College, Cini said the eatery will be moving out of state, possibly to West Virginia or Florida.

Cini contacted Mayor Bill Welch to say Acme Pizza would move to another location in State College contingent upon the fact that they could still operate on a window-serving basis after midnight, but the mayor said there could be no window service.

"There's nothing illegal about selling out a window," Cini said, adding the window is essential for Acme Pizza because it is the most efficient way for him to run his business.

Cini said his business has been in State College for about seven years and doesn't understand why the council won't let him run Acme Pizza the way he wants.

"I'm just a little pizza maker. I don't tell them how to run their borough council meetings," he said. "Borough council doesn't know anything about running a pizza place."

The ordinance passed by the council was one of 44 possible riot prevention measures compiled by a special committee within the council.

Acme Pizza will stay in the downtown area until after May graduation when it plans to "move to another college town that will accept" Acme's way of doing business, Cini said.

The council sticks by its ordinance. Council member Elizabeth Goreham said Acme Pizza didn't cause the riots but definitely played a minor role.

She said the line of customers at Acme Pizza creates a group of people on the sidewalk that can end up in shouting matches and verbal confrontations with those on balconies — something Goreham sees as contributing to riots.

Goreham said she would have liked Acme Pizza to stay so she could see if the ordinance really helped with riot prevention at all.

But she said Acme Pizza had been planning to move even before the ordinance was passed.

Acme Pizza is only one of the downtown businesses affected by the recurring riots.

Teresa Sparacino, executive director of the Downtown State College Partnership, said her organization is concerned the riots may hurt downtown businesses in the future and deter some businesses from planting themselves in State College.

"We're trying to ensure the downtown stays strong," Sparacino said.

The partnership is currently conducting a market analysis and visionary plan that will help determine things such as what effects the riots have had on businesses. However, nothing concrete had been concluded as of yesterday.

"We only have one downtown, and we need to protect that," Sparacino said.

A space Continental Real Estate Management Inc. once occupied, located down the street from Acme Pizza at 256 E. Beaver Ave., is now vacant after the realtor decided to move to another location in State College following the 1998 riot. A representative for the realty company could not be reached for comment yesterday.

Now Acme Pizza will be a vacant space as well.

Other businesses also have been negatively affected by the riots but have stayed on the 200 block of East Beaver Avenue.

Castle Software and Computer Systems, 258 E. Beaver Ave., sustained approximately $3,500 in damages, including a broken door and window, during the riot in the summer of 1998.

The business still occupies its space on East Beaver Avenue.

Council members are concerned that businesses will not want to operate downtown and that consumers will not shop at businesses on East Beaver Avenue where the riots have occurred.

"Several people say they avoid Beaver Avenue at all costs," Goreham said.

Some have a certain apprehension about walking down Beaver Avenue towards "Beaver Canyon" because of recent events, Goreham said.

"When people avoid Beaver Avenue, they are avoiding the businesses there as well," she said, adding that because of this it is difficult to find businesses willing to move into the vacant spaces. "What kind of business would want to move in there?" Goreham said.

A.W. & Sons, 309 E. Beaver Ave., is another business that might suffer consequences because of the recent disturbances.

After meeting with the council on March 13, the property management company said it was willing to put clauses in its leases that would enable the company to close off balconies that are being misused. A.W. & Sons has already sealed off at least one balcony in Cedarbrook, 320 E. Beaver Ave. The company nailed the door shut eight inches away from the frame for ventilation purposes.

A.W. & Sons declined to comment yesterday.

Goreham said the realtor also suggested putting lights on the buildings to illuminate the balconies so the police can better see who is causing problems. This may also eliminate the street light posts, which usually fall victim to shaking during the disturbances, she said.

During a public forum held by the council last week, residents also suggested the borough restrict apartment complexes in the "Beaver Canyon" area from renting to students.

The council is still considering the 44 riot prevention measures that its committee developed, as well as suggestions students and community members made at last week's meeting. Behind each suggestion, someone is affected. For Cini, the borough's latest riot prevention measure meant a change to his business — a change he decided affected his business so much that he needs to leave State College.

Whether or not there will be another riot is yet to be determined. But one thing is certain — there won't be an Acme Pizza.