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Council gives tentative OK for North Loop pub project
Monday, March 2, 2009 by Kimberly Reeves
It’s an interesting zoning case when Council decides just how weird
Sure, everyone has heard about that briefly proposed ordinance to protect iconic
Pam Pritchard brought her case for an English-style pub in the
Laurie Kelly, Pritchard’s friend of 35 years, testified to Pritchard’s fortitude. Pritchard had visited European pubs, joined entrepreneurial groups and scoured
“She found her home there,” said Kelly. “She has invested so much of herself into this property. You will like what she plans to do. She believes so strongly that the façade needs to be pleasing, the floors need to be clean, and the plumbing needs to work.”
If anyone was going to be an asset to the neighborhood, it was Pritchard, Kelly said. Pritchard had presented the plan for her business to the local neighborhood association, rather earnestly, at least three times. Even as Pritchard continued to meet her neighbors, she decided the neighborhood was a good fit for her.
“I like this neighborhood,” Pritchard said. “I’ve felt more and more that it’s a good fit for me. My target customer is someone who is between 30 and 60, who lives in the neighborhood. Presently, there’s no space for them to have a drink. This is a neighborhood that serves more of a youthful group.”
If anyone could have described what might have been an ideal “Keep Austin Weird” business, this would be it: an English-style pub, minus the grub, on
Not only that, the idea of a neighborhood “pub” was clearly favored by the North Loop neighborhood plan, mentioned three times as the type of eclectic business the underutilized neighborhood hoped to attract.
Pritchard’s proposed space, 770 square feet of commercial space to be zoned CS-1, would be only a third of a shopping center.
So, is there a point where too much of a good idea exists, where, upon consideration, one too many liquor establishments might exist in a neighborhood plan area? Is there a point where neighbors might determine that two, three or four bars in a neighborhood – nine years after the plan was initiated — are enough?
For all those who thought it might be a great idea – including the owner of the local Mediterranean restaurant – there were those pointing to an increase in crime in the
Neighbor Jim Mansour, like a handful of others on hand who opposed the plan, said he had nothing against Pritchard. Still, this is a street where a number of businesses already serve liquor to cater to customers, including The Parlor, The Flying Saucer and Barfly’s. Where is the grocery store, restaurants or florist? Mansour asked. Those were all recommended in the
Even those things that appear to be a good idea in the first place sometimes do end up being a disaster, Mansour said. A coffee shop initially sounded like a great addition to the
Council did get into a discussion as to what the idea of a proposed “pub” might have conjured up in the
At the final vote on the zoning change, the decision went something like this: Council Member Laura Morrison said she understood a cool neighborhood retail area but questioned how often the city should be issuing the up-zoned CS-1 designation intended for liquor sales. She noted a number of recent cases. Morrison offered a motion to deny the zoning change, which Council Member Randi Shade seconded.
Council Member Mike Martinez agreed with Morrison’s concerns but separated those from the case at hand. Yes, the zoning classification of CS-1 probably needed to be revisited, in terms of bar uses. On the other hand, this was an area where the “Keep Austin Weird” moniker lived and should be maintained.
“I just think in this case it’s not so detrimental or harmful,”
Leffingwell said he was ready to given initial approval but that future approval on 2nd and 3rd reading would be based upon the intent of the neighborhood plan. What, exactly, was the
With all the arguments made, the final vote was 4-2, in favor of the CS-1 zoning on first reading only. Those in favor included Leffingwell, McCracken, Cole and
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