Peoria Liquor Commission backs plan for beer garden

By LocalLabs News Service

Jul 5, 2016

The Peoria Liquor Commission met June 6.

The Liquor Commission reviews all applications for approval of sites proposed for retail sale of alcohol and makes recommendations to City Council. This Committee meets on the 1st Monday of the month at 3:30 p.m. at City Hall, 419 Fulton St., Room 404.

Here are the meeting minutes as provided by the Peoria Liquor Commission:

A meeting of the city of Peoria Liquor Commission was held in Room 404, City Hall, 419 Fulton St., Peoria, on June 6, 2016, Chairman Cassidy presiding, with proper notice having been posted.

ROLL CALL:

Present: Chairman Cassidy; Commissioners: Camille Coates (arrived at 3:35 p.m.), Mike Miller, Mike O’Brien - 4;

Absent: Virginia White - 1.

Others present: Deputy Corporation Counsel Sonni Williams; Fire Captain Stan Taylor; Building Inspector Scot Wolf; Senior Urban Planner Kimberly Smith; Senior Urban Planner Shannon Techie; Deputy Clerk Trina Bonds; and concerned citizens.

I. CALL TO ORDER

Chairman Cassidy called the meeting to order at 3:30 p.m.

II. APPROVAL OF MINUTES

Commissioner O’Brien moved to approve the Minutes of the May 2, 2016, Liquor Commission Meeting, as outlined; seconded by Commissioner Miller.

Approved by roll call vote:

Yeas: Cassidy, Miller, O’Brien - 3;

Nays: None;

Abstention: None.

III. LIQUOR SITE APPLICATIONS

Chairman Cassidy read the amendment to Section 3-57, which will be read at the beginning of every Liquor Commission Meeting.

“The Liquor Commission is a recommending body with respect to site approval. Our function is to determine if the location of an establishment is appropriate for the class of liquor license being requested and then make a recommendation to the City Council as to whether the application should be approved or denied. The City Council makes the final decision.

Under Section 3-57 of the Code of the City of Peoria any misrepresentation or false statement made to either this Commission or the City Council relating to the proposed business to be operated on the site can result in a denial of your liquor license; suspension and/or revocation of a license if already issued, and a fine of up to $1,000.”

16-08 Carlos Salem d/b/a Jefferson Food Mart 1500 NE Jefferson

Requesting: Class C (grocery)

The applicant was not present to provide public testimony.

In discussion, Chairman Cassidy gave a brief overview of the case and he said he was not inclined to support another deferral of the Site Application. He then asked if there was anyone present who wanted to speak in regards to the request.

Lila Manion, Neighborhood Resident, spoke in opposition of the request for site approval. She cited previous issues related to another liquor establishment that was in their neighborhood. She said approval of this site could potentially cause more issues in their neighborhood such as loitering, loud music and litter. She said she was not sure if the site had already been approved to become a grocery store. Senior Urban Planner Kimberly Smith clarified that a grocery store had not been approved for the site.

Hearing no more comments, Chairman Cassidy called for the motion.

Commissioner Miller moved to recommend denial of the Site Application for a Class C (grocery) Liquor License at 1500 NE Jefferson; seconded by Commissioner O’Brien.

Recommendation to Deny approved by roll call vote.

Yeas: Cassidy, Coates, Miller, O’Brien - 4;

Nays: None.

Chairman Cassidy stated this recommendation would be heard at the City Council Meeting to be held on Tuesday, June 28, 2016, at 6:00 p.m. and a representative of this establishment should be present at that meeting.

Note: Case 16-08 was withdrawn by the applicant before going to the City Council.

16-09 Peace Brothers Tavern Inc. d/b/a Peace Brothers Tavern 1900 W. Garden

Requesting: Subclass 2 (live entertainment)

Subclass 3 (beer garden)

Terry Edwards, Owner, presented a Site Application to add a Subclass 2 (live entertainment) and a Subclass 3 (beer garden) to an existing Class A (tavern) Liquor License, with a Subclass 2A (karaoke only) at 1900 W. Garden.

In discussion with Chairman Cassidy, Mr. Edwards gave a brief description of the beer garden area. He said the beer garden area would be surrounded by a 6 ft. wood privacy fence. He said their hours of operation in the beer garden would be closing at 10:00 p.m. on weekdays and 11:00 p.m. on weekends.

During more discussion, Mr. Edwards inquired about a special event they held every third week in August. He asked if he could get an exception to the closing hours of the beer garden on that date.

Deputy Corporation Counsel Sonni Williams clarified that the restrictions to the hours of operation would be a part of the site approval. She said occasionally, there were requests to the Liquor Commissioner to extend hours of operation and she said he could make that request for their annual event.

After more comments, Senior Urban Planner Kimberly Smith pointed out that the beer garden required City Council approval of the rezoning request for that location.

In discussion with Commissioner O’Brien, Mr. Edwards confirmed that he would like to have a live band for inside the establishment only.

Hearing no more questions, Chairman Cassidy called for the motion.

Commissioner Miller moved to recommend approval of the Site Application to add a Subclass 2 (live entertainment) and a Subclass 3 (beer garden) to an existing Class A (tavern) Liquor License, at 1900 W. Garden, with a stipulation that the beer garden close at 10:00 p.m. on weekdays and 11:00 p.m. on weekends, and contingent upon City Council approval of the concurrent rezoning request, Site Plan Review Board approval for an expansion of use; and approval of applicable building permits; seconded by Commissioner Coates.

Approved by roll call vote.

Yeas: Cassidy, Coates, Miller, O’Brien - 4;

Nays: None.

16-11 Zion Coffee, LLC d/b/a Zion Coffee Bar 803 SW Adams St.

Requesting: Class B (restaurant, 50% food)

Subclass 3A (sidewalk cafe)

Banu Hatfield, Co-Owner and Briana Rhoades, Manager, Zion Coffee Bar, presented a Site Application for a Class B (restaurant, 50 % food) Liquor License, with a Subclass 3A (sidewalk cafe) at 803 SW Adams.

In discussion with Chairman Cassidy, Mrs. Hatfield said their vision was to have a coffee bar that would serve specialty drinks and craft beers. She said the occupancy is for 99 persons. She said they would also have an outdoor seating area. She gave a brief description of the proposed outdoor seating area.

She said they also planned to have live music inside of the building. She stated their hours of operation would be 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. during the week and closing on Friday and Saturday at 11:00 p.m.

During more discussion, it was pointed out that the applicants had to add a Subclass 2 (live entertainment) to their site approval in order to have the proposed live music inside the building.

For clarification, Deputy Corporation Counsel Sonni Williams wanted to make sure that the applicants met the requirements of a restaurant. It was confirmed that the establishment would meet those requirements.

Hearing no more questions, Chairman Cassidy called for the motion.

Commissioner O’Brien moved to recommend approval of the Site Application for a Class B (restaurant, 50% food) Liquor License, with a Subclass 3A (sidewalk cafe) at 803 SW Adams, contingent upon the issuance of the Certificate of Occupancy; seconded by Commissioner Miller.

Approved by roll call vote.

Yeas: Cassidy, Coates, Miller, O’Brien - 4;

Nays: None.

16-12 Conn’s Hospitality Group Inc. d/b/a Obed & Isaac’s Microbrewery & Eatery 321 NE Madison

Requesting: Class B (restaurant, 50% food)

Subclass 3 (beer garden)

Court & Karen Conn, Co-Owners, Obed & Isaac’s Microbrewery & Eatery, presented a Site Application for a Class B (restaurant, 50% food) Liquor License, with a Subclass 3 (beer garden) at 321 NE Madison.

In discussion with Chairman Cassidy, Mrs. Conn said their proposed establishment would be identical to their business in Springfield and she said it would be a family oriented restaurant with the capacity of approximately 200 people, with a full-service kitchen on the inside. She said they also intended to have an outdoor dining area with a family-oriented beer garden. She said they would have different complimentary recreational activities outside. She said they were also building a full scale microbrewery on the site to produce their own hand-crafted beers to be served on site. She stated they did not intend to do any distribution within the State of Illinois. She said their restaurant and outdoor dining hours would be from 11:00 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. seven days per week. She said the beer garden area would be open until 10:00 p.m. during the week and 11:00 p.m. on weekends.

During more discussion, Mr. Conn gave a brief description of the outdoor bar and beer garden area. He also described the inside of the establishment and he explained that the space was very large. He said there would be no service in the brew house.

In response to a question from Chairman Cassidy, Mrs. Conn said they planned to be open by Labor Day in September.

Hearing no more questions, Chairman Cassidy called for the motion.

Commissioner Miller moved to recommend approval of the Site Application for a Class B (restaurant, 50% food) Liquor License, with a Subclass 3 (beer garden) at 321 NE Madison, contingent upon the issuance of the Certificate of Occupancy; seconded by Commissioner O’Brien.

Approved by roll call vote.

Yeas: Cassidy, Coates, Miller, O’Brien - 4;

Nays: None.

16-13 Rumberger’s Inc. d/b/a Rumberger’s 3127 N. Prospect

Requesting: Class G-B (beer & wine only restaurant) Tremayne Branch, Owner and Sam Risby, Manager, Rumberger’s, presented a Site Application for a Class G-B (beer and wine only restaurant) Liquor License at 3127 N. Prospect.

In discussion with Chairman Cassidy, Mr. Branch said he wanted to add beer and wine to an existing chicken wing restaurant. He said there would be nothing extravagant and he would store the beer and wine in a standard cooler. He said they had seating for 45 people and he said they also have a bar for a counter. He said their hours of operation were from 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. during the week, 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and he said they were closed on Sunday and Monday.

Matt Hume, Property Manager, said they were supportive of the request to add beer and wine at this location. He said there had been other establishments with alcohol at that site.

Hearing no more questions, Chairman Cassidy called for the motion.

Commissioner O’Brien moved to recommend approval of the Site Application for a Class G-B (beer and wine only restaurant) Liquor License at 3127 N. Prospect, contingent upon the successful compliance with all Community Development Department requirements; seconded by Commissioner Coates.

Approved by roll call vote.

Yeas: Cassidy, Coates, Miller, O’Brien - 4;

Nays: None.

16-14 JSS Peoria Inc. d/b/a Kickback on Fulton 456 Fulton, Suite 105

Requesting: Subclass 3 (beer garden/cafe) Sean Smith, Co-Owner, Kickback on Fulton, presented a Site Application requesting to add a Subclass 3 (beer garden/café) to an existing Class A (tavern) Liquor License, with a Subclass 1A (2:00 a.m. hours) and a Subclass 2 (live entertainment) for 456 Fulton, Suite 105.

In discussion with Chairman Cassidy, Mr. Smith said they were trying to spruce up business for the summer and he said they wanted to add a beer garden/café outside.

After brief comments by Chairman Cassidy in regards to the difference between a Subclass 3 (beer garden) and a Subclass 3A (sidewalk café), Deputy Corporation Counsel Sonni Williams explained that because the business currently had a Class A (tavern) liquor license they were not able to add a sidewalk cafe because they weren’t a restaurant. She said the Subclass 3 permitted a beer garden or cafe according to the Code.

In more discussion, Mr. Smith said there would be wood planters as an enclosure of the area and he said his plan was to have seated service. He said the City of Peoria had approached them with a new sidewalk cafe pilot program.

Deputy Corporation Counsel Sonni Williams briefly described the new pilot program and she said there were restrictions. She then said the Commission could also make a stipulation that patrons had to be seated in the beer garden/café area.

Commissioner Miller commented, in the past, the Commission had found that a beer garden was much noisier than a sidewalk café. He said he was more comfortable with a restriction that patrons had to be seated in the outdoor area.

Commissioner Miller moved to recommend approval of the Site Application to add a Subclass 3 (beer garden/cafe) to an existing Class A (tavern) Liquor License, with a Subclass 1A (2:00 am closing hours) and a Subclass 2 (live entertainment) at 456 Fulton, Suite 105, contingent upon there being tables outside for seated service only; seconded by Commissioner Coates.

For the record, Chairman Cassidy said he did not support the restriction on the site approval. He said it wasn’t that he was against the submitted application, he said he just did not support the motion for limitations.

Approved by roll call vote.

Yeas: Coates, Miller, O’Brien - 3;

Nays: Cassidy - 1.

IV. UNFINISHED BUSINESS

There was no unfinished business to discuss.

V. NEW BUSINESS

There was no new business to discuss.

VI. NEXT SCHEDULED MEETING

The next scheduled regular meeting of the Liquor Commission is Tuesday, July 5, 2016.

VII. ADJOURNMENT

Commissioner Coates moved to adjourn the meeting; seconded by Commissioner O’Brien.

Approved by viva voce vote.