Warehouse Arts District bistro proposal hangs in limbo

This former industrial duplex at 804 Pennsylvania St. in the Warehouse Arts District may soon become a bistro. But Lawrence city officials want significant restrictions on its operation.

Lawrence city commissioners could not reach agreement Tuesday night on a proposal by local developers to open a bistro-style restaurant in East Lawrence, leaving the project in a state of limbo, possibly until a fifth commissioner is appointed.

Tom Larkin, a member of the development group that owns 804 Pennsylvania St., had requested a special-use permit for the property in the Warehouse Arts District. He said his plan is to lease the property to a restaurant operator who would offer food, drinks and live entertainment, mainly catering to people who live and work in the district.

Because the building is too small to accommodate a full kitchen, Larkin is proposing to have food trucks serve as vendors in front of the building, and allow customers to eat and drink either inside the former industrial duplex building or outside on a patio.

But those plans have stirred controversy among some residents of the East Lawrence Neighborhood Association who say the noise and the proposed hours of operation would become a nuisance.

Some also complained that they would effectively be “bookended” by two entertainment districts: downtown to the west; and the Warehouse Arts District to the east.

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City officials said the property is currently zoned for commercial use, which could enable the bistro to open immediately, allowing the establishment to stay open until 2 a.m. every night. But in that area of East Lawrence, the bistro would have to generate at least 55 percent of its revenue from food sales, a requirement that Larkin said potential operators could not accept.

The alternative, which commissioners had previously agreed to consider, was to develop a special-use permit for the bistro that would specify hours of operation and several other conditions which, it was hoped, would be agreeable to both Larkin and surrounding residents.

The Lawrence Planning Commission had recommended conditions that would have limited the hours at which live music could be played on the outdoor patio of the proposed business.

“This set of conditions is beneficial to everybody,” Larkin said. But some neighborhood representatives disagreed.

Commissioners could reach no agreement on any course of action.

Their options were to approve the permit, deny the permit, or send it back to the Planning Commission with further instructions.

None of the commissioners expressed comfort approving the permit. Commissioner Leslie Soden’s motion to deny the permit failed for lack of a second. And another motion to refer the issue back to the Planning Commission failed on a 2-2 vote, with Mayor Mike Amyx and Commissioner Stuart Boley voting yes, and Commissioner Matthew Herbert joining Soden in voting no.

Procedurally, officials said, that meant the matter is still a pending issue before the City Commission, but commissioners may need to wait until a fifth member is appointed to break the deadlock.

In other business, commissioners:

• Approved sponsorship and lease agreements totaling $100,000 a year, allowing Lawrence Memorial Hospital to lease space in Sports Pavilion Lawrence and to display advertising inside the facility.

• Received a report from city staff outlining options for “down-zoning” parts of East Lawrence where a large number of properties are out of compliance with current zoning regulations.

• Received a request from the North Lawrence Improvement Association to review certain residential zoned areas in the North Lawrence neighborhood.

http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2015/aug/18/amyx-named-mayor-city-commission-begins-search-fil/