The City Council approved resolutions to grant a liquor and entertainment license to Sconnie Bar despite opposition from neighboring residents Tuesday.
Opponents cited “unbearable” noise generated by nearby Lucky’s Bar as anecdotal evidence of the boosted disturbance that would accompany the new licenses. The council also introduced new liquor license requests for the State Street area.
Sconnie Bar will be located in the same space that formerly housed Lucky’s Bar, which moved down the street, and applicants said they would take steps to ensure the sound level would not cause any disturbance. Some of these steps would include keeping the bass down and keeping the doors closed during business hours, Thomas Van Wie, one of the partners applying for the licenses, said.
“We’ll keep the bass down and have a sign up that will remind patrons they are exiting into a residential area,” Van Wie said.
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Opponents, like Mary Diamond who lives in a house 60 feet away from the property, said there were serious problems when Lucky’s was the tenant. She and others said they experienced little change in the noise level when complaining to Lucky’s Bar management and worry the new establishment would carry on this legacy.
She said these problems ranged from repeated noisiness to vandalism and public urination.
“Our neighbors are professionals — [the neighborhood is] not a student ghetto at all,” Diamond said. “The noise has been pretty much unbearable and I’ve had to learn to be comfortable calling the police [for noise complaints].”
The council eventually approved the licenses under conditions that the bar keep its doors closed as much as possible and make efforts to limit noise pollution. The bar will now be licensed for live entertainment and have the capacity to host more than 1,000 people during game days.
The council also introduced a request for alcohol license for Estacion Inka, which is seeking to sell beer. The Peruvian restaurant is located near State Street and may face opposition from Mayor Paul Soglin who opposes new licenses in that area.
Despite majority support, a resolution urging the Senate to give Supreme Court nominee Judge Merrick Garland a hearing failed to pass because it did not meet the two-thirds threshold required to pass. Opponents argued it is not the place of local government to take a stance on a national political issue.
