City halts plans for Main Street bar

Late last year, Tom Elliott saw no resistance to his proposal for a new Main Street bar as a preliminary public workshop regarding Paddy Wagon Irish Pub went unattended by the public.

Elliott saw the poor turnout as a good sign regarding the general reception to his proposal, but, as it turns out, it was just a brief calm before a deluge of opposition.

At the May 13 Planning Board meeting, city staff, residents and the board itself all urged against issuing a 4COP liquor license to Paddy Wagon, which hoped to open later this year. Following the Planning Board’s recommendation against the liquor license and the bar’s site plan, the future of the business is now in question.

All three of those groups opposed the Main Street bar on similar grounds: There are too many bars downtown, the proposed bar could create crime and noise issues and the proprietors of the bar — who formerly owned Smokin’ Joe’s — have a spotty track record downtown, they said.

Paddy Wagon is one of three businesses entrepreneur Jesse Biter planned to open in his properties in the 1500 block of Main Street. The bar would be located at 1576 Main St., the former site of the Bullet Hole. Per the city code, the use of the 4COP license  classifies the proposed bar as a nightclub.

That license would permit the sale of liquor, wine and beer without any additional requirements on food sales or seats. As a result, the business needs approval for what the city deems a major conditional use before moving ahead.

Elliott has argued his bar would help alleviate issues between downtown residents and nightlife establishments. With the addition of Paddy Wagon — as well as an Evie’s restaurant and the 24-hour Taco Bus that are also planned tenants of Biter’s Main Street property — the late-night crowds would be drawn away from the more heavily residential segments in the 1400 and 1300 blocks.

“Our product is an upscale neighborhood bar,” Elliott said. “We specifically chose this location because of its proximity away from the residential area.”

The bar also needed to clear another city regulation before its proposal could become reality. The city code does not allow for a nightclub use within 500 feet of a package liquor store, but the Main Street location is about 200 feet away from Mal’s Liquors.

In addition to the 500-foot rule, city staff recommended against approving the conditional use because of Elliott’s history downtown. Elliott owned Smokin’ Joe’s — located in the 1400 block of Main Street — through October 2014. Because of the similar size and use, city staff said a direct comparison between Smokin’ Joe’s and Paddy Wagon was fair. 

“It’s based on facts and documentation and the record,” Senior Planner Courtney Mendez said. “You have the same owner/operator, very similar characteristics of the use and a documented history to work from.”

In a comparison of the eight city businesses with 4COP licenses between August 2013 and October 2014, the Sarasota Police Department reported 47 incidents at Smokin’ Joe’s. Staff was troubled that Smokin’ Joe’s accounted for 31.3% of the overall incidents at those businesses during that time period, more than 9% higher than the next closest establishment, the Osprey Avenue Publix.

Elliott said Smokin’ Joe’s did 35% more business than any of the 15 bars he currently owns — a phenomenon he attributed to the lack of existing nightlife options downtown. The new bar would be in line with the Paddy Wagon and Linkster’s bars Elliott owns throughout the state, he said.

“I don’t want to spend my afternoons talking to the sheriff,” Elliott said. “I don’t want to spend my afternoon policing things that need not be policed.”

Fourteen downtown residents sent letters to the Planning Board echoing the concerns of city staff, having already encountered issues with nightlife establishments in the downtown area — particularly when it came to noise.

“I think it’s important to remember this: Bars and nightclubs bring three things to the city,” resident Barbara Campo said. “They bring crime, they bring noise and they bring drugs. It’s that simple.”

The Planning Board ultimately agreed, voting 4-0 against the conditional use and site-plan application. Planning Board member Morton Siegel said the denial was important for preserving the character of the downtown core, which he felt was in danger.

“The worst thing that could happen to Main Street — which is what’s happening now — is the continuation of alcohol-related businesses opening up,” Siegel said. “You put young people out there late at night combined with alcohol and drugs and you’re going to have a disaster.”

Elliott did not respond to requests for comment in the wake of the Planning Board’s decision, but Biter confirmed the vote jeopardized the future of Paddy Wagon in the proposed site.

“They are evaluating their options and will make a decision in the near future to proceed or pull the plug,” Biter said.

“The worst thing that could happen to Main Street — which is what’s happening now — is the continuation of alcohol-related businesses opening up.”

— Planning Board member Morton Siegel