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HomeMy WebLinkAboutcoa.cclc.min.060612 COMMERCIAL CORE & LODGING COMMISSION MINUTES OF JUNE 6, 2012 Vice-chair, Don Sheeley called the meeting to order at 8:30 a.m. Commissioners in attendance: Bill Dinsmoor, Riley Tippet,Terry Butler, Siam Castillo and Kiki Raj. Excused were Andrew Kole and Fred Ayarza. Staff: Kathy Strickland, Chief Deputy City Clerk Dan Nelson, Downtown Coordinator Jim True, City Attorney Motion: Riley moved to approve the minutes of May 16th second by Bill. All in favor, motion carried. Simon Daniels, owner of the antique store across from Escobar. This is a family oriented mall. Night club bars don't work. I had to close our doors. It is difficult having a bar outside your shop. It's tough as retailers. For the luggage store people have to walk all the way around the mall due to the bars in the middle. You have divided the mall into two sides. More thought needs to go into this. Simon said Ellina's is there and then you have a six foot space and then you have a bar in the middle of the mall. Retail customers are fickle. It is the orientation of everything. Over Memorial Day weekend I had couples come in with drinks. I had to kick one couple out of my store. We can't deal with that kind of stuff. Amy Dundon, real estate broker. I opened a real estate shop and when I close at night the integrity of the mall is being compromised. I have windows on the mall. Zocalito has tables and chairs tied up in front of my window. The entire alley has become a storage area for Zocalito. Simon also mentioned that no benches are available for the public to sit on due to the bars. Andy from Escobar said in the afternoon we will have pulled pork sandwiches and sausages. The mall has a dead feeling and we tried to liven it up. We have the fountains on both sides. Terry mentioned that there were wondering drunks on the Hyman mall. Simon said we have planter boxes and stations. It is a weird defined space. 1 COMMERCIAL CORE & LODGING COMMISSION MINUTES OF JUNE 6, 2012 Terry said last year it was ok but now all of a sudden it is a bar in our face and a storage area for unsightly furniture. It is an open venue for drunks. It seems there is no room for a bar. Riley said this has been an experience. Ryan said he is willing to work with us. It is part of the deal to step it up or they are gone. I see both sides. Growth has to be good for everyone. We need to incorporate the other businesses around on the mall. What didn't we do that we could have done? Escobar needs to recognize we might need changes. Siam said she ran into Torre who isn't excited about the area. The area should be smaller. . Kiki said there is a big difference in the traffic flow on that mall. Wandering around drinking is not permitted. Reconfiguring is something that needs occurred. Bill said this is not a surprise to us. We try to bring vitality to public spaces in town. The bar is an experiment. There are opportunities to address the concern. The music may be the easiest to control. People need to be able to move through the mall. Andrew (phone call) Three years ago we had no vitality. The reason we allowed Escobar to come is because he purchased the bar from Greg Jorgensen, Mustang and Mustang was closed. The couch space needs reduced so that it isn't over whelming and the bar size could be reduced. I feel it is all doable situation. The comment about family atmosphere didn't ring true to me. Simon said the issue is a bar vs. a restaurant which is Finbarr's. ' ' Don said if we can open the space up it might work. Terry said she is questioning whether we need a bar on the mall or not. Sometimes we feel we have a plan and then you,add extra chairs etc. We need to reduce the bar 50%. The mall is not a storage area and it is messing up the mall and changing the entire feel of that mall. This is not good news and you need to make a serious effort in change. Kiki agreed. 2 COMMERCIAL CORE & LODGING COMMISSION MINUTES OF JUNE 6 2012 Don said Finbarr's stacks their chairs up. Bill suggested a chain through the chairs instead of stacking them up. Siam said with the photographs some of these issues are concerning. We don't need noise at night. Andy, Escobar said the bar closes at 10:00. Terry mentioned that she had to put in sound proof glass. Bill mentioned that Steve Barwick was working on a data base to work with businesses so that they are aware of issues in the core. Justice Snows Restaurant Marco Cingolani, owner of Justice Snows said they would like tables on the east side of the building on Mill Street. - Bill reminded Marco to be aware that people will move the chairs to the other tables and block the sidewalk. Terry suggested Marco talk to Mia Valley next door about their outside dining. Marco said the evening is great and the food sales are slowly moving up. MOTION: Siam moved to approve the outside seating for Justice Snow's, second by Andrew who called from LA. All in favor, motion carried. Siam said they deserve a chance because it was effective last year but they can't harm the people around them. - Bill mentioned that Steve Barwick said they were working on a data base for businesses through the city. Don said he will check with Steve on the status of the data base. Meeting adjourned at 0:30 a.m. Kathleen J. Strickland, Chief Deputy Clerk 3