New Bar/Restaurant errrrrrr Beer Garden - Hottest Rumor In Town

[Bridget Conant]

“Something is better than nothing.”

Lakewood’s new motto.

[michael gill]

The food trucks are a distraction. They are not the business. They are sub leases. The way the applicant makes money, and the real issue for the neighborhood, is a 240 seat bar, with 95 seats in an outdoor beer garden and 45 more on a rooftop patio.

The block already has 4 bars.

The proposal we saw was for an outdoor sports bar with multiple big screen tvs. The applicant claims this will not be loud because his clientele is over 30 years old. At what age do people stop screaming at the Browns?

This is 2 doors from my house and very close to all my neighbors.

The parking issue is that the neighborhood does not have enough already, and this would add 240 bar stools and only 6 parking spaces. The proposed parking solution is for the lot directly behind my house (6 foot fence, no buffer) and behind the YMCA, which puts bar parking in those folks' back yards too.

[Bridget Conant]

I live near the West End bars. I have stories to tell! I’m not complaining because I knew when I bought that these were nearby. But never did I expect the level of noise and commotion at closing time.

I’ve not only heard the whoop-whooping and screaming, I’ve witnessed public urination, brawls, cars driving by at high speed, and had a fight/chase come down my driveway, tumblr in my backyard, then jump over my fence as the aggressor pursued his prey.

I mean, it’s just a madhouse.

And tell me exactly how they will keep the clientele over 30? That seems a rather ridiculous claim!

[Dan Alaimo]

Outdoor basketball, anyone?
It's near a baseball diamond and the Y.

[michael gill]

No, Dan, kids playing basketball outdoors near residential property is too loud. That's just crazy.

[Dan Alaimo]

No, Dan, kids playing basketball outdoors near residential property is too loud. That's just crazy.

Michael,
First I know it will never happen in this mayoral administration, but would it be worse than a "beer garden"?
I wanted to put something out there besides the usual go-tos in Lakewood.
The beer garden noise will go on most of the night. The basketball should shut down by early evening. Also that lot is fairly deep and if the hoops were on the Detroit side, and if there was a really substantial noise barrier, it might work.
But relax. Not gonna happen.

[Bill Call]

Mr. Gill, I agree with your analysis.

You and your neighbors can plead your case to the Mayor and Council but you would be wasting your time.

In my opinion you should start gathering petitions to make your precinct a dry precinct. That is your only option.

In a normal environment this beer garden idea would be killed because of the parking issue but the Mayor and his pals have been known to bend the rules before.

Good luck.

[michael gill]

Dan, Bill, my post calling crazy talk was sarcastic. I believe an outdoor sports bar with jumbotrons and alcohol (and corn hole!) will be louder than hoops.

[Mark Kindt]

1. The affected business owners and the affected residents need to organize and participate in the local regulatory process with regard to the proposal.

2. Clearly there are noise and nuisance issues, as well as parking limitations, that can be raised as formal written objections to the planning commission and elected officials.

3. Regardless of views that you might have about the current city administration, citizens do need to exercise their rights on an active basis.

4. Because of citizen activism on other issues (hospital, dogs), the city administration slowly realizes (with electoral defeats) that it must come around.

5. However, keep in mind, that the property owner has rights as well and one of those rights is to propose the development of an empty lot consistent with his legal rights to do so.

[michael gill]

Bill, people keep referring to the mayor and his pals. Does this mean more than simply the admnistration?

Elsewhere some people have called this a favored project.

What don't I know about it that causes this kind of talk?

[Jim O'Bryan]

Bill, people keep referring to the mayor and his pals. Does this mean more than simply the admnistration?

Elsewhere some people have called this a favored project.

What don't I know about it that causes this kind of talk?

Mike

Bill can answer for himself, but there seems to be a hierarchy for getting stuff out of Lakewood City Hall. "Friends/Supporters" of the Mayor seem to get whatever they want. Others have to fight for it. Question one thing, and you go on the shit list. Say enough and basically get run out of town. Small mind, small person politics from the people that love to tell everyone to "put their big boy pants on!"

Mark

All economic development is not bad. I agree, there is many things I think are OK. McDonalds for the theater was fair until they moved the entrance and exit onto a side street. Family Dollar was OK, but then they lied to residents and truck enter their street.

Which brings us to the kind of commercial economic development that seems bad, or extremely shorted sighted. Commercial venues that infringe on residential, and or affect negatively residential home property values and life. Now across the city the prices are up. But if you live next to McDonald's drive-thru, not so much. As Detroit is a business street and was when they bought one could say, "tough luck." But if the property grows and takes down homes leaving you next in line, I would hope there is good reason.

Which brings us to NIMBY "Not In My Back Yard." A phrase that became Lakewood's with the attempt with the West End Debacle. And underlines a problem ever since. Let's over develop commercially the center of the city, to keep our taxes low, north of Lake Road. When actually the real deal should be to develop the heck out of the Lake, and make some real money for this community.

Michael Gill, if I can be so bold bought a nice double in a private part of town surrounded by a park and other homes. Thanks to our new bar based economy, basically all they can come up with is strip malls, multi-use strip malls, and other places to have bars and restaurants. We get in a rut, that is changing the entire make-up of Lakewood. Is it good, who knows no one has ever looked at it. It worked for the Flats until one weekend it all died. If that happens here Lakewood dies. Or is that the plan, kill off Lakewood as the top bedroom community, and redevelop for pennies on the dollar?

So this little plot of land next to "Lakewood's Field of Dreams" is once again ground zero for many important questions. 1) Why isn't City Hall fair? 2) Why does City Hall enorce parking issues that make some businesses get rid of seating, not open in other areas, while exploiting and ignoring them in others. 3) Is there a plan, or is the plan shear desperation after ruining our town center? 4) How many more bars can we fit in here? 5) Why do the residents count far less than the businesses? For starters.

.

[Mark Kindt]

Bill, people keep referring to the mayor and his pals. Does this mean more than simply the admnistration?

Elsewhere some people have called this a favored project.

What don't I know about it that causes this kind of talk?

Mike

Bill can answer for himself, but there seems to be a hierarchy for getting stuff out of Lakewood City Hall. "Friends/Supporters" of the Mayor seem to get whatever they want. Others have to fight for it. Question one thing, and you go on the shit list. Say enough and basically get run out of town. Small mind, small person politics from the people that love to tell everyone to "put their big boy pants on!"

Mark

All economic development is not bad. I agree, there is many things I think are OK. McDonalds for the theater was fair until they moved the entrance and exit onto a side street. Family Dollar was OK, but then they lied to residents and truck enter their street.

Which brings us to the kind of commercial economic development that seems bad, or extremely shorted sighted. Commercial venues that infringe on residential, and or affect negatively residential home property values and life. Now across the city the prices are up. But if you live next to McDonald's drive-thru, not so much. As Detroit is a business street and was when they bought one could say, "tough luck." But if the property grows and takes down homes leaving you next in line, I would hope there is good reason.

Which brings us to NIMBY "Not In My Back Yard." A phrase that became Lakewood's with the attempt with the West End Debacle. And underlines a problem ever since. Let's over develop commercially the center of the city, to keep our taxes low, north of Lake Road. When actually the real deal should be to develop the heck out of the Lake, and make some real money for this community.

Michael Gill, if I can be so bold bought a nice double in a private part of town surrounded by a park and other homes. Thanks to our new bar based economy, basically all they can come up with is strip malls, multi-use strip malls, and other places to have bars and restaurants. We get in a rut, that is changing the entire make-up of Lakewood. Is it good, who knows no one has ever looked at it. It worked for the Flats until one weekend it all died. If that happens here Lakewood dies. Or is that the plan, kill off Lakewood as the top bedroom community, and redevelop for pennies on the dollar?

So this little plot of land next to "Lakewood's Field of Dreams" is once again ground zero for many important questions. 1) Why isn't City Hall fair? 2) Why does City Hall enorce parking issues that make some businesses get rid of seating, not open in other areas, while exploiting and ignoring them in others. 3) Is there a plan, or is the plan shear desperation after ruining our town center? 4) How many more bars can we fit in here? 5) Why do the residents count far less than the businesses? For starters.

.

Lakewood is a small enough city that affected citizens and businesses can organize to achieve change and can do so effectively, if they try.

The time is ripe to encourage civic participation across the board.

Save the hospital, save Charlie, as well as the election of two new council members, all have demonstrated that organized citizens have impact.

Not every fight will be won, but many will.

More importantly, citizens have to be vocal and speak-out loudly about failed ethics and violations of law. Local public interest lawyers can only do so much in the courts.

Municipal reform rests with pressure from leading citizens and defeats of incumbents at the ballot box.

It also rests upon a younger generation of activists and voters whose time has come to enter the lists.

[Paul Schrimpf]

Count me in as totally against anything temporary when it comes to food (outside one-off festivals like taste of Lakewood) ... no trucks, no tents, nothing without investment in brick and mortar. We should champion and reward investment, not trucks that take money and run out of town. Even trucks from businesses inside the city are bad news. If you think your restaurant can survive in two locations in Lakewood, find a storefront. We have plenty.

As an aside, I can't believe Domino's Plaza is still empty save for Domino's...

[Jim O'Bryan]

640 seat outdoor bar, with a total of 6 parking spots, 2 of them with telephone poles in them.

This will destroy the neighborhood.

Food trucks instead of kitchens because????? It is a trend in Austin, Texas.

Following this logic everyone at City Hall is eating Tide Pods, another trend.


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[Michael Deneen]

What does the Ward 1 Council Rep have to say about this?
Is he waiting for Summers' instructions?