5.24.2024 Licensing Board

okay good okay um reading off a uh notice brilliant chairman of the board um I'm going to get started by reading off a uh notice brilliant chairman of the board um I'm going to get started by reading off a uh notice pursuant to the open meeting law any person may make an audio or video recording of this public meeting and May and may transmit the meeting to any mandates that all

multiple member bodies develop and adopt rules or policy for public comment given mandates that all multiple member bodies develop and adopt rules or policy for public comment we have adopted such a policy which in provides for Citizens input on licensing board specific matters at the beginning of the meeting there is a sign up sheet located in the back of the room anybody sign up yes Mr

Higgins for public input I can wait okay uh we're going to go we're going to go into um the first item and only item on the agenda it's discussion of reconsideration and a vote if necessary regarding jul Li friends Lounge jul Li friends Lounge yeah LLC DBA cstone Lounge uh 226 East Main Street Manuel D Silva Mr D Silva could you please state your name and address for the record please uel D Sila for

Falcon lockway Somerset Mass okay Mr the Sila I I I would I would ask you to explain why we we're here but we're here based on a special meeting because you would like the board to reconsider um I assume what is what is a parking requirement a parking condition in your your approval to open up your uh Cornerstone Lounge is that correct yes okay and and I know you have other information regarding that has this

license been in existence to Mr D for two years and not open two years give or take oops okay um all right let me I don't know if anybody has any questions right now but if I could please so back in back in January 19 2022 I I see a decision and I know Mr Mr Hathaway is here to address this I Mr hathway if I I'll start at this have you

have been involved obviously and is is there a is there a zoning or city ordinance that would require us to have a parking um like a a parking condition I wasn't here when this was done so I've never known and I've been on that side of the table many times um of a parking requirement and and I'm only saying it Glenn honestly because I'm looking at places like sags places like uh Messa

Scotties whatever it may be and they they don't have any you know so if I may just tell you how it happened so um this gentleman applied for a license through the your particular board um the neighborhood was concerned over the capacity of the restaurant and and and uh what the gentleman wanted to do so it was agreed upon by board members at the time I wasn't at the meeting the way I

understand it it was agreed upon that they'd meet at the site and review the building and also review the parking requirements because the neighbors were were uh in many deep in regards to concerns for parking so we met at the site uh this gentleman had his had his attorney accompany him uh we walked through the restaurant discussed the restaurant discussed parking requirements the neighborhood was there

also both him and his attorney agreed to approach that landowner and see if they could get an agreement for parking um which they did at some point uh down the road there was an agreement it was forwarded to me uh I remember the date it was uh in 2022 yes um that he had an agreement with that property owner across the street uh however the restaurant was not allowed to open at the time because it

was still under some type of construction I believe at the time I I didn't handle the building itself per se I did visit it and we come to some agreements uh as far as upgrades there was a there was a fire issue too that that was the previous owner okay so this is all in the restaurant there upstairs is occupied with I had I had heard that Mr DVA had had that he didn't have a

certain approval from the fire department at one point time was a yes that was that's right because it was an anel system in the in the hood system okay that was from the previous uh AR tenants okay downstairs so he was not able to open till he brought the kitchen up the code uh because it had been sold uh closed for several years I was uh semi involved in that it was another billing inspector

that was overseeing everything uh mainly um there was a bar that was installed and they did everything according to code and and uh some minor upgrades had to take place place in the kitchen uh however I got involved when when the parking issue arose and we want they wanted to meet out there so that's why we we met um going back to the parking uh both him as and his attorney agreed

to uh touch base with that uh building owner um as I stated in doing the renovations of the building and getting that up to par uh for as far as the parking is concerned when he was ready to open up uh let's say uh the last time uh I asked for an updated letter or some documentation that he still had the parking lot I told him that he needed to

stripe the parking lot and give me a designated um uh handicap parking area uh and um I would let him open uh providing everything in the restaurant was was passed uh that has not taken place due to the fact that uh the Parkin law is uh not striped there's no designated parking uh for handicap and I asked him to give me an update uh I can't get one so therefore he's not opening unless I suggested that

he come back to this board and have a discussion with this board so you know what transpired you know this Mr hatway I'm not putting any of that this this is not on you his his not being open so to answer your question there is no zoning decision okay for this it pre-existing building that the restaurant's been closed more than probably 10 years non-existing um new owner of the of the complex by

the way so there is no zoning here um in regards to the it's just right it's the licensing board listening to the concerns of the neighborhood at the time of his licensing application and that's all okay I just want because I would you know I've always if if the building department has something that is an ordinance you know I'm always a h % behind what you guys do ab I just I just

wanted to be clear about that because my experience when I've come before this board UNC commmon victus is that the zoning board always has to sign off that it's okay so I'm saying how this has to be something and I wasn't here and and I I and I understand the neighbors I would never not take the neighbors into consideration I just don't this is only me and I wasn't here miss cadiro was I I

I I'm not in favor of keeping this guy closed for this reason and I appreciate and I appreciate and respect everything you said I'm not going against you I I don't think when we have other businesses in the city and and for instance what what are we going to do down the Flint there's no parking anywhere and we're trying to renovate it with other businesses if a restaurant wants to come there mean we're going to

say no I I I I I think it's our job and I'm only speaking for myself not my fellow board members who are fully capable of of speaking for themselves our job is if that resta is out of control and that restaurant is causing problem with parking all over the place and disturbing neighbors then at that point in time I like the neighbors to come and we address it I in

my humble opinion would like to give the gentleman an opportunity to open up that's like when he came before when he wanted an entertainment license I was very clear to him I'm not going to Grant it not right now there's got to be a track record of what's going on over there and if he Pro and if he doesn't do it what's right if he doesn't monitor it and he's causing problems in the

neighborhood is going to come back us and we got to renew every year we'll bring bring him in that's how I look at it but I don't want to penalize the guy cuz I grew up over there after after St Pet's and yet it was Al on one corner this was a bar on this corner Square Deal down down the street and then East Main Cafe was on one corner they were

all over the place so I'm only going to speak for myself and I wasn't here miss miss cadiro was so maybe she has a different View and I respect her view Mr perea I'm sure he has is going to um weigh in I'm I'm my humble opinion is is I I would wave this pocket requirement let this guy get open and try to run his business and and

we will monitor it I I have I would you know if the police aren't here today but if a notice wants to go to the police department to monitor it there's people parking illegally in the parking lot or whatever it may be uh and I would hope that he would still negotiate with the pendes I know the Pettis sorry not the the Pettis I know the family the dad I

don't know Susan I know the two sons um I would hope that he would continue to negotiate with them cuz I think it'll be for his business to have off street parking it isn't the easiest place to park there's no question about it um but that's just my view so and members of the board yeah so I was uh on the board two years ago when you came in front of

us uh the first several times but I was newer to the board and I remember being at the site visit and um having all of the different neighborhood associations and Neighbors in general come in opposition um I not wasn't aware that this uh was not a zoning requirement and um I think for that area of the city looking at other restaurants like Scotty and Mesa that have um no Park designated parking it's all um on

street parking um the amount of money that you've put into this property and the fact that you're from outside the area and wanting to invest in our city I believe you deserve uh the chance to open your business um and I apologize that it's taking you this long to get your liquor license improved but I would be in favor of moving forward today uh I agree um I actually a little opposite as

far as I actually think there is on uh on street parking in that area well I do I East Main Street's tough but Palmer Street he's got Palmer Street got parking but even East Main Street um in front of the wames I think it was called Wes at one time I traveled there many many times I never see anybody parked in front of there um you know it's a it's a

um a restaurant and bar there's going so I would imagine you're going to be open a lot of at night um the hours must be at night um yeah I'm not changing we're not I'm we not changing any hours right but down there um St an's um area at night I think there is parking there and then if and there's also meters I believe there are meters there too so if

they're parking the day people have to feed the meters so it's a revenue for the for the city so um I don't think it's as Bleak parking scenario as that's being U looked at but I do hope that you do um try to get that parking lot as well and it doesn't just benefit your business yeah I also want f favor of this the last thing I wanted to say is

and I this is just again my opinion he's going to he's going to have to figure it out as a businessman if pocking becomes an issue and people are not going to his restaurant because of pocking then obviously it's going to hurt his pocketbook he's going to have to figure that out so I don't want to put a further condition to hinder his business coming into the city but he may find out shortly that thereafter that

people are not going to his business because there's no pocking so he's going to have to do something but I would like to have let him make that as a business decision um so uh at this time anybody else in favor Mr Higgins name and address for the record please and we don't and we don't have any violations to the open meeting law right want to make that Crystal Clear before we go

forward no this is a this is a very good meeting U Patrick Higgins Northport Alabama I was up here two years ago as Melanie will remember um when I spoke in favor of this license I said look the guy spending a ton of money I've been to his restaurant in Brockton and I will tell him that on every license that that lady issues and that man issues it says this license must be posted

conspicuously looking for a license in some of the restaurants of the city is like a scavenger hunt this man's got a bulletin board inside his restaurant in Brockton just like every other restaurant in Brockton they got a bulletin board all the licenses he's got a bulletin board in Fall River waiting to put the licenses in right outside the office door I've been in the restaurant I've been with

Glennon L and Manny met with one day we walked through that whole building here's here's the issues he did everything they asked as I said the night that Mr McCoy took over and you guys get them the license the man the city and the residents in the parking and the tenant association everybody's going to vote with their dollars right they're going to come in they're going to eat they're going to

decide do I want to come back did he do a good job how's the parking he can go broke by himself and I appreciate the fact that you're considering waving that parking requirement so you get open after two and a half years of paying for a license you know I don't know if well the one thing M I do want to interrupt in one case because I understand circumstances I have the

utmost uh respect and and and I think Glenn's I agree with Glenn's decis okay I just want Mr the Sila understand that I that two-year thing I understand it took two-year thing but that that went both ways that's not in the city's back the parcking I get but these guys do a great job they want to make sure that is correct no question about that at all I

don't I just want you to know that I I you pay the bill for two years and I know that's money and I I I said that I renew the license I paid to renew the LIC but it's not a day fall because I was the construction to finish that okay I just want you to know all right I don't know I don't want to lose my my

license that's why I was in K to pay the and I agree I just want I didn't I don't think you said that Mr or implied that I just want everybody to know that defit these gentlemen these gentlemen do a great job and they're out there busting their humps I will tell you I came up from Alabama and we met with the inspectors and Glenn and Manny and I and we walked through that building for

about what hour and a half Glenn we went through every item on the code that was required the next day he started working on it including the hook on the back of the bathroom door so if you have to go to the bathroom in the handicap store you just put your jacket there so you don't have to put it on the floor or wear it so I mean you've done everything

um and I appreciate the fact that you're willing to let this man open and thank you very much we haven't taking the official you know that Mr I'm saying the way it looks yeah just don't want to break any rules no no um anybody else in favor anybody oppose young man are you are you have us saying this Jackson hearing none I will entertain a motion to reconsider the the prior Grant

of this license and eliminate any conditions relative to pocket okay I'll make a motion to approve the all alcohol common victur license for Cornerstone lounge and Wave parking requirements second any questions I the motion hear and none all those in favor all those oppos motion Grant unanimous Mr chairman before you uh what is the condition on the license for the hours so we make

sure that we're in full compliance so there's no questions it'll be listed on the license anyhow won't it but do you know what it is I don't know I'll tell you right now if I have the last there it is in the last one I think one of them had one second Mr Higgins I just want to make sure there's no misunderstandings okay it's in here CU I already read it I don't know where it is

right now give me a minute did we say 9 10 or 10 and 11 the hours of operation are proposed hours of operation would be 2 Tuesday through Thursday 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.

Friday and Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Sunday 9:00 a.m. to to 10 p.m. but alcohol not to be served until 10:00 a.m. that make sense correct y want to right that down I can't see on the license she's going to give it to you on the license okay thank you for Hing the special meeting we appreciate um motion to adour I'll make a motion second all in favor all oppos thank thank you Mr halfway

appreciate welcome thank you appreciate your time enjoy the rest of your day heading to M you be a bad boy tonight that's Jackson I think I think the same for