On Tuesday night, the Peoria City Council will consider a request to place a three-year moratorium on new liquor licenses in a three-block area downtown (see map to right for specific boundaries).
That’s what the council will consider. Why this moratorium is being proposed is sketchy. According to the Journal Star, it comes at the request of Deputy Liquor Commissioner Eric Turner.
Turner has gotten numerous requests from business people wanting to open taverns around the hotel area, which is currently home to several taverns, he said Thursday.
But in order to plan for development around the hotel, he said, the city needs to hold off before approving any more taverns. Earlier this year, the council voted down a request to open a tavern at 619 Main St., the former Dungeon Music & Apparel Inc., next to SOP’s.
“Let’s get a plan together before we know what the area should look like,” Turner said. “If someone is going to make this much investment in the city and the city puts up tax dollars, we need a nice area that will spur Downtown development. We are trying to do the right thing.”
So, evidently the city is going to “plan for development around the hotel” and determine “what the area should look like.” And apparently they expect this effort to take three years. Mayor Ardis mentioned elsewhere in the article what they don’t want the area to look like: “We don’t want to stifle new business Downtown, but we don’t want the entire area surrounding the new hotel to be gin joints, with all due respect.” The council communication further states, “The moratorium will not affect the liquor establishments already site approved for the retail sale of alcohol and would not prohibit site approvals for assembly halls or stadiums, hotels or rental halls.”
Is it just me, or does this seem to be an attempt to protect the new hotel’s bar and restaurant(s) from competition? There is no agenda item establishing a process to develop a “plan for development around the hotel.” This plan didn’t go before the liquor commission for a public hearing. This plan has seemingly come completely out of the blue.
Also hard to understand is why the council is concerned about “gin joints” around the new hotel, but doesn’t have any problem allowing a strip club in the same area. They even changed the adult use ordinance to allow it into the area. Now they want to change the liquor ordinance to keep new bars and pubs out. I can’t put my finger on it, but something just doesn’t add up.
Something verrry fishy about this proposal.
http://peorialife-mazr.blogspot.com/
I figured I’d jump back in.
“does this seem to be an attempt to protect the new hotel’s bar and restaurant(s) from competition?”
Ding Ding Ding
This would also suggest that the hotel developer feels that the success of the venture is dependent on the in house restaurant-bar business and that success will not be gained by occupancy alone.
Businesses in that area are always closing down, new starting up and they are always the same type of businesses: bars. Then the new hotel goes up and there is a ban against new liquor licenses. What business would want to go into a building that has always been a bar (and moreso smells like a bar). Just think of the remodeling costs alone. Vistors, Convention goers and the like would most likely see a bunch of dark, boarded up store fronts. Is that the perception Peoria wants to give of its downtown to out-of-towners? They might as well load up two rounds to shoot themselves in both feet.
of course the city council is trying to protect the new hotel and the moratorium is a barely veiled attempt to do so. the new hotel is their baby and the council (or at least some on the council) want to please their business friends.
i wonder if this moratorium would stand up to a legal challenge. seems to be an artificial restraint on competition. sure a city has a legitimate interest in planning and preventing a glut of ‘gin joints’ (oddly, the actual ‘gin joint’ folded), but they have no business preventing otherwise legitimate business from opening shop. the area has historically been a tavern/entertainment area and the natural ebb and flow of a competitive market has left some places to prosper and many die off. a moratorium grants those in existence (and those soon to be in existence, like what the madison is to become ultimately) a 3 year reprieve from competition. i’d like to see a business denied a license take the city to task if this passes.
what strikes me as odd is that there is no ‘plan’ already. that’s implicit in the moratorium request. they really want 3 years to plan? they didnt take three years to decide on the hotel. heck, they probably didnt take three hours. also implicit in the request is the idea that the liquor comm’n cannot, on a case by case basis, decide on license requests, as has been past practice. in essence, turner is saying, there’s no plan and isn’t going to be a plan for 3 freaking years so for the next 3 years we’ll just say no new bars downtown. and i can only assume that there is no way they’d stick to the 3 years. as soon as some insider wants to open a new joint, the moratorium will be lifted or excepted and the license will go thru. urgh. if these nitwits actually developed and approved a downtown plan for growth (something all the overpaid consultants and economic development groups seem to relish doing and redoing) and stuck to it, i’d be ok with it. but this is ridiculous.
Dr.: do you have no faith?
i have no faith in elected officials to actually serve the public interest and i have no faith in local business goons to do anything but serve their own self-interest.
otherwise, i have faith that all energy flows according to the whims of the Great Magnet.
So what would happen if they did just start approving every liquor license request that came down the pipe? Would you then complain that they were acting too prematurely and without a plan? Or what if the hotel never flies? Would the City then be accused of misleading investors? It seems that what you are protesting here is exactly what you are asking for from the museum planners.
It is a shame the City has not already formulated a plan for the area surrounding the hotel development considering the tax dollars at stake. I understand, however, why they would want to raise the “bar” some around the area. I think more upscale restaurants and bars would actually compliment the hotel development, much like the restaurants and drinking establishments compliment each other in the Heights.
My concern, like so often happens in Peoria, is this City moratorium will somehow become a “who you are or who you know” filter. I can see some being able to garner special favor for their business proposals, while others lose out, regardless of the merits of the business plan.
Frustrated: Agreed. Still amazing to me is that the city council pledged taxpayer commitment prior to private funding being in place.
Diane — I would respond, but I have no idea what you’re talking about. I’m not seeing the parallelism between this issue and the museum issue. You’ll have to elaborate.
CJ – a large part of your blog is devoted to the advocacy of New Urbanism and the principles behind the Heart of Peoria plan. From what I understand, according to you, the concept of new urbanism involves a broad pro-forma that encompasses a harmony of businesses, recreation, and services all designed to compliment and enhance each other in a safe, walkable area.
How do those principles, which you advocate, square with your criticism of the city for not entertaining every liquor license app that comes down the pipe long before the new hotel district plan is in place or even confirmed? This afternoon I’ll bring you some cake. And you can eat it too. 😉
Why is Councilman Turner {CAT EMPLOYEE!!} still the Liquor HIGH Poo Poo?
The “GIN Mills” are small business and da Mayor has become a “LIttle Snobish”
don’t you think? He now hangs out with who ?? Of course Matthews wants to protect the Marriott bar & restaurant ! It’ the tax payer money he’s looking out for.HaHa..
When it opens ?{will it??}
Lets have a RED KNECK House Warming BeeR Bash followed each week by various Ethnic house warmings. Exclude no one because of race creed or color!
Ya all come down!
CJ ,I can’i follow Diane’s comment either , Maybe it’s the Water!
How many times have any of you been in those joints across the street from the Pere? How many of you would like to have one in your neighborhood? If tthe City is going to dress up the downtown, they have to do something about them-the first move is to limit them in number-Peoria has always had a limit on the number of liquor licenses. I’m going to go have a drink!
Maybe its your lack of command of the English language.
Wacko,
Peoria does NOT have any limits on the number of liquor licenses that are issued by class of license or in total. Peoria stopped limiting the number of licenses sometime in the fifties or early sixties. I think you might be referring to East Peoria that I have been told does have limits on the number of liquor licenses they issue.
Gary: thank you
Diane — First of all, there was no moratorium on development in the Heart of Peoria area during the charrette process. Second, there is no “new hotel district plan” effort proposed or underway. Third, if it takes three years to put together a plan for three blocks, Lord help us.
i’m also somewhat confused about diane’s critique. i merely question the wisdom (and motives) behind a 3 year moratorium. does the liquor comm’n want to watch bars slowly die off and not be replaced during the hotel construction/renovation so that they can then be replaced with disney-esque retail, dining and entertainment (a la times square)? I am not against a more family-friendly downtown, i just would like the city to be candid about such a plan, if that is the plan, and not obscure their true agenda.
should not the city have some plan already in place, at least something general, as to the area, so that the liquor comm’n can use that as a fair and impartial standard against which to weigh license requests on a case-by-case basis?
and like frustrated, i am concerned that exceptions to the moratorium will be made on a less than fair basis.