Is Alicia Grant my Councilperson now? Appeal against new Avondale restaurant se

[JHAT76]

http://residentnews.net/2016/12/06/appeal-new-avondale-restaurant-settled-conditions/

A settlement has been reached between Avondale resident Alicia Grant and the restaurant group interested in leasing space in the Shoppes of Avondale at the site of the former Cowford Traders shop.

Grant had appealed the City of Jacksonville Planning Commission's Aug. 18 decision to allow New York-based BMR Dining Group to install a new restaurant with 100 seats inside and 20 seats outside at 3563 St. Johns Ave. The property owner, Thomas Rodman Lee, had asked for a deviation from minimum parking requirements and a zoning exception for sale and service of liquor, as well as outside sales and service.

Grant's concern, along with that of other nearby residents and many of the businesses in the Shoppes of Avondale, was that the amount of space would allow for bar seating and standing room, which would not count in the 120-seat total, and would thus increase the number of vehicles seeking parking in an already parking-saturated shopping and dining district.

Soon after Grant filed her appeal against the Planning Commission's approval of the zoning exception and administrative deviation, the property owner filed another application seeking a second 100-seat restaurant in the same space, separated by a fire wall, and requiring its own kitchen and liquor license.

This counteraction, filed by the applicant's attorney, Steve Diebenow, would have enabled BMR Dining Group to divide the 5,450-square-foot space into two 100-seat restaurants, which are legal according to current zoning code. However, one of the conditions of the settlement was that this application would be withdrawn.

The settlement was presented to the Land Use and Zoning Committee Nov. 15 when it heard Grant's appeal. At the public hearing, George Gabel, the attorney representing Grant, and Richard May, owner of buildings adjacent to the proposed restaurant site, spoke against the original application. However, Gabel conceded one small rest-
aurant was a better solution for the neighborhood than two, under existing law.

Grant agreed. "If they are going to take up the entire space, I would rather there be one 100-seat restaurant than [two with a total of] 200 seats," she said.

Conditions of settlement

According to minutes of the meeting, the appeal was granted, and the Exception and the Administrative Deviation applications were amended with the six conditions in the settlement agreement plus three new conditions.

The first condition requires the restaurant seating to be 100 in total, inside and outside, including high-top tables. The second condition allows Grant to review and agree with the site plan prior to submission to the Land Use and Zoning Committee and Planning and Development Department.

The third condition, which must be final-
ized and signed before the recommendation goes before City Council, will require employees of the restaurant to park at an off-street parking lot, which the developer will secure with a lease. One possible lot mentioned in the Nov. 15 meeting was that of Grace Church of Avondale, at the corner of Herschel Street and Edgewood Avenue.

"I had hoped they would require em-
ployees to park on Herschel Street between Van Wert and Pine Grove," said Grant. "There are no residences over there. But they felt more comfortable trying to get a lease for parking. I was also pushing for an 11 p.m. stop in kitchen service, but felt the parking issue was more important."

Condition four requires the restaurant to stop kitchen service by no later than midnight, including the sale of alcohol, while condition five referred to keeping trash and grease storage inside the back of the restaurant instead of in the alley, as required by the Planning and Development Department in its approval.

Condition six in the settlement requires the applicant to withdraw E-16-62, the application seeking a second 100-seat restaurant.

During the Land Use and Zoning meeting Nov. 15, three more conditions were made. First, the permit for liquor license belongs to the applicant, not to the property, ensuring that another restaurant cannot lease the space without going through the same process.

Next, the Planning Department requested that Municipal Code Enforcement officers be granted the right to enter the building to check on compliance with the conditions of the settlement that pertain to the inside of the building, such as seat count, garbage and grease storage, etc. Under current code, a code enforcement officer cannot enter the premises.

Finally, by the request of LUZ, verification letters indicating compliance of conditions must be submitted prior to final building inspection or occupancy permit issued.

Grant said she shared the details of the settlement with Riverside Avondale Preservation Board Chair Keith Holt and Zoning Committee Chair Nancy Powell and that they were pleased with it, as was Dianne Garcia, president of the Shoppes of Avondale Merchants' Association.

The only person outspokenly unhappy with the settlement was Richard May, who spoke against it and the application at the LUZ meeting.

"Avondale only has 107 parking spaces on St. Johns Avenue," said May, who indicated he had contributed toward attorney fees. "There are 50 retail outlets that need parking, of which 14 are restaurants with a total of 1,143 seats."

The appeal was heard by City Council Nov. 22 and approved.

[Adam White]

No, she isn't. It would appear that she is a claimant in an appeal.

The whole thing doesn't sound too unreasonable to me - certainly, the developer seems to agree, as he/she was willing to reach a settlement.

Restaurants are great and the area will likely benefit. But in the absence of reasonable public transport options, it's not ridiculous to be concerned about the pressure another restaurant (or two!) may place on the available parking resources. Let's be honest - people like to drive and will most likely drive to the restaurant.

[JHAT76]

I wouldn't mind seeing rentals/duplexes being held to some parking standard.

[Adam White]

I wouldn't mind seeing rentals/duplexes being held to some parking standard.

I used to live on Forbes Street, right across from the Church of the Good Shepherd. Whenever they had an event (church-related or stuff like Boy Scouts), I would come home to find there was nowhere to park in front of my building (including the tenants' spaces). And if I were at home, I'd likely be blocked in.

MMR is on the right track - cycling is the smart thing to do. Maybe the parking situation will force more people to not drive to places like these restaurants.

[DrQue]

What is stopping the city from removing the unkempt foliage on the Ingleside medians that span from Avondale all the way to Park Street? That would open up considerable overflow and employee parking along the strip..

https://www.google.com/maps/@30.2975247,-81.7054053,3a,75y,117.46h,89.32t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1saY4qjp3KGee4hzHV3zJ75w!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

[Adam White]

What is stopping the city from removing the unkempt foliage on the Ingleside medians that span from Avondale all the way to Park Street? That would open up considerable overflow and employee parking along the strip..

https://www.google.com/maps/@30.2975247,-81.7054053,3a,75y,117.46h,89.32t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1saY4qjp3KGee4hzHV3zJ75w!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

Not to sound thick - but if people parked along those medians, wouldn't they block the road? It seems very narrow.

[DrQue]

What is stopping the city from removing the unkempt foliage on the Ingleside medians that span from Avondale all the way to Park Street? That would open up considerable overflow and employee parking along the strip..

https://www.google.com/maps/@30.2975247,-81.7054053,3a,75y,117.46h,89.32t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1saY4qjp3KGee4hzHV3zJ75w!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

Not to sound thick - but if people parked along those medians, wouldn't they block the road? It seems very narrow.

It is narrow. If you dedicated the entire median to parking it seems like there is room to allow for additional spots, whether it be parallel on one side or diagonally across the median.

[Adam White]

What is stopping the city from removing the unkempt foliage on the Ingleside medians that span from Avondale all the way to Park Street? That would open up considerable overflow and employee parking along the strip..

https://www.google.com/maps/@30.2975247,-81.7054053,3a,75y,117.46h,89.32t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1saY4qjp3KGee4hzHV3zJ75w!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

Not to sound thick - but if people parked along those medians, wouldn't they block the road? It seems very narrow.

It is narrow. If you dedicated the entire median to parking it seems like there is room to allow for additional spots, whether it be parallel on one side or diagonally across the median.

Oh, okay. I thought you meant to cut the messy bit - I didn't realize you meant to have people park on that space. Personally, I think it would look better if it were kept green.

[Adam White]

Maybe they should build parking garages on the roofs of new builds (like Mellow Mushroom). Too bad you can't really dig down and do a subterranean parking garage.

[thelakelander]

I used to live in a historic district elsewhere that had residential parking stickers.

What district and in what city?

[mtraininjax]

Rack 'em, Pack 'em and Stack 'em, its the new moniker in Avondale.

[Overstreet]

Maybe they should build parking garages on the roofs of new builds (like Mellow Mushroom). Too bad you can't really dig down and do a subterranean parking garage.

It just take money and time.....both things are possible.  But neither is practical.

[Chaz1969]

For a year, I rented the house photographed in that link facing Oak along Ingleside.  During that time, one of my neighbors told me that it was my responsibility to maintain the Ingleside median...or as he put it, "it's your job to clean the park."  I laughed out aloud when he called it that...but this is Jacksonville and we do love our pocket parks.

[JaxAvondale]

http://residentnews.net/2016/12/06/appeal-new-avondale-restaurant-settled-conditions/

A settlement has been reached between Avondale resident Alicia Grant and the restaurant group interested in leasing space in the Shoppes of Avondale at the site of the former Cowford Traders shop.

Grant had appealed the City of Jacksonville Planning Commission's Aug. 18 decision to allow New York-based BMR Dining Group to install a new restaurant with 100 seats inside and 20 seats outside at 3563 St. Johns Ave. The property owner, Thomas Rodman Lee, had asked for a deviation from minimum parking requirements and a zoning exception for sale and service of liquor, as well as outside sales and service.



The third condition, which must be final-
ized and signed before the recommendation goes before City Council, will require employees of the restaurant to park at an off-street parking lot, which the developer will secure with a lease. One possible lot mentioned in the Nov. 15 meeting was that of Grace Church of Avondale, at the corner of Herschel Street and Edgewood Avenue.

"I had hoped they would require em-
ployees to park on Herschel Street between Van Wert and Pine Grove," said Grant. "There are no residences over there. But they felt more comfortable trying to get a lease for parking. I was also pushing for an 11 p.m. stop in kitchen service, but felt the parking issue was more important."

I live on this road. So, I don't know why she would say that there aren't any residences. With that said, if people decided to park along Herschel around Boone Park then that is fine by me. It is a public road that everybody pays for.

I really don't understand all of the mettling with these businesses. Let the market decide the outcome.

[Know Growth]

Maybe they should build parking garages on the roofs of new builds (like Mellow Mushroom). Too bad you can't really dig down and do a subterranean parking garage.

In fact,the initial MM application proposal envisioned roof top facility,band area and sound attenuation.That might have been kinda' neat,but I understand the role area homeowners,citizens and RAP,We Love Avondale et al must play.
Initial proposals are often negotiated,usually by viable 'threat' of potential effective citizen action.
So we have tamped some projects down to more manageable scope,in the face of existing land use & zone rulings. The development proposals involving substantial deviation from existing rule put forth by Applicants are simply that....a request placed before the citizens and our government.Applicants and Citizens have right of appeal.

In the case of Cowford Trader at the Shoppes,the initial seating proposal was cut in half,to "only" 100 seats,on square footage that for years has seen far less parking need. And for that we cheer,so be happy.
The Growth Bucket is really beginning to overflow. And Then What?

Why not eventually consign a big chunk of Boone Park to Parking Garage,the final Jacksonville Growth Mania Hurrah for an area dominated on the order of about 80 % land area by private residence and in fact a marvelous 'growth' expansion,to a point,as recognized in the Overlay....the transformation of the Avondale landscape can morph,no longer the physical manifestation of  public and community values,eventually,step by step,consigned as a tribute to narcissim...Egotopia!Public parking space and natural setting park places (even neighborhood street medians) transformed from viable function and common ground into areas of commercial predation,troublesome Citizen "Standing" once so prevalent within Avondale a thing of the past. Some would Cheer!

Provocative,crazy musings? When is enough,in fact enough? What path are we on,and then what?

In fact,citizens such as Alicia Grant would make excellent Council Person,and ideally for a Council District much smaller than the current sprawling District that claims RAP land.