Is Riverside/Avondale Ready For Mellow Mushroom?

[Dashing Dan]

My question was addressed to fieldafm. 

[tufsu1]

Why not let just the process unfold as it should?

I agree with Dashing Dan on this point!

[fieldafm]

All we're asking is for you to publicly disclose how many parking spots Mellow is required to provide, that they are 'currently failing to meet' ?

Besides yourself, who are you speaking for here?

Well, you were asked the question three times today... see here:

Dashing Dan, what is the max seating size that MM can go into that space without going beyond the guidelines, in your opinion?  Also, what formula are you using to determine maximum seating size for the two buildings involved?


What is the factual maximum number then?  I also assume if they meet these requirements then the opposition goes away?

All we're asking is for you to publicly disclose how many parking spots Mellow is required to provide, that they are 'currently failing to meet' ?

Once again, my answer is that I don't know, that my opinion doesn't matter, and that there are people out there who are being paid to find out.  Let them tell us, and then the planning process is supposed to give everyone an opportunity to respond.

I assumed since you said that Mellow isn't meeting the parking requirement... that you would have some opinion on what that parking requirement is.  Otherwise, why make a statement like that?

The whole back and forth about things like happy hour times are irrelevant, and you know it... and it's becoming clear to see that distracting those from the actual alternatives only serves to muddy the waters.

[JFman00]

It's humorous to me, coming from New Orleans, to see such a furor over a single restaurant. Tulane (located in a quite wealthy part of town consisting almost entirely of single-family homes) just started on the process of building a 30,000 seat football stadium on-campus with a proportionate neighborhood reaction. Looking at the reaction here to what is about as small-scale a project as you can get, feels quite jarring.

Indeed, after living in the middle of Uptown literally across the street from 3 college bars, the concerns of residents here are laughable by comparison. Even then, the worst I had to deal with was hearing loud sorority girls and fratties walking back to their houses at night. Plus, despite open container laws, I never had to deal with beer cans or red solo cups in the morning. In terms of parking, the only time it was inconvenient to park in the neighborhood was during the day when campus parking at at capacity. Sometimes I even had to walk an entire block to get to Starbucks! Quelle horreur! Considering all this, why do Avondale NIMBYs think that they're in for worse?

[thelakelander]

Here's the real answer:  An exact maximum number of desired spaces can't be pinpointed because it's a moving target based on the number of seats.  Also, I'm not sure MM has even submitted an application for an exception at this point.

Riverside/Avondale Zoning Overlay 656.399.22 - Retail sales or service establishments and single-family residential uses located in contributing structures within an identified commercial character area shall have zero parking requirements. Any expansion of contributing structures, after the date of the adoption of this Subpart shall provide 50 percent of the required parking for the expansion pursuant to Section 656.604

Section 656.604 -  Restaurants â€"One space for each four seats in public rooms plus one space for each two employees.

If the buildings MM wants are contributing, no off-street parking would be needed.  It appears they aren't, so the 50% parking requirement would apply.

So you'll need 1 parking space/8 seats plus 1 parking space/two employees.  If you want 100 seats into the shell building space, it means you'll need 12.5 parking spaces plus 1 parking space/four employees.  Bike parking is a complete non-factor.

I wonder if it is possible to make a non-contributing building (that was completed before 1948), contributing by restoring its original facade?  Depending on how that is answered, in addition to simply turning the old pump area into a parking lot instead of a park and outdoor seating, an exception for number of parking spaces may not even be needed at all....even for 250 seats!

[Dashing Dan]

I assumed since you said that Mellow isn't meeting the parking requirement... that you would have some opinion on what that parking requirement is.  Otherwise, why make a statement like that?

What? 

If I ever posted as my own opinion that MM isn't meeting the parking requirement, then I don't recall it, and I apologize for jumping the gun.

I do recall that the parking requirement was discussed at the community meeting, and that the applicant indicated that alternatives to meeting the requirement were being taken under consideration.

[thelakelander]

Why not let just the process unfold as it should?

I agree with Dashing Dan on this point!

I don't agree on this particular point if letting the process unfold means having people trying to open businesses being tar and feathered right off the bat.  However, if that means a real back and forth between the property owner and COJ in finding solutions that deliver a project within the intent of the zoning overlay, I do.

[Dashing Dan]

Besides yourself, who are you speaking for here?

Well, you were asked the question three times today

So your answer is that you are speaking for yourself and for any others who posted more or less the same question to me that you did?

[Dashing Dan]

Why not let just the process unfold as it should?

I agree with Dashing Dan on this point!

I don't agree on this particular point if letting the process unfold means having people trying to open businesses being tar and feathered right off the bat.  However, if that means a real back and forth between the property owner and COJ in finding solutions that deliver a project within the intent of the zoning overlay, I do.

So at least three of us agree on this.

[fieldafm]

Besides yourself, who are you speaking for here?

Well, you were asked the question three times today

So your answer is that you are speaking for yourself and for any others who posted more or less the same question to me that you did?

Yes, when more than one person asks the same question multiple times... that is the royal 'we' in which I am referring to. 

[Bewler]

There seems to be this assumption that the number of people that will be frequenting MM is directly proportional to the number of seats they have. So if they were somehow able to build fifty thousand seats, that many people would show up every night. 250 seats was the initial plan? Sorry, but I’d be surprised if this Avondale location could really fill that many even on a Friday rush.

[Dashing Dan]

Besides yourself, who are you speaking for here?

Well, you were asked the question three times today

So your answer is that you are speaking for yourself and for any others who posted more or less the same question to me that you did?

Yes, when more than one person asks the same question multiple times... that is the royal 'we' in which I am referring to.

So what you mean is Lakelander and yourself.

[Bewler]

Yes, when more than one person asks the same question multiple times... that is the royal 'we' in which I am referring to. 

I'm also curious to know what he thinks the max amount of seat should be being that he already said he's a professional planner. What's the big deal about just throwing out a rough number based on estimation?

[fieldafm]

Besides yourself, who are you speaking for here?

Well, you were asked the question three times today

So your answer is that you are speaking for yourself and for any others who posted more or less the same question to me that you did?

Yes, when more than one person asks the same question multiple times... that is the royal 'we' in which I am referring to.

So what you mean is Lakelander and yourself.

Yes, and if you are trying to imply something else... you are barking up the wrong tree.  I speak for myself alone on this issue b/c it is the right thing to do. 

[Dashing Dan]

Yes, when more than one person asks the same question multiple times... that is the royal 'we' in which I am referring to. 

I'm also curious to know what he thinks the max amount of seat should be being that he already said he's a professional planner. What's the big deal about just throwing out a rough number based on estimation?

For the purposes of this discussion, whatever lakelander posted works for me too.