Residents of the Heritage neighborhood showed up in force last Tuesday at the Planning Commission to object to a proposed cocktail lounge at 3100 Guadalupe St.
The site, currently home to a dry cleaners, is set to be transformed into an upscale business serving coffee, cocktails and food. But before the establishment can open, it needs two city approvals: a zoning change from Commercial Services (CS-CO-NP) to Commercial-Liquor Sales (CS-1-CO-NP), and a conditional use permit, or CUP, to operate a business that gets most of its revenue from alcohol.
Nine neighbors spoke in opposition at the Planning Commission hearing, airing fears around increased parking, noise and other quality-of-life issues.
“We don’t need the alcohol. We don’t need the late music. And we really don’t need the issue with our parking,” Katherine Key said. “And this is a great, fun neighborhood full of happy things, and we’d like to keep it that way.”
Amanda Swor, representing the applicant, said the business is not just a bar but will operate all day with “tacos and coffee in the morning, cocktails and bites in the evening.” A boutique liquor store is also in the plans. Swor said the establishment would not seek late hours or amplified sound permits, and construction would be minimal; the bulk of the work would include renovating the existing building and adding a patio.
Neighbors have tried to get the applicant to sign a legal agreement solidifying commitments around operating hours, amplified noise and dumpster placement, among other things. But Swor said the owner would rather apply those restrictions as part of a CUP.
While commissioners said they understood neighbors’ concerns, most sided with Swor.
“I would be making the same arguments if I lived in that vicinity,” Commissioner Grayson Cox said. “But the way the city regulations are written, the vehicle for those restrictions is the CUP process.”
The commission voted 8-2 to recommend CS-1 zoning, with commissioners Jennifer Mushtaler and Carmen Llanes Pulido opposed.
Mushtaler argued that the proposed use just doesn’t fit with the neighborhood. “They don’t need a bar. The applicant can get much of their use out of a restaurant,” Mushtaler said, adding, “We need to promote livability, not drinkability.”
A restaurant is the backup plan if the city does not approve a cocktail lounge, Swor said. According to city code, a restaurant can only receive up to 50 percent of sales from alcohol, while a cocktail lounge can receive more than 50 percent of sales from alcohol.
If City Council approves CS-1 zoning, the Planning Commission will then make the final decision on whether to grant a CUP. Council is scheduled to take up the zoning case on Feb. 23.
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City of Austin Planning Commission: This commission addresses issues of land use as assigned to it by Austin's City Code. These include the abilities "[t]o make and amend a master plan, recommend approval or disapproval of proposed zoning changes and control land subdivision within neighborhood planning areas and submit, annually, a list of recommended capital improvements." It has sovereign authority, or the right to make final decisions on certain cases.
