Lucky's Roadhouse SUP renewal at City Plan Commission next week

Three years ago, Lucky's Roadhouse, then known as The Beagle, received an extension to its Specific Use Permit to operate a Dance Hall and Bar (the only legal dance hall on Lower Greenville).

When the proposal was presented to the Plan Commission, The Beagle had petitions of support from nearly 400 neighbors in the Lower Greenville area. Mad Maxine and LGNA tried to pooh-pooh the petition away by saying (not sic) that not everybody could agree on something like this, but that LGNA did speak for the neighborhood in opposition to any SUP on Lower Greenville. One plan commissioner noted that nearly 250 of her neighbors in LGNALand who signed the petitions were telling him quite an opposite story.

The City Council hearing was more fun - LGNA's Board Member Emeritus Gaye Hopkins, a petite little sprite who is nearly 90, stood in front of the Council and stated that during the City Plan Commission hearing discussions, one Beagles owner called Mad Maxine a bitch.

BD still remembers sitting in his truck and hearing Laura Miller's shocked reply, What did you just say, wait never mind, don't repeat it.

That was the best thing LGNA could throw at the issue, and it failed miserably (link - The Beagle gets SUP, but Mad Maxine crosses the line, April 2005).

Now the permit is up for renewal again. And just like before, BD is boiling the issue down to the most important points...

• Lucky's Roadhouse is the only neighborhood bar that communnicates with its residential neighbors on a regular basis.
• Lucky's Roadhouse patrons do not contribute to the safety and parking issues in the area, since Lucky's is way overparked (more spaces than they need).
• Lucky's Roadhouse has the support of almost all the neighbors in the townhomes within 200 feet of their building, structures that did not even exist three years ago.
• After meeting with its neighbors, Lucky's Roadhouse agreed to a two-year extension and moved their valet stand to the Firestone parking lot to reduce noise.

The May 8th hearing is the first step to renewing Lucky's Roadhouse SUP. The second step will be a hearing before the full City Council in June (before they take their summer break).

You can read more about the issue on the BelmontNA website and download forms both in favor and support of the proposal -click here.

Schedule permitting, BD will be at the hearing in order to blog it live from the Council chambers.