A Platte Street bar pushed out of its running into opposition from some of its new neighbors in Sunnyside — including a Denver city councilman.
ճ, known for live music, classic video games and a two-story , had hoped to transfer its liquor and cabaret licenses to 4401 Tejon St. from 1611 Platte St. , has also signed on to reopen in the space.
But in response to mostly noise-related neighborhood objections, a city hearing officer has recommended that the Denver Department of Excise and Licenses approve only the transfer of the liquor license.
A final decision won’t be made before Thursday, the deadline for formal objections to be filed with the city, according to a city spokesman. If the hearing officer’s recommendation is upheld, the Monkey Barrel would be allowed to serve alcohol but could no longer book live music.
“If I don’t get the liquor license, Carbone’s doesn’t open. If I don’t get the cabaret license, we’re going to have to change — we might even have to change our name,” Monkey Barrel owner Jimmy Nigg said, noting that he has already invested $200,000 in rent and renovations at the new property.
“Our logo is ‘Live Music & Local Beer.’ If we don’t have live music, we lose our branding, we lose part of our following,” Nigg said. “A lot of the people who are going to follow us from Platte to Tejon won’t because we don’t have the live music anymore.”
ճbar’s live music, late hours and potential for noise, though, were chief among neighbors’ concerns. The proposed location, previously home to a deli and natural food market, sits across the street from Chaffee Park in a primarily residential area of .
“The neighbors want to see that area be an area of shops and restaurants that reflect a neighborhood context. Itap not something we want to be a bar-hopping scene,” said Niles Emerick, co-chair of Sunnyside United Neighbors Inc.’s planning and community development committee. “Having (Monkey Barrel’s) concept there would be great — provided we have some agreements in place guarding against noise bleed and late, loud patrons.”
The neighborhood organization had hoped to find a workable solution through the negotiation of a good neighbor agreement, but the two parties have been unable to come to terms, Emerick said.
Good neighbor agreements, which lay out operating restrictions agreed upon by the business owner and area residents, are “very common” in the liquor and retail marijuana licensing process when license-seeking businesses are close to homes, city spokesman Dan Rowland said.
“Really, they’re in the business owner’s best interest to do them,” Rowland said. “They have to show there is both a need and a desire from the neighborhood to have this license there.”
The sticking points between Monkey Barrel and the neighbors were the bar’s hours and whether the terms of the agreement would be tied to the licenses.
The neighborhood proposal was for Monkey Barrel to close to new patrons by midnight Sunday-Thursday and 12:30 a.m. Friday and Saturday. The hours of operation, plus a stipulation that outdoor speakers be turned off and any exterior openings closed by 10 p.m. daily, would have been attached as conditions of the licenses.
The terms of the agreement would also have been binding on any future holders of the licenses. Emerick said having leverage on the licenses allows the neighborhood to continue to have a say even if the business is sold.
“As the liquor license changes hands, the new concept could be totally different,” Emerick said. “It’s about protecting the future of Sunnyside.”
Officially, SUNI does not support or oppose the Monkey Barrel licenses. More than 250 neighborhood residents, however, have signed a petition in support of both the bar’s liquor and cabaret licenses, according to city records. Opponents gathered 31 signatures.
“It’s two guys playing a guitar,” said Nigg, who also offered to keep all live music inside. “When you hear live music, you’re thinking heavy metal and pyrotechnics and electric guitars. Thatap not what we do — we give local musicians an opportunity to play, to the tune of $25,000 a year. I did everything we could to address the concerns.”
But Nigg accused some residents — including city councilman Rafael Espinoza — of “threatening” him to sign the good neighbor agreement. He said he did not feel comfortable tying any restrictions to the licenses given some residents’ sentiment against his business.
“There are people in the neighborhood who on record have said they don’t want bars and restaurants in their neighborhood open late at night,” Nigg said. “If I sign something and attach it to my liquor license, for the rest of the term, I’m going to have to worry about them coming in and holding us up to that agreement. I have to look over my shoulder.”
Espinoza, who spoke at the city license hearing June 29, said plenty of other liquor license holders have been able to meet the needs and desires of the community.
“He may feel intimidated but that’s just not the case. It’s called listening and responding and compromise,” Espinoza said. “If you have integrity, you won’t have a problem documenting that and living up to that.”
Platte Street, right next to Interstate 25, is not the same as a residential neighborhood like Sunnyside, he said.
“This was a situation where truly the needs and desires were conveyed and communicated and discussed. They just weren’t documented. Therein lies the problem,” Espinoza said. “If you’ve got a clear understanding of what this community’s needs and desires are and you have a clear tool for capturing those to make this license reflect that, then it should.”
Nigg said he plans to uphold other conditions of the good neighbor agreement — including the 10 p.m. cutoff on outdoor speakers and ban on late-night trash disposal — even though it was never signed. Carbone’s could start slinging sandwiches in early August.
“I’m willing to compromise with them,” he said. “But unless you want to be coffee shop No. 6 or breakfast restaurant No. 5, if you want to open up a business in Sunnyside, you better be ready to fight.”
