[{"_1":2,"_98":-5,"_99":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6057118,"mediaKeyId","3307827-5732e06bbeea0cab6976f745f8f4361b","parentId",3307827,"title","Council reviews liquor‑license applications and occupancy increases for three downtown venues","audioSeconds",113,"startMs",14000,"endMs",127000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3307827-5732e06bbeea0cab6976f745f8f4361b&start=14&end=127","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3307827-5732e06bbeea0cab6976f745f8f4361b/thumbnail_14000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6057118/Tuscaloosa-City/Tuscaloosa-County/Alabama/Council-reviews-liquorlicense-applications-and-occupancy-increases-for-three-downtown-venues","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6057118-46db1ba72fce02e5d4c2d2d01177970e/orig.mp4?Expires=1771191457&Signature=QiTdN57Rmx5A3GP1H-Yt4JY8dLKYFCIvDCv7oojglXEWVKPtc2aGpoS~xps2GCDthc0jiekvHjbMa6AoBAqkLx1Wfncwyn7aoMyJ21-nNHep7wQUKzrl04ozph-4~xOSsIA~Xgxsw-s6IC5nvjBKTZ7tbJTl80qbvBaEgLgasEesdcKkWzTUhQTIj8tXZKOlrbtAcayH2vlYo9dE9ahslt~ChOW83pz03vfI43dsDxhNC9lL5xxTCIlFftPZf~dbQQy0c58RRGFN8CrACzIPibJRGXHvj5mFpckjlCHlrlIpbTP7qVOMreDvvFR2pzR8MYFGas~aK5MC2twGgR3Q1A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Tuscaloosa City, AL","date","2025-05-14T07:03:35Z","article","City staff outlined three liquor‑license and occupancy requests for downtown businesses and a membership club, and councilors asked questions about hours, capacity and public‑safety review.

Staff said BigDog Enterprises DBA Decays (2312 Fourth Street) is applying for a retail liquor class 1 license and an occupancy increase from about 130 to 200. BBJ LLC DBA Coppertop (2300 Fourth Street) is applying for a retail liquor class 1 license and a maximum occupancy of 250; staff presented a conditional‑use permit for Coppertop and said fire and police reported no issues with the request. A third applicant, 2 Dimes Venue LLC (1307 University Boulevard), is applying for a club liquor class 2 license; staff described 2 Dimes as a membership club and said hours will be event dependent.

Councilors asked whether the police chief would be available to speak to hours and public‑safety concerns; staff said Chief Blank had an emergency and would return before the public‑safety portion of the agenda and that the item also appears on the public‑safety committee agenda. Committee discussion, staff said, indicated organizers expected the venue to close around 11 p.m. for typical events, but staff left hours as “to be determined” because member events vary.

The presentation included floor‑plan and occupancy information for the Coppertop conditional‑use permit. No formal vote on any license or occupancy change is recorded in the excerpted transcript; the items were on the consent/committee portions of the agenda and will proceed through the council’s usual approval process.

Councilors requested that staff make police and fire aware of the operating characteristics and confirm any final hours and security measures before final approvals.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Tuscaloosa Pre-Council Briefing - May 13, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","City staff outlined three liquor‑license and occupancy requests for downtown businesses and a membership club, and councilors asked questions about hours, capacity and public‑safety review.","taxTitle","Tuscaloosa City, Tuscaloosa County, Alabama","taxId",4830,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6057123,"Staff presents annexation and rezoning of about 19 acres on New Watermelon Road to Lake Residential",80,346000,426000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3307827-5732e06bbeea0cab6976f745f8f4361b&start=346&end=426","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3307827-5732e06bbeea0cab6976f745f8f4361b/thumbnail_346000.jpg","/articles/6057123/Tuscaloosa-City/Tuscaloosa-County/Alabama/Staff-presents-annexation-and-rezoning-of-about-19-acres-on-New-Watermelon-Road-to-Lake-Residential","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6057123-5ad72309ef5d95787dd7689a731e2cfe/orig.mp4?Expires=1771191457&Signature=OYWNc~nUUZQau2EIoAb4KuRmemLdZbdw19lAbjykwIxqIFHwsIBPWtHVulUxp1-X6dgwZxEi52NcLPup~6SenyymUmlEHhqkOLLrcNIJUqjyTeRWKjqHMimQu9k~tEMKIPPZw82l6tqZwNmMU6g~VGgmjanh~gWwhpQwpCX~sXDNxJEo-vOcvgwyqw5-HIaSvi9mlhjiWu6O10J3jbbbXXs0EpmVWJXqlzf8JFOkxW1zFF1FVXFAFinjiOfCzJGPhqnDpgIbyz-DICHZoCAWL67H3fmV-Lbd2ab6yZslPyHDqiSmefKCG6Jepn2JYdo96YzrRIB3Jdqs9nB86wPunQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","City planning staff presented a request from Westerville Company to annex about 19 acres on New Watermelon Road and rezone the property from SFR‑1 (single‑family residential) to LR (Lake Residential).

Planning staff said the area is adjacent to Harbor Ridge and Chamblee Estates and that the LR designation reflects lake‑area residential standards, including higher material and lot standards. The presenter said the proposal conforms to the city’s framework and that the planning body unanimously recommended approval.

The presentation included a map and a floor‑plan level description indicating the site would be subdivided into lots for new homes. No final council vote on the rezoning appears in the provided transcript excerpt; the item was described as having been recommended by planning and set to come before council for action in the normal course.

Council members asked only clarifying questions; no substantive opposition or amendments were recorded in the excerpt.","A developer, Westerville Company, seeks annexation and rezoning of roughly 19 acres on New Watermelon Road from SFR‑1 to LR (Lake Residential); planning staff said the request conforms to the framework and was unanimously recommended for approval.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":80,"_45":91,"_47":92,"_49":93,"_51":94,"_53":95,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":96,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":97,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6057128,"Council reviews zoning text amendments to clarify drive‑through rules near university",344,770000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3307827-5732e06bbeea0cab6976f745f8f4361b&start=426&end=770","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3307827-5732e06bbeea0cab6976f745f8f4361b/thumbnail_426000.jpg","/articles/6057128/Tuscaloosa-City/Tuscaloosa-County/Alabama/Council-reviews-zoning-text-amendments-to-clarify-drivethrough-rules-near-university","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6057128-cf74ca565caefc20fb193b53c20178e6/orig.mp4?Expires=1771191457&Signature=ThcpXiz6~Vs1CFYTAJr32E-N~Aqj0A-C9RPH~tXRYkUsYf4PYnLOoXBk1AXE-Mjc3BMkUgTdiw6TJwfFvmwZcQya4J9kI~0-8XcEvAaIdYLPF~1BG8tjG6g6iyWDjv9Daa0gj6pVfKo6r4X0tnQZHvdAuhK-5Owab~3c2K9iL2iR2WPQ1I5A85tipNjWdfZp5JBVK8GUCFczPxWRz1DaK3frQAcG7fW2It1kbaF65CmU5F91xOVShqRGUgy6NG0K-SJYb3a5lbk5lEiKS21cOBqVnaYjRQuD5soPD3i1D46HSU0X5PBb7TjyeI3Gn3eRbL661V-a6HMAqM6ZZVQuXg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","City planning staff presented proposed zoning text amendments to clarify where drive‑through restaurants are allowed in the University Commercial district and along Fifteenth Street, prompting council discussion about vehicle stacking, pedestrian safety and traffic control.

The amendments would re‑establish drive‑throughs as permissible uses in specified University Commercial areas that the framework update had made nonconforming, and add Fifteenth Street as a corridor where drive‑throughs would be acceptable, according to the staff presentation.

Planning staff said the change is intended to align the new code with prior practice where quick‑service drive‑throughs already existed. The presenter explained the map showing the University Commercial area and said the amendment “is just kind of cleaning up” where drive‑throughs are allowed.

Council members and staff focused on stacking — cars queuing in drive‑through lanes and blocking travel lanes. A council member asked whether the amendment would address existing sites that currently stack cars into the roadway; staff replied that stacking standards are already in the zoning ordinance for new development and redevelopment but that older approved sites remain nonconforming.

Staff said the city is communicating with the Alabama Department of Transportation about a potential engineering solution on Fifteenth Street that could create a right‑turn lane alongside the roadway so motorists using drive‑throughs would not queue in the travel lane. Staff also said they will follow up with the specific business referenced in the discussion to learn what on‑site measures it is using.

No final vote on the text amendments is recorded in the meeting excerpt; the item was in the public‑hearing portion of the agenda and will proceed through the council’s normal adoption process and any required advertising and noticing.

Next steps include further coordination with ALDOT, follow‑up with the business operator, and the council’s formal consideration of the amendment after required public notice.","City planning staff presented text amendments to the zoning code that would clarify where drive‑through restaurants can locate in the University Commercial district and along Fifteenth Street; council members pressed staff on vehicle stacking and traffic mitigation, and staff said they are coordinating with ALDOT and individual businesses.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Council reviews liquor‑license applications and occupancy increases for three downtown venues

Staff presents annexation and rezoning of about 19 acres on New Watermelon Road to Lake Residential

Council reviews zoning text amendments to clarify drive‑through rules near university