Resident urges committee to re-examine objections to Stagger Lee's relocation in Over-the-Rhine

A resident urged the Public Safety and Governance Committee to re-examine objections filed against Stagger Lee’s relocation to Over-the-Rhine, saying the business does community engagement work and that the objections were inconsistent.

During public comment, a man identified in the transcript only as Bill said Stagger Lee’s moved from Short Vine to 2020 Am Street and that owners spent about $800,000 on the property. He said the business initially faced no objections but then “a week later, they got objections about their business of moving to Over-the-Rhine,” and called that shift “not cool.”

Bill said Stagger Lee’s “do community engagement work” and that he had teamed up with them over the prior month or two. He also disputed comparisons used in objection filings: “They had nothing to do with the shooting in front of the business at all ... Volunteers of America is like 40 feet away. Well, you got other bars around there 20 feet away.” He urged the committee to “relook at that again.”

The comment came during the public-comment portion of the committee meeting; no committee member took action on the statement during the session and no motion was introduced related to the business or the objections. Chair Scotty Johnson closed public comment and moved on to the formal agenda.

The speaker did not provide documentary evidence in the public comment and did not give a full name or organization affiliation in the record. The transcript records approximate figures and distance claims attributed to the commenter but does not verify them.