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Residents raise safety and code concerns about three liquor license applications; council keeps them for discussion
Summary
Public commenters requested further review of licensing for Hawkeye Sports Bar and Grill, Ace of Spades and Save More, citing site conditions, parking and moral-character questions; the council agreed to leave those applications on the discussion agenda for next week.
Three liquor-license items drew public comment and were pulled from the consent calendar for further review after residents raised concerns about lighting, parking, site conditions and the good-moral-character standard.
During the public-safety and licensing portion of the committee meeting, Judith Lee of the Second Ward urged the council to place the Hawkeye Sports Bar and Grill license (Ortiz Holdings LLC) on the discussion agenda and asked why the application was categorized as a new license rather than a renewal. Lee cited physical-site concerns including an unlit northern parking lot, vehicles parked on gravel and unshoveled sidewalks, and asked that the council obtain information on what, if anything, has changed since last year’s renewal and whether police checks for calls and compliance were completed.
Don May (Third Ward) spoke about the Ace of Spades and Save More liquor-license applications, saying he had concerns that granting licenses would increase crime and criticizing store conditions at Save More. Councilmembers acknowledged the comments and several asked that the Hawkeye, Ace of Spades and Save More items be left on the discussion agenda. Alderman Rick Dunn requested those three items be discussed next week and Alderman Dominguez moved to place the licenses on discussion while moving the remaining public-works licensing items to consent.
There was no formal action to deny or approve any of the three licenses at the meeting; the items were set for additional discussion and staff follow-up. Council members specifically asked for background information about ownership changes, police call records and an explanation of why particular applications were categorized as "new owner/new license" rather than renewals.
Why it matters: Liquor licenses are subject to local standards including code compliance and character review; neighbors' concerns about lighting, parking and site maintenance were the basis for holding the items for further review.
What’s next: Staff and police will be asked to provide records and clarifications; the three liquor-license applications will return to the council discussion agenda next week for further consideration.
