Wilkes‑Barre council hears request to move restaurant liquor license to Keystone Arts Center

Wilkes‑Barre — The City Council held a public hearing Dec. 2 on a request to transfer a restaurant liquor license from a Hanover Township location to Keystone Arts Center LLC at 345 North Pennsylvania Avenue.

Frank Hagen, representing the applicant, said Keystone Arts Center LLC (owned by Brad Wells) has used caterers for past events and seeks a city resolution to support the transfer to the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB). "My client would like to add a liquor license," Hagen told the council, adding that PLCB rules mean a transferred license may be held in safekeeping for a year or two before active use.

Why it matters: The transfer would change the licensed premises and add an on‑site restaurant component. Residents and council members pressed for clarity on whether prior planning approvals assumed no liquor license, whether outdoor events near houses are authorized, how late events run and whether the site meets parking and occupancy requirements.

Neighbors raised concerns about outdoor events and late‑night activity. Resident Karen Giles said she had seen photos showing outdoor gatherings and asked whether such events had permission and whether neighborhood impact had been considered. "At 01:00 in the morning, that could be a potential problem for the neighbors," Giles said.

Hagen and the owner, Brad Wells, described steps they have taken to address safety and neighborhood impacts: they said the building passed fire and life‑safety inspections, that private security and ID checks are used for events, and that lighting and parking improvements were made. Hagen noted the venue has worked with local vendors including Nova (an equipment supplier) and local breweries for events.

Council members questioned whether planning and zoning approvals should be revisited because earlier approvals were given on the understanding a liquor license would not be applied for. Hagen said he was not the planning solicitor and that the city would need to check with planning staff or the solicitor (Bill Harris) on whether the prior approvals need updating.

Occupancy and hours were a focus. The applicant said a previous approval listed occupancy as 473 but that a more recent inspection reduced capacity to 250; the applicant said the team would follow up with code enforcement to reconcile that difference. The applicant described typical hours as evenings (roughly 6 p.m. to about 1 a.m. for some events) and said most events have used outside caterers rather than an in‑house bar so far.

On licensing logistics, Hagen said the PLCB application requires disclosure of any outdoor licensed area; if the applicant wants a courtyard or other outdoor licensed space, that must be designated in the application. Otherwise, the license would apply to interior space only.

No formal council vote was taken during the hearing. An unidentified council member said the liquor‑license resolution will be placed on the agenda for the council’s Thursday meeting for further consideration and any formal action.

What’s next: The council will take up the liquor‑license resolution at its Thursday meeting, at which point city staff will be expected to provide any planning, zoning or code clarifications the council requests.