Board approves conditional use for members-only lounge at 114 West Main Street

The Plain Board of Zoning Appeals on April 10 approved a conditional-use permit to allow a members-only cocktail lounge on the third floor of the McKeown Building at 114 West Main Street.

The board voted to approve written findings of fact and then the conditional use itself after hearing a presentation from an applicant representative and staff. The proposal — described by the applicant representative as an intimate, members-only cocktail lounge modeled on an existing operation called 80 East — is intended to attract higher-spending customers and increase foot traffic for nearby Uptown businesses.

Town staff explained that the zoning ordinance treats drinking places that are not full-service restaurants as conditional uses in the B-3 district and told the board the application met the ordinance criteria. "So every zoning district has permitted uses, and…