Antioch approves café lease at Sequoy Creek Park; board limits alcohol around splash pad

Antioch trustees voted to approve a lease and a Class A restaurant/outdoor liquor license for TLC Bakery LLC to operate the Latte Café at Sequoy Creek Park, attaching a boundary that prohibits alcohol beyond the park’s splash-pad and immediate play areas.

The vote followed robust discussion about hours, enforcement and the role of alcohol in a family-focused park. Trustee Pierce opposed allowing on-site alcohol in park spaces used heavily by children and recommended prohibiting sales near the splash pad; Pierce warned that adding alcohol could change the park’s family-friendly character and create enforcement problems.

Supporters said the RFP for the café had included the ability to sell alcohol and argued that on-site sales could make a prospective operator financially viable. One trustee pointed to comparable venues—such as Independence Grove—where managed beer gardens operate near family areas with limited problems.

The lease and license require the licensee to provide monthly financial statements showing gross revenue; staff said the license is nonexclusive and includes standard insurance and reporting requirements. Trustees agreed to add signage and a clearly demarcated no-alcohol zone from the splash pad eastward; staff said alcohol must be purchased on-site and would be subject to licensing hours. The ordinance waiving second reading and the liquor license ordinance were adopted; the roll call on the liquor license amendment passed 5–1.

The board directed staff to incorporate the exclusion zone and reasonable alcohol hours into the final license documents and to return any proposed changes to the license to the board for approval.