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RDC approves liquor permit for Taxman project with 18-month operational condition
Summary
The Whitestown RDC unanimously approved an economic-development liquor permit for Ronning Ventures LLC's Taxman project in the Legacy Court District, conditioned on the business becoming operational within 18 months of execution; the license is nontransferable and subject to state approval.
Representatives from Ronning Ventures LLC and Taxman described plans to redevelop the former Belmar building in the Legacy Court District into a family-friendly Taxman restaurant and entertainment venue and requested an RDC economic-development liquor permit.
Steve Heron of Ronning Ventures said the plan is to rehab the 10,000-square-foot building for a sit-down restaurant, event space and outdoor recreation. "We're redeveloping the old Belmar building... to bring a family friendly Taxman restaurant," he said.
Commission and staff discussion focused on the permit type, timing and conditions. Legal counsel explained that the RDC's economic-development liquor permits are nontransferable, that the state still must approve the liquor license application, and that a statutory provision can cause forfeiture if a permit is unused for a period (discussed as six months) unless the RDC includes a development-timeline condition.
Developers asked for flexibility; commissioners suggested an 18-month operational condition to account for rezoning, development-plan review, and construction work. "If that's an additional condition that you wanna place on it, I would make the motion to approve it subject to our standard agreement with the additional condition that they are operational within 18 months," legal counsel said. The commission voted unanimously to grant the RDC liquor permit to Ronning Ventures LLC / Taxman with the 18-month operational condition; the permit remains subject to the state process.
Why it matters: The permit reserves one of the RDC's statutory economic-development liquor licenses for the project, facilitating private reuse of an industrial building while allowing the RDC to set conditions that protect public interests.
Next steps: The agreement and any additional conditions will be executed; Ronning Ventures must present the executed agreement when applying to the state liquor authority and must meet the 18-month operational requirement or seek an extension per the agreement.
