Council approves members-only wine vault at former PNC bank with restricted lounge hours

Council approved a zoning variance to allow a membership-based wine vault and tasting lounge at 171 Tequesta Drive (the former PNC Bank) after receiving a written letter of no objection from Harvey Academy, the nearby private school.

Applicant representatives said the primary use is secure wine storage for members; the business will include a limited members' tasting lounge and retail sales limited to members. The use would otherwise trigger a prohibition on the sale or serving of alcoholic beverages within 1,000 feet of a school; the applicant sought a variance because the bank parcel sits roughly 253 feet from a back door of the Harvey Academy site (door‑to‑door measurement).

The Harvey Academy provided a written letter stating it had no objection to the proposed use. Councilors noted there are already restaurant and bar operations within the same general area and that the proposed operation is membership-only, which limits general public walk-in traffic.

Council attached conditions to the approval specifying hours of operation: general vault and retail access 9:00 a.m.–10:00 p.m. Monday–Thursday, 9:00 a.m.–11:00 p.m. Friday–Saturday, and noon–10:00 p.m. Sunday; the members' lounge would open in the late afternoon on weekdays and at noon on weekends with the latest closing at 11:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. The applicant confirmed those hours on the record.

Councilors said the restricted hours and members-only model reduce potential impacts and traffic compared with a general walk-in bar or restaurant, and the motion passed unanimously.

What happens next: Staff will record the variance and the approved conditions in the zoning files; the applicant may proceed with building permits and final tenant improvements subject to the usual permitting process.