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Council grants conditional Class B license to proposed Danny’s Grocery; receives and files Doobie’s concerns
Summary
After a lengthy debate about neighborhood impacts and food access, the council granted a conditional six-month Class B license for Pedessary Inc. d/b/a Danny’s Grocery at 1950 Taylor Ave, conditioned on the business meeting its submitted grocery/deli business plan. The council also received-and-filed a formal expression of concern for Doobie's following public-safety reports.
The Common Council on Aug. 5 voted to grant a conditional Class B license to Pedessary Inc., which proposes to operate Danny’s Grocery and Lounge at 1950 Taylor Avenue as a combined grocery/deli with a small on-site bar. The approval was a conditional grant under §6‑41 of the Racine Code of Ordinances: the applicant must obtain required permits and come back before the Public Safety & Licensing Committee within six months for review and finalization.
Council debate was extensive. Ald. Land (district representative) and numerous community members and petition signers supported the project as a grocery-store opportunity in a neighborhood described as a food desert; opponents and planning staff raised concerns about clustering of liquor licenses near social-service facilities, proximity to HALO and the new mental-health facility, and whether the proposal would meaningfully alleviate food access. The city clerk explained the clerk’s office holds licenses until all department signoffs (health, building, fire) are complete; the city attorney confirmed the council may condition a license on the submitted business plan.
Separately, the council received and filed a committee report regarding Doobie’s (3701 Durand Ave) after the Public Safety & Licensing Committee reviewed premises reports that showed recurring outside activity; receiving and filing kept a formal expression of concern on the record without escalating to license revocation proceedings.
The conditional license motion passed 11-0. The conditions require the applicant to either meet the business-plan description (grocery/deli lead with limited bar area) prior to final issuance or to return to PS&L within six months for committee review.
