757: THEY CANT SHUT BAR AND CAFE DOWN!! WE NEED TO MAKE A STAND

URL: http://hamptonroads.com/2009/08/norfolk-ready-pull-alcohol-permits-two-waterside-bars







By Harry Minium
The Virginian-Pilot
© August 18, 2009

NORFOLK

If you like throwing back a cold one at Bar Norfolk or Have a Nice Day Cafe, you're out of luck.

The City Council will almost certainly revoke the permits of both Waterside entertainment venues to serve alcohol, Mayor Paul Fraim and Vice Mayor Anthony L. Burfoot said.

The council will vote on applications for alcohol permits for all Waterside restaurants and entertainment establishments at 2:30 p.m. today. If the council votes as expected, the two venues will no longer be allowed to serve beer, wine or mixed drinks, effective immediately.

Alcohol permits for four eateries - Outback Steakhouse, Joe's Crab Shack, Hooters and Jillian's - likely will be approved, the mayor and vice mayor said.

Fraim and Burfoot said closing Bar Norfolk and Have a Nice Day Cafe will go a long way toward cleaning up Waterside's image.

Crime and violence at or around Waterside recently has heightened worries about its safety and overall atmosphere.

"We want to make sure we don't have a negative impact on the restaurants that do a good job there," Burfoot said. "But we need to get rid of some of the establishments that are hurting us."

A man was killed and another wounded in March after a fender bender led to an assault in the Waterside parking garage. In the 12 months before the shooting, police said, they had received 258 calls for service from Waterside and 74 more for the parking garage.

The Bar Task Force, composed of police, fire, code enforcement and other city agencies, has been cracking down on alcohol and entertainment violations at Waterside. Fraim said the violations at Bar Norfolk and Have A Nice Day Cafe were simply too frequent.

"They certainly have been problematic in their operations," Councilman W. Randy Wright said. "But there are multiple problems at Waterside, including the fact that Waterside's not paying for itself."

Fraim said he recently received a promotional flyer advertising Jell-O wrestling by women at one of the venues. Fraim said he's been told that special events are often scheduled at both bars, then abruptly canceled after patrons "are inside and already drinking."

"I'm not supportive of renewing their special exceptions because of the numerous issues concerning the operation and management of those facilities," he added.

"One of our goals is to return Waterside into a family-friendly, visitor-friendly facility."

Telephone calls to general managers at both restaurants were not returned.

Both clubs were closed Monday. At a meeting of the Downtown Civic League Monday night at Waterside, civic league President Kevin Murphy said he was gratified to hear the news.

"I'm sorry for both businesses," he said. "But I can't help but think that Waterside will be a safer place."

City officials decided in April to replace the overall alcohol permit that applied to all restaurants and clubs there with individual permits.

Waterside was opened with public and private money in 1983, and has been credited with sparking the redevelopment of downtown.

It opened as a festival marketplace featuring restaurants, a fish market and entertainment, then seven years later morphed into more of a shopping destination. After MacArthur Center opened, Waterside became a venue for night clubs. But the growth of clubs along

Granby Street has cut deeply into Waterside's business, city officials said.

Fraim said the facility, which sits on the waterfront in the heart of downtown, needs a makeover and a new purpose.

Fraim and other city officials called for a series of public hearings, followed by a council debate, on the future of Waterside almost a year ago.

Wright said not enough has been done in the 10 months since. "It's a big mess that somebody needs to take control of," he said.

Wright said the council should make "concrete decisions" on Waterside at its retreat next month in Smithfield.

Closing Bar Norfolk and Have a Nice Day Cafe are the first steps in redefining Waterside, Fraim said.

"It will give us some breathing room to figure out what to do there," he said.

Harry Minium, (757) 446-2371, harry.minium@pilotonline.com