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Harrison's Pier Developer Wants Later Hours for Alcohol

Posted on: Tuesday, 27 September 2005, 12:00 CDT

By Matthew Jones, The Virginian-Pilot, Norfolk, Va.

Sep. 27--NORFOLK -- Since Hurricane Isabel destroyed Harrison's Pier two years ago, residents have awaited its replacement.

The pier is returning, but it comes with what some neighbors consider a catch.

Tonight, the influential developer who rebuilt it will ask the City Council for a special exception allowing him to provide alcohol and live entertainment later into the evening than any other new establishment in Ocean View, according to city and community leaders.

"Either we have a city with a level and just playing field or we don't," said Jim Janata, president of the Ward 5 Partnership of civic leagues. "Special exception apparently means special people get exceptions."

The developer, not surprisingly, sees things differently.

"We built this thing for the community," said Ronald Boone Sr. "Our intention is to help Ocean View."

The City Council is expected to vote on the operati ng hours for the new restaurant and 168-foot pier that Boone is building on the Harrison's Pier site at 414 W. Ocean View Ave.

City planners have recommended that indoor entertainment and alcohol sales for the restaurant's first floor stop at 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, midnight on Friday and Saturday and 11 p.m. on Sunday.

They recommended that outdoor entertainment and alcohol sales on the restaurant's second-floor terrace stop at 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and midnight on Friday and Saturday. They further recommended that off-premises beer sales for the pier be from 6 a.m. to midnight seven days a week.

These hours are in line with most new development in the Ocean View area over at least the past decade.

Last Thursday, after listening to several Ocean View and Willoughby residents speak in opposition and after talking with Boone, planning commissioners approved a more generous schedule.

They approved the indoor alcohol and entertainment running until 2 a.m., the outdoor alcohol until 2 a.m., the outdoor entertainment until 10 p.m., and the off-premises sales from 8 a.m. until 2 a.m.

The changes concern Janata, who spoke against them Thursday. When he checked his e-mail Monday morning, he found the matter was already scheduled for today's council meeting.

"Surprise, surprise," he said with a laugh. "That doesn't give you a whole lot of time to plan."

The quick turnaround also dismayed Robert Hazelette, president of the Willoughby Civic League.

"I wish we'd had sufficient time to talk this out," he said.

Typically once the planning commission acts on a project, Assistant City Manager Stanley A. Stein said, "There's still a lot of paperwork to be done. This is one of those cases where the paperwork was done, so why wait?"

Boone said Monday he'd like to get the pier open before the season ends, maybe by this weekend. But he said he did not pressure city officials to move quickly.

Janata said everyone is happy the pier is being rebuilt. The concern, he said, "is the precedent we set for the folks who have been denied" permission to operate with longer hours.

Janata and others have worked with the city to craft the limits and have restaurant owners adhere to them. New establishments have usually agreed to close at 11 p.m. during the week and midnight on the weekends.

Some older establishments, including others owned by Boone, continue to operate with later hours.

Every place that has applied in the past 10 to 15 years for an on-premises liquor license has either voluntarily agreed or was forced to accept those hours by the planning commission or City Council, Janata said.

And while many applicants have claimed that they need a 2 a.m. closing or they'll go broke, Janata said, none has so far with the earlier hours.

Boone said he requested the longer time frame because his restaurant and bar are attached to a 24-hour pier, where people want food and alcohol at all hours of the day and night.

Councilman Donald L. Williams, who represents the area, was unavailable for comment Monday afternoon. Councilman Barclay C. Winn, who also represents Willoughby, said Monday he hadn't yet received an agenda and didn't realize the matter was on it.

When asked why Boone might be given a special exception that other restaurant owners in Ocean View haven't received, Mayor Paul D. Fraim noted that Boone has invested $2 million in rebuilding a pier that is important to the city.

"In that regard, it is somewhat unique," he said. "Maybe it deserves some special consideration in light of the cost of pier development."

Staff writer Harry Minium contributed to this report.

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Source: The Virginian-Pilot

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