The Roost is still cooking.
After 14 hours of debate, examinations, cross-examinations and other practices found in a courtroom, the City Council Land Use and Zoning Committee by a 5-2 vote Monday approved a zoning change for the planned Riverside restaurant.
Developers Tim Stein and J.C. Demetree plan to convert the former Deluxe Laundry and Dry Cleaners and De Luxe Launderette sites on Oak Street into a 150-seat diner and coffee bar that sells alcohol.
Doing so requires the zoning change in the historic residential area, which has been opposed by some residents.
Some have been willing to back a scaled-down restaurant that seats 60, but the developers are set on 150 — the amount needed to have a liquor license for the restaurant.
While those negotiations went nowhere, there was some compromise Monday.
The Roost sought outdoor service for its dinner crowds but agreed to limit outdoor hours to 5 p.m. The change would help potential noise concerns for neighbors.
While the majority of committee members ended up supporting the zoning change, its district representative did not.
Jim Love said given the residential character of the street and the overlay, he couldn’t support the plan. He said he wants the developers to succeed as entrepreneurs, just in a different spot.
“This location is not the right place,” he said. “The overlay rule is a rule to be followed … not run roughshod over.”
He compared it to past zoning disputes, although those situations had a compromise in the end that didn’t require a special hearing like the one that has taken place in the past week.
The other opposing vote came from Lori Boyer, who continuously questioned staff on the Planned Unit Development process in relation to how it can be applied to existing overlays.
While she liked the concept of the restaurant, she said the people in that area voted for its historic nature and such an establishment would increase the intensity of the entire street.
Most of those in support sympathized with Love, but backed the restaurant for various reasons.
Danny Becton said the buildings had been vacant for more than a decade and would require a business that can “make some serious money” to be sustainable. Turning it down might mean another decade sitting empty.
“If it’s not this, then what’s it going to be?” he asked.
Aaron Bowman said despite the road having residences, it can’t be classified as residential. And with the city’s fight against blight in neighborhoods, this was an opportunity.
Like most court cases, the two sides walked away with opposite reactions after the vote.
“I think that Jim Love listened to the people … I think Lori Boyer knows the law,” said Jennifer Wolfe, a nearby resident and member of the Positive Riverside Optimized Urban Development group, known as PROUD.
Wolfe said the decision doesn’t support the area’s overlay or the city’s comprehensive plan and that “the people were not heard” in the matter.
Stein, the developer, said he was happy with the decision after the long debate and the group compromised on many issues.
Once the restaurant is done, he said the first objective would be to “work tirelessly to prove to the neighborhood we will be great neighbors.”
While the committee vote is a step in that direction, it still has a few more before work can begin.
The final vote will be at the May 24 full council meeting. It was initially pegged for tonight, but the turnaround for members to review evidence would not have allowed enough time.
That decision likely won’t be the final one, either.
For zoning issues like The Roost, the losing side is able to appeal to Circuit Court.
Wolfe said the arguments made during the special hearing make an “excellent case in court” and there would be an appeal should council follow the committee’s direction.
Stein and Demetree declined comment as to whether they would appeal if council votes against them.
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