Yesterday The Oregonian reported on the troubles of the 15th Avenue Hophouse, the upcoming 2nd location from the owners of the Hawthorne Hophouse that is coming soon to 1517 NE Brazee (I reported on the new location here). Apparently owner Leah Lockwood and her husband are having trouble with their neighborhood association just outside of Hollywood. I was pretty surprised to hear this, considering that the Hawthorne Hophouse has a pretty solid reputation for being a friendly neighborhood spot for the family, whether you like it or not. According to the Oregonian article, neighbors seem to think it would be a disturbance and are concerned about noise and live music. This is very strange, since the Hawthorne Hophouse only has unamplified live music a couple of days a week.
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| Photo by Larry Bingham - The Oregonian |
Whether you are a fan of the Hophouse or not, it is known for being a clean family friendly pub that centers on local beers from small and nano-breweries and classic pub grub. It's hard to see a location in the upper class Irvington neighborhood as a bad thing. The 15th Avenue Hophouse is hoping to open on 15th and NE Brazee in the same small retail strip as Foster & Dobbs, a high-end wine and cheese shop, in the old home of Mio Gelato. It seems to be a good fit in a family neighborhood, adding a much needed laid back vibe, but the owners have been inundated with locals complaining that they do not want to walk their kids past a bar. Mio Gelato had a beer and wine license themselves, but the Hophouse chose to not continue it and apply for a new one that included liquor, which seems to have triggered a review. While the Hophouse does sell liquor, it only accounts for about 5% of its sales on Hawthorne, and it's clearly emphasized as a beer stop with food secondary and wine and liquor a distant 3rd and 4th. Fitting for the neighborhood, the 15th Street Hophouse plans to have Oregon Pinot Noir Sangria with Brandy on tap, too. (More about this on the Hophouse blog from back on June 10th.)
Since issues have been brought up the city has stepped in to mediate and has enacted a Good Neighbor Agreement that the owners of the Hophouse gladly signed, guaranteeing closing by 11pm, limiting live music, and closing outdoor seating by 10pm, but it's not enough for some board members intent on handpicking businesses that meet their standards for a neighborhood they claim to be worth more than the Alameda hood (the property next door to the retail center is supposedly valued at $2.2 million). Again, I wonder what this has to do with this business? One has to wonder if a pub centered around beer would face similar opposition, as if it's the liquor license that has enacted some sort of outdated stigma. A campaign against the business spearheaded by Dean Gisvold, chair of the Land Use Committee, submitted a petition signed by 20 or so to the Irvington Neighborhood Association after going out of their way to cover the hood with over 200 flyers against the pub. The petition went through the Irvington Neighborhood Association and a resolution against the Hophouse was passed, which then led to a letter writing campaign from its supporters. Now the city has had to bring in several employees to mediate the issue, with the owners agreeing to the good neighbor requests. According to The Oregonian article, the city is siding with the Hophouse and hopefully will be recommending approval of their OLCC license, but you have to wonder if this has not been a waste of cash even if its really finished. Even that assumption is questionable, according to owner Leah Lockwood, who has no knowledge of a stamp of approval going through as of yet.
Though I am in favor of neighborhoods having a say in what businesses go into their area (i.e., Wal-Mart), this seems like a classic example of pre-conceived bias against a beer bar. I welcome an opposing opinion.
Neighborhood associations unfortunately tend to fall to the least common denominator, which means the crankiest people in the neighborhood show up to oppose any change at all.
ReplyDeleteYou see the upside with keeping giant traffic sources out of the neighborhood, or trying to protect big trees. But the downside is that they will throw a fit about any alcohol-related business, or positive changes to the infrastructure, like bike lanes or even sidewalks.
Yeah, we've got a crazy lady in the Sunnyside neighborhood association who throws an absolute fit any time there's an OLCC license up for renewal. That said, I think even she was in favor of the Hawthorne Hophouse's plans, so these folks might be in another league altogether.
ReplyDeleteIt's too bad. When I saw the public announcement on their door I thought they would be a perfect addition to that neighborhood, and to Foster and Dobbs. I'm guessing the hophouse thought the same, and was expecting a good deal of local patronage. I hope the puritans of the neighborhood don't ruin it for them
ReplyDeleteWhile I thought Portlander's are supposed to be considerate and tolerant of others, I am not quite seeing it here. 'Puritans'? "Cranky people'?
ReplyDeleteI've seen some pretty bad cranky puritan alcoholics in my time, and perhaps that is the reason some in the neighborhood are opposed to it. Perhaps some have extremely bad alcoholism in the family, or have lost loved ones due to an alcohol related accident.
While a Hophouse is always a good idea to me, I understand why it isn't to others. I also don't think every neighborhood and corner should have a bar, or business that specializes in serving alcohol.
I look at it like the dog in the yard off the leash syndrome. Not everyone loves your dog. Get it off my lawn. It's not on a leash, and it just took a crap. (scenario).
While I think the business would be safe, and wouldn't cater to the stumbling few, I can see why many wouldn't think that is the case.
Keep in mind that not everybody is an outgoing loose craft beer geek. I am kind of shocked at the lack of understanding and tolerance, when that is something all the happy non-opinionated people of Portland are supposed to be so well know for.
I don't get the opposition, I've been in there twice (with kids - not my own), very laid back. No spillover noise or disruption. I remember when they opened there were some grumbles about them serving higher alcohol beers in smaller pours. They seem to be overly responsible, if anything!
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ReplyDeleteI get what you're saying but I think you're missing the point by equating open mindedness with not having an opninion. I'm open minded to an argument against establishing a new bar, but I've concluded that their argument is crap. "I don't want my kids walking past a bar?" I don't need to go into how absurb that statement is.
The noise concerns have been alleviated by closing the outdoor seating at 10 and the bar at 11.
I get that people have endured conditions that might inform their perspective, and while I'm sympathetic to these hypothetical tragedies, I don't think they should prevent a positive establishment from opening their doors.
As addressed above, this is not some seedy dive bar, it's a local public house that caters to the neighborhood and closes early. Irvington needs more walk-accessible establishments, and the hophouse seems to fit perfectly.
If someone presents a good argument, I'm open to it. I agree that not every bar is a good idea. I just hhaven't seen a good reason why the Hophouse isn't one.
That being said, the use of puritan was a little hyperbolic
I agree 100%, and think it's a great spot. The whole 'Don't want my kids walking by a bar thing' is ridiculous and is something that people would just have to suck up and move on. The world is not perfect, and you can't get in the way of other peoples freedoms as a result of one's own personal beliefs.
ReplyDeleteI have noticed a trend of businesses getting much more close to homes. That makes it difficult if you want to have live music etc. I think closing the outdoor seating at 10 pm is a very kind and responsible thing to do given the sound ordinance rules for the folks in their homes. I remember when most 'loud' establishments were zoned in more commercial areas and not right next door to homes. That little fact makes it more difficult.
I look forward to the opening. Cheers.
We went through the same thing here at P.U.B. Even though our neighbors at san felipe serve beer the neighbors didn't want "our children walking by a bar everyday". We also signed a good neighbor agreement, and we have not had any complaints...yet.
ReplyDeleteThere's a place for people who don't want to walk their kids by a bar: the suburbs.
ReplyDeleteOn another note, aren't these complainers the same people who bring their screaming children to local brewpubs around town?
I can understand concerns about "Noise from live bands" as "the biggest sticking point in negotiations." But it seems that those concerns could be handled pretty quickly as courteous adults and neighbors.
As for the nearby $2.2 million property -- are they arguing that people above a certain income-level don't/wouldn't appreciate the ability to grab a craft beer in the neighborhood every once in a while? This is Portland. And it's 2011. Get real.
In your first paragraph, you refer to the Hollywood neighborhood association. NE 15th and Brazee is pretty far removed from Hollywood, so I think that may be an error. Do you mean the Irvington neighborhood association?
ReplyDeletethat's ridiculous. I've lived in close proximity to that neighborhood for years (all my life!) and I *still* can't believe the snobbery and nonsense that comes from some of the residents. Hawthorne Hophouse is a fantastic, lovely, clean, family friendly venue, and they'd be insane to screw up having it in their neighborhood. Bah to whomever started the uprising against the Hophouse... I have my guesses. And I bet they drink a lot of wine. :P
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ReplyDeleteyes its the Irvington association though the new location has been described as hollywood neigborood. I corrected that reference.
I love Brady's statement that the Suburbs are where you live when you don't want your kids walking past a bar. I've lived in the Irvington district for near 30 years and I keep wondering exactly which of my neighbors are the squeaky wheels here. Are they really people who think that Irvington is just an expensive tree filled inner city suburb? It's all well and good to live in a bubble, but I think these people need to remember that it's still the inner city. Would a complaint like this occur in the pearl district? Of course not, and yet the pearl is full of expensive homes and young children. The fact is that the Irvington district is a very lovely neighborhood, but it's just not the suburbs.
ReplyDeleteI live across the street from the incoming hophouse and couldn't be more excited about it. There aren't many people in the neighborhood in closer proximity than I am and I find it somewhat ridiculous that people are so opposed to the hophouse. About a month ago, I was asked to sign a petition to limit the full liquor license but I can't see how a business like this is going to create any sort of problems.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, the location is small, it's not a large building, but rather, they're hoping to open a new, fun and laid back hophouse with food, even a kids menu. It's a family friendly environment, not a club with ravers three nights a week. I could understand neighbors’ concerns about noise should this be a club, or place where there would frequently be loud music and drunk 21 year olds stumbling through the street in the wee hours, but I just can't see that happening here.
This location has been empty for a number of months and I feel that neighbors, if anything, should be happy that another business is opening its doors and continuing to bring money into our community.
Additionally, both Broadway and Fremont Streets are just a few blocks off of this location with many similar establishments. Why limit this building, when there are plenty others like it in the same neighborhood that don't bother anyone either?
I live in the neighborhood and this is the first I've heard of any opposition. It makes us look like douche bags. Everyone I know around here is looking forward to the opening so we can grab a beer and a burger with our screaming kids. I seriously wonder who signed that petition.
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