Henderson rejects wine lounge near religious establishments

By Erin Dostal

Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2010 | 3:03 p.m.

A proposal for a cigar and wine lounge in Henderson was unanimously denied after its appeal to the city council Tuesday night.

Ocean Hill Cigar, which was to be located at 40 Valle Verde Drive, was denied without prejudice because its location falls within a 1,500-foot minimum distance required between alcohol-serving establishments and religious establishments. It also falls within a 500-foot buffer zone required between alcohol-serving businesses and schools.

Because it was denied without prejudice, the applicants are allowed to bring the same item back before the council within the next year. They will also be able to work with city staffers.

Staffers will be looking into possible changes in the city’s code that would allow for an applicant to serve beer and wine, but not hard liquor, said city spokeswoman Kathleen Richards.

Ner Tamid, a synagogue, and the Green Valley Evangelical Lutheran Church both are religious establishments and hold school functions for children, officials said. The two are located within the barrier required by the city.

Four people spoke out against the establishment during the council meeting, saying it would create a drunken-driving hazard.

“We are not a religious group that believes alcohol is evil in and of itself,” said Ron von Felden, who represented the Lutheran church at the council meeting. “We think it’s appropriate when people use good judgment.”

Von Felden said he feared patrons coming out of the cigar lounge would be “an accident waiting to happen.”

Kelli Simpson and Brian Clary said their proposed lounge only would seat about 15 patrons and would strive to be a high-class establishment. Clary and Simpson said they plan to work with the city to find a compromise.

“This is not any kind of bar or tavern,” Clary said. “It’s not a sore to the community in terms of being a rowdy bar.”

Simpson said because their establishment would be small, the owners would be aware of how inebriated their patrons were. They wouldn’t let overtly drunk people drive home, she said.

Councilman Steven Kirk said he would like to see the establishment open somewhere it would be wanted.

“I think if you’re opening a business, you’re going to want to be somewhere you’re welcome,” he said.

Mayor Andy Hafen said he struggled with the idea of denying the appeal because there is no ordinance about where churches can be placed in relation to bars. Often, he said, churches or schools move in after a bar has been built, and no issue arises.

“I think it fits in that neighborhood,” Hafen said. “With wine, you have a little higher-class patron.”

Councilwoman Kathleen Boutin asked about alcohol being served at the religious establishments during weddings or other ceremonies, saying it would be hypocritical to argue that drunk driving could not occur after those events, too.

Von Felden said the amount of alcohol served at the church was negligible.