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Alcohol may flow more freely in Largo

The city hopes easing limits on places that serve alcoholic beverages will help enliven downtown.

By LORRI HELFAND, Times Staff Writer
Published September 6, 2007

O'Houston's bartender Erich Mann readies his bar while chatting with Eddie Houston before opening. Largo City leaders granted initial approval to ease restrictions on serving alcohol in the district. Current rules require businesses to be a certain size and serve a certain amount of food. City staff is still ironing out the details of code changes, but they said they want to attract more businesses like O'Houston's Irish Pub.

[Times photo: Jim Damaske]

LARGO - Classy nightclubs and chic restaurants. Largo leaders want more of them downtown to make downtown, well, more of a real downtown.

So Tuesday night city commissioners gave their initial approval to easing restrictions on businesses that serve alcohol in the city's redevelopment districts along Clearwater-Largo Road and West Bay Drive.

City rules drafted in 2002 require almost all downtown establishments to sell more food than alcohol. They also require establishments that serve hard liquor to have buildings covering at least 2,500 square feet.

But more than a year ago, commissioners started talking about nixing those rules.

"We wanted to bring nightlife to downtown," Mayor Pat Gerard said.

To do that, commissioners now appear ready to accept smaller businesses that depend on selling drinks to earn most of their money.

It's about time, said Eddie Houston, who owns O'Houston's Irish Pub at 518 West Bay Drive.

Houston said he was fighting an uphill battle to meet the city's requirements on food sales and building requirements.

For example, as is common with smaller lots along West Bay Drive, O'Houston's didn't meet the city's size requirements. With about 1,600 square feet of space in his pub, Houston expanded his seating area outside with plans to build a roof overhead in an effort to meet the city's requirements. He also considered expanding his menu, which includes pizza, quesadillas, cheese platters and shepherd's pie.

If the city's existing rules stay intact, he said, they would be a deterrent for businesses like his.

"You're going to have less bars and restaurants opening," Houston said.

A few years ago, the West Bay Cabaret wine and jazz bar left the area because of the restrictions.

Community Development director Mike Staffopoulos said the city was essentially changing its rules to "embrace businesses like O'Houston's" in the redevelopment districts.

O'Houston's also happens to sit in the middle of a city plan to redevelop an entire block in the downtown core.

In March, the city paid $1.8-million for five parcels on the north side of West Bay Drive, including the land that O'Houston's sits on.

The city hopes to market the properties to a developer. But Houston has more than a decade left on his lease and doesn't plan to move unless a developer offers him a decent sum to do so.

Other proposed changes to downtown rules would allow the sale of alcoholic beverages at Ulmer Park, Largo Central Park, the Largo Cultural Center and a handful of other sites. And to avoid wall-to-wall bars, establishments that serve liquor would have to be at least 50 feet apart.

"It's not going to be an Ybor City with everybody walking up and down the road," City Manager Norton "Mac" Craig said.

Still, some are wary about alcohol flowing more freely in the district. Resident Geoff Moakley told commissioners that welcoming stand-alone bars would encourage drunken driving and disorderly conduct.

"We're opening up Largo to establishments we don't want in the community redevelopment district," Moakley said. "It just doesn't fit with the character of Largo."

Commissioner Mary Gray Black agreed, saying she didn't recall the commission deciding to ease food requirements.

Several commissioners and Staffopoulos confirmed that yes, commissioners did make that decision last year. But Gerard and other city leaders said they want to give downtown nightlife a shot in the arm, not encourage excessive drinking or lawlessness.

Commissioner Andy Guyette said that could be accomplished by enforcement of current city rules.

"I think we can control what happens downtown," Guyette said. "We need to bring people downtown."

Commissioner Rodney Woods agreed.

"We have rules and regulations in place to protect the public," Woods said.

A couple of commissioners questioned why it took so long for the ordinance to come before them. A city work session on the matter was held in July 2006.

Staff attorney Mary Hale said there were various reasons, including the incorporation of the alcohol rules for Ulmer Park, the clarification of the language describing distance requirements and certain advertising issues.

The ordinance is scheduled to come back before the commission for final approval on Sept. 18, Staffopoulos said.

Lorri Helfand can be reached at lorri@sptimes.com (727) 445-4155.

FAST FACTS: Proposed downtown alcohol rules

What's out?

• A requirement to sell more food than alcohol.
• A rule that requires establishments that serve hard liquor to be in buildings with at least 2,500 square feet of space.

What's in?

• A minimum 50-foot distance between establishments that serve hard liquor.
• Alcohol sales allowed at Ulmer Park, Largo Central Park, the Largo Cultural Center and few other venues.

[Last modified September 6, 2007, 01:17:50]