The New Genesis apartments, filling up a surface parking lot on Main Street, open in about a month and will house low-income folks, market ratepayers, and formerly homeless people recovering from substance abuse. A tussle is now underway, the Downtown News reports, as a booze-serving restaurant may open up on the ground floor. The Downtown LA Neighborhood Council is recommending the city deny a liquor license refused to send a letter in support of a liquor license for a brick and mortar version of the Great Balls on Tires truck (they serve meatballs). The DLANC had asked developers Skid Row Housing Trust to include a restaurant or other neighborhood amenity on the ground floor (as opposed to offices for supportive services).
The Housing Trust's land-use consultant Elizabeth Peterson argues the restaurant is appropriate, especially considering the restaurant won't have a stand-alone bar and will require food be purchased with liquor, and that there are plenty of nearby bars and restaurants. On the flip side, DLANC member "General" Jeff points out it's quite a different thing to see people drinking as you walk to your front door--the restaurant plans on featuring outdoor seating.
Further complicating things is the DLANC's request that the building's ground floor retail stay open late; Great Balls says it doesn't make sense to keep the doors open until 10 pm without a liquor license. Image via SkyscraperPage.com
· A Drinking Dilemma on Main Street [Downtown News]
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