2005-10-17 - Laserfiche WebLink

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44O Ms. Terry Shotwell, owner of The Nook Restaurant and also speaking on behalf of Sal's Restaurant, said that these restaurants have the disadvantage of being pioneer cafes on the downtown mall. She objected to the proposal about reducing their spaces to 800 feet in order to make space for new cafes. She said there are now 54 restaurants on the mall and it is unfair to punish the original restaurants. She asked that Council consider grandfathering the original four cafes. Mr. Bob Stroh, 1412 Kenwood Lane, co-chair of the Downtown Business Association, said he thinks the Committee has come up with a great plan, and he supports it, especially the vendor changes. He said the success of the mall would not have happened without the pioneering cafes and he feels they deserve special treatment. He said he supports designating spaces and restricting vendor spaces. Ms. Mary Ellen Wooten, 1116 Elliott Avenue, asked about the rate or status of non-profit vendors. She said she is not on the mall all the time. She noted that vendors have to face the elements. She said she is interested in seeing who gets what space. Mr. Robert Rawley, 6841 Spottswood Trail, Stanardsville, a vendor on the mall, said some of the proposals are good, such as assigned spaces, depending upon how it is done. He said the central place is the only place on the mall that is economically viable. He said Council should be careful not to discriminate and push people out of central place. He said spots should be delineated. Mr. Daryl Chesser, 1204 Blue Ridge Road, a vendor on the mall, said there will never be a level playing field between vendors and businesses. He said vendors have no electricity and cannot stay out in bad weather, and they have to move things on and off of the mall. He said there are three months of the year that most vendors do not vend. He said assigned spaces would be a good thing. He said business decreases away from central place. Mr. Robert Burke, 701 E. High Street, said he is blind, and he thinks it is a good idea to have different prices for different size vending spaces. He said it would be easier if vendors were spread out a little bit, and easier if spaces are assigned. He said it will also be good to have something at the bottom of cafes. He said the sizes of the original four cafes should be grandfathered. The owner of Rapture Restaurant, 404 E. Main Street, said he thinks vendors benefit everyone, and he supports keeping them on the mall. He said he would have issues with reducing the size of existing cafes to accommodate new cafes. He said people know when they open a restaurant that they do not have space for a cafe. A vendor from Lexington said she likes the idea of having designated spaces. She said she only comes to vend a few times a month and asked if vendors could share a space. She asked how vendors would bid for spaces. Mr. Peter Kleeman, 407 Hedge Street, said he would not like to see the mall become all commercial space, and said open space should be reserved for the public. Mr. Dana McKeen, representing Miller' s Restaurant, agreed that the original cafes should be allowed to remain their current size. He said he agrees with the proposal for an extra fee to allow caf~ furniture to be left out. The public hearing was closed. Ms. Hamilton thanked those who spoke during the public hearing and said they had good suggestions. She expressed concern about some of the assumptions regarding rents and the comparisons to Boulder and Burlington. She said she is also concerned about seeing such a steep price increase and would like to see a better explanation of why, and more gradual increases. She said she is worried about small vendors and those with language barriers. She said she wants to be very careful before moving forward.