Not everybody is thrilled with every aspect of the rezoning of an old warehouse in Hamburg to allow an event center.
“That’s a hallmark of a good and effective negotiation,” Town Supervisor Randy Hoak said.
Neighbors opposed rezoning of the 3.8-acre parcel at 3780 Hoover Road on Lake Erie from manufacturing to mixed use, but the Town Board unanimously approved it this week with more than a dozen conditions.
Some residents live between the new event center and Cowboy on the Lake, a restaurant and bar in the former location of Dock at the Bay.
The conditions for Alchemy Shores were crafted with the neighborhood’s objections in mind, and include no amplified noise or music outdoors, and no outdoor events after dusk. Indoor events must end by 11 p.m.
Neighbors wanted board members to include the sentence “This use is not a bar that is open to the general public,” but they did not.
Anne McIntosh, who owns the property with Nicole Cassell, said in order to obtain a full liquor license, the establishment must be open to the public for an unspecified number of hours. The two also own Alchemy Wine & Beer on Buffalo Street in the Village of Hamburg.
“In order to be able to sell alcohol, we had to be open to the public,” McIntosh said, adding she does not know how often that will be.
“At its core,” she said, “it’s going to be an event space.”
Hoak said he believes the restrictions will make it very difficult for the owners to operate a business.
“My preference would be to have more realistic and enforceable conditions,” Hoak said.
Francine Guyer of Hoover Road said her biggest concern has been that Alchemy Shores would expand beyond an event center.
“I’m trying to make sure that it is definitively known the difference between an event center and a bar/restaurant,” Guyer said. “It’s a very sensitive thing about the delineation and definition of an event center versus a bar/restaurant/Mickey Rats situation.”
Alchemy Shores will be a private…
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