The Safety and Licensing Committee met 04/24/2024. One of the items they took up was the Liquor License Premise Amendment application from OB’s Brau Haus to allow the placement of 4 picnic tables outside along College Avenue and the service of alcohol to patrons at those tables.
OB’s Brau Haus received 150 demerit points on its alcohol license last year, and the Walnut Street/State Street/500 block of College Avenue has been the location of several incidents of violence recently including a non-fatal shooting in November and a fatal shooting on Christmas Eve.
After reviewing the application, the Police Department was comfortable recommending approval in light of the fact that OB’s Brau Haus had two sides, a restaurant side and a nightlife side, and the application pertained to the restaurant side of the business.
The committee voted 3-1 to recommend the item for approval with Alderperson William Siebers (District 1) casting the dissenting vote.
I’ve prepared a transcript of the discussion for download:
The discussion started out with no one on the committee being willing to make a motion on the application. Assistant Police Chief Todd Freeman told the committee that OB’s Brau Haus had a restaurant side and a nightlife side. “It’s the nightlife side right now that that the police department’s very concerned about and working actively to instill some accountability.”
The Police Department saw this application to facilitate placing tables outside on the amenity strip along College Avenue as related to the restaurant side of the business. He believed the city ordinance governing tables on the amenity strip required tables and chairs to be brought in by 9:30PM. As a result, “we’re simply just not overly concerned about it as it relates to our overall bigger picture concerns. This is not an issue that we’d strenuously object to.”
Alderperson Denise Fenton (District 6) asked if the establishment had received any more demerit points after the 150 in 2023.
Assistant City Attorney Zak Buruin answered, “I don’t have a recollection of any other more recent offenses. Not that that’s dispositive. I know there have been a number of incidents but not necessarily that are subject to demerit points at this point.”
The committee ended up voting 3-1 to recommend the application for approval with Alderpersons Fenton, Alex Schultz (District 9), and Chris Croatt (District 14) voting in favor and Alderperson Siebers voting against.
View full meeting details and video here: https://cityofappleton.legistar.com/MeetingDetail.aspx?ID=1162735&GUID=A4D8FAB1-E835-4566-9EDE-217C5ADBAA42
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