As We See It

Why is Bar+Bistro’s patio suddenly off-limits?

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Bar+Bistro’s patio is closed until later this summer.

While patrons have been spilling out of Bar+Bistro for however many years, settling onto the outdoor patio for dinner or drinks, it turns out a code was being violated.

Customers had been parcel-hopping, crossing from one official lot to another, naïve to the illicit conditions in the Tale of Two Parcels that recently unfolded when owner Wes Myles was notified he was violating city rules by not having a Special Use Permit. He had said permit for his restaurant/bar inside the Arts Factory, but not for the parcel snuggling the doors—land he’d bought separately after purchasing the Arts Factory in the ’90s.

That explains the patio’s closure for the past two weeks, and why it won’t reopen until after the end of August. According to the city, Myles needs to get the permit and go before the Planning Commission. In addition to the $3,340 required for the permitting process (including a Site Development Plan Review), Myles says he’d have to pay an architect and land assessor and that he’s short on cash. Additionally, Code Enforcement assessed a $750 civil penalty and $180 re-inspection fee.

Why now, after so many years? The city says the inspection officer just noticed. But until the situation is rectified, Myles says he can’t serve anyone on the patio. No First Friday events, either. Quoting the title of a dog-related event held on the patio last summer, the frustrated Myles says, “I Shih Tzu not.”

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