The owners of The Hill Bar & Grill at 4800 E. Douglas say they will try again to get City Council approval for their plans to expand their business into the space next door and add a microbrewery.
Brad Steven, who co-owns the restaurant with his brother, Brent, said that their main goal is to get approval to turn the former T-Mobile space that’s directly west of The Hill into a microbrewery where they can brew their own beer for the restaurant, a goal they’ve had since they first opened The Hill in August of 2013.
But at Tuesday’s City Council meeting, their request to amend a conditional use permit that would allow them to add square footage and provide outdoor entertainment — namely speakers and TV sets — on the businesses’ outdoor patio was rejected by a vote of 4-3. A “super majority” of at least six votes was required to approve the request because more than 20 protest petitions against the request were received from members of the public, who cited worries about increased public intoxication, noise and excessive street parking. Those petitions represented 29% of the protest area, exceeding the 20% threshold established by the state.