Dylan Brogan
Future home of Lotsa on State Street.
Mayor Paul Soglin is again drawing a line in the sand over alcohol sales on State Street. On Aug 2, the Common Council granted Lotsa Stone Fired Pizza, soon to open at 506 State St., a license to sell beer and wine. A few days later, the mayor quietly vetoed the license.
“It just adds more places that dispense liquor and makes it more difficult — in a vulnerable block— to continue with viable retail,” Soglin tells Isthmus.
Council president Mike Verveer says the veto mirrors the kerfuffle last fall between the mayor and alders over whether to grant Mad City Frites (now closed) a license to sell beer. Both vetoes involve traditional retail space on State Street being replaced with restaurants that want to serve alcohol. As was the case with Mad City Frites’ request, alcohol would represent just a small percentage of Lotsa’s total sales — 5%, according to its liquor license application — and alcohol sales would cease at midnight.
Back in September 2015, alders voted 19-1 to override Soglin’s Mad City Frites veto. Verveer says he’s confident the council will override the mayor’s veto of Lotsa’s license too when it meets Sept. 6.
“The council and mayor agree that we want to do everything we can to foster traditional retail downtown. However, the mayor believes that we can keep space vacant and traditional retail will eventually come. I don’t know if that scenario is accurate,” says Verveer.
Verveer cites the approval of a retail grant program in October 2015 as evidence that the council, too, is concerned about maintaining a vibrant retail scene downtown. The grant provides up to $50,000 in matching funds for renovations to independent State Street shops. A retail analysis of downtown businesses that will include recommendations on how to preserve traditional brick-and-mortar shops is due out by the end of the year.
The mayor’s recent veto sets up another showdown with alders over the future of State Street itself. During the debate over Mad City Frites, Soglin accused the council of allowing State Street to turn into an “outdoor beer garden.”
“Like missing teeth, all of those stores that have [liquor licenses] are gaps further deteriorating the future viability of the existing retail,” Soglin warned city alders during the debate over Mad City Frites. “If this trend continues, we will lose what we have left.“
Alders bemoaned the mayor’s tone during the fiery debate last fall.
“[This] is not the way we should be doing business. I do not want to be yelled at, again and again,” said Ald. Chris Schmidt.
Before Lotsa signed a lease this spring, 506 State St. was split into two businesses, Forever Yogurt and the Poster Master.
Lotsa is a pizza chain out of Maryland that promises “dough to done in five minutes.” The restaurant will have indoor seating and offer delivery.
Even Soglin is skeptical the council will abide by his objections over Lotsa selling beer and wine: “Given the council’s infatuation and love of spreading more and more alcohol throughout downtown — without concern for making it retail-friendly — it’ll be tough to get the votes to sustain my veto.”
