Liquor license transfer raises debate Applicant wants to open restaurant in Ramtown; neighbors object to plan BY LARRY HLAVENKA JR. Staff Writer Back in May, Parker Partners, LP, attempted to gain approval to build an 11,000-square-foot addition to the Quail Creek shopping center in Howell for a restaurant/bar and other uses. Residents objected to the application at a meeting of the Planning Board. Quail Creek is between Newton's Corner and Ramtown-Greenville roads in the Ramtown section of Howell. The restaurant, The Hungry Quail, prompted concerns because of the proposed sale of alcohol and multiple land use issues. When those concerns were aired, the board carried the hearing to a later date. The later date never came. Instead, Dennis Dixon, proprietor of the restaurant, obtained 5,000 square feet of space inside the shopping center from three departed tenants and planned to house the restaurant in the existing store fronts. The former stores were a seafood restaurant, a party store and a video arcade. A transfer of a liquor license to The Hungry Quail appeared on the Township Council's Oct. 3 agenda. At that meeting, the project hit a roadblock once again when residents said they have no use for a bar near their homes. Steve Weston, president of the Allenwoods Homeowner Association, who fought the original application before the Planning Board, filed an objection to the liquor license transfer. That move forced a public hearing to be held at the council's Oct. 3 meeting. Weston's objection stated that the applicant acted "without regard for the Planning Board's concern over traffic/pedestrian issues off of heavily traveled Newton's Corner Road, nor their concern over the use of this plaza for serving late-night alcoholic beverages and hours of operation not typical with any other establishment in this heavily residential neighborhood." Although Weston was not present for the public hearing, another resident, Kristen Pogrebneak, took his place. "Most of the residents of our development are very concerned," Pogrebneak said. "Nobody had any idea this restaurant was going in. This is not Route 9. Let's call it what it is. I don't want to sugarcoat it to something it's not. There are young families in Ramtown. I don't think it would be appropriate. I'm pro a good family operation, but don't throw alcohol into the mix." Councilman Juan Malave expressed similar feelings. "The concern is to me that we don't normally take our kids to sports bars," Malave said. "My understanding is that there was a bar there at one time, but for some reason it was closed. This is not a very desirable piece of revenue that residents would like to see come in. This raises bigger concerns." Dixon, who originally obtained the liquor license from Stooge's Tavern and Liquors and held the license in pocket status as Brookwood Bay Beverage Co., discussed the project and why the license transfer should be allowed. Answering questions posed by Township Attorney Thomas Gannon, Dixon said the proposed 5,000-square-foot restaurant would have an 1,100-square-foot packaged goods section and a 1,000- to 1,200-square-foot kitchen. He said the maximum occupancy would permit between 117 and 123 patrons, with 24 bar seats in a "first-class, full-service restaurant." The Hungry Quail's menu would be similar to a menu found in a restaurant such as Chili's or Applebee's, Dixon said. "The fact is that we are a restaurant," he told the council. "Not 80 percent alcohol, 20 percent food. Food is the draw. We are zoned correctly. We have been planning there for a number of years, driven strictly by demographics. Ramtown's choices of food, you have pizza or pizza. Regardless of what I desire, this license will be decided on law. There's no statutory impediment to this transfer." That approach did not satisfy resident Barbara Dixel. "I have great cause for concern," she said. "This is a huge residential area. I'm concerned about sexual predators from outside. Sports bars bring strange people into your area all of a sudden. It is a quality of life issue. I really don't think it's necessary." Dixon did not agree with Dixel's perception of the establishment. "There's no getting around it, we are in the liquor business," he said. "That's what our license entitles us to do. That's what we intend to do, but the days of running a bar with two chubby red-faced guys pouring shots, these days are over. [A license] is a piece of paper you can lose in a heartbeat if you are negligent." Dixon restated his assertion that the restaurant would be a restaurant with alcohol, not a bar with food. Resident Vinny Tantillo wondered aloud if the process was an exercise in futility since the restaurant is a permitted use at that location. He said he could see a lawsuit resulting from a denial of the transfer. Deputy Mayor Peter Tobasco agreed with that stand. "We need to build a case," Tobasco said. "If we do this the wrong way we're going to spend a lot of money and it's going to get put there anyway." Still, Malave said, that does not make it right. "It seems to be many residents are against this project," Malave said. "I know it's permissible and law may say so, but common sense says if it doesn't fit, you don't put it there." Resident Pauline Smith, who is a former member of the Planning Board and frequently provides her insight during municipal meetings, said she was surprised about the uproar. "I've been sitting here listening and in the last 20 years, I've observed and I've had to vote on transfers," Smith said. "I'm not a drinker, so I don't go to a bar, but fair is fair, the law is the law. I've never seen an individual given the hassle on a change of license. There's a lot I'm concerned with when people get behind the wheel when they're drinking or not. I'm glad to see you all have the compassion, I'm just questioning if anything can be done." The council members eventually voted to carry the resolution's approval until more information from the Howell Police Department and planning professionals is provided. At a future Planning Board meeting, Parker Partners, LP, plans to move forward with the proposed addition to Quail Creek, minus the restaurant.