Nob Hill Friends and Neighbors,
The CABQ Liquor Hearing Officer has notified your association of an application for transfer of location of inter-local dispenser liquor license to 3101 and 3108 Central Ave. NE and 102 Richmond Dr NE. The Hearing Officer will hear the request via zoom on September 27, 2024 (see Notice). Written comments will be accepted by donna@cabq.gov until 72 hours before the hearing. Public comment is normally received at the hearing.
When your association learns of an application we contact the applicant to clarify the application. We pass this to our email list to gather neighborhood input. If neighbors express questions or concerns we seek further information. Here is the information we received from Mark Rhodes who will represent the applicant along with Kyla Stoker. We invite you to reply to all if you have a position on this request. You may reply to sender if you prefer.
-Operators of the business: The owners are all locals whom Kyla and I have represented in different capacities for more than a decade. They are good people and good operators. The owners names are Mark Garcia, Joe Chavez, Nicolas Torres and Micheal Conforti. Their day to day operator will be Christina Castinelli, also a local.
-Contact information, Agents: Mark Rhodes, 505-980-4640; Kyla Stoker, 505-980-5614
-Current and recent operations of any operator with alcohol service and period of operation: The operation requested here (Library Moveable Feast) originated out of requests the afore noted operators received for off-site catering events that include alcohol while operating the Library Bar & Grill downtown (312 Central Ave. SW). Library Moveable Feast was formed to meet those requests and a new liquor license was purchased to meet those requests. Since it’s inception, the new business has operated out of rented space. Now they wish to create a new home base to expand their operations. Period of operation at existing location: Agent did not provide
-Food menu: While there is a kitchen in the premises and the potential is there to prepare their own food, historically the applicant has sourced their food from local venders and farmers, whenever possible. Menu for these items : Agent did not provide
-Hours of operation: While the applicant’s business will be open during normal business hours, historically there have been few events for the applicant during the weekdays. Primary event days are Friday and Saturday; Planned weekday hours and hours on Friday and Saturday: Agent did not provide
·Measures the applicant plans relative to security: The security measures have historically depended on when the event is held and the number of people attending the event. For example, a daytime hours event would have no less than one security guard per 100 customers plus, of course, the security cameras while a night hours event would at least double the number of security guards plus the afore mentioned security cameras.
Additional information provided by Mr. Rhodes: The applicant is not the Library Bar & Grill which is a downtown nightclub. The applicant is an entity named the Library Moveable Feast, LLC which is a separate entity from the Library Bar & Grill albeit with the same ownership. As the name implies , this entity provides a moveable feast or catering services. If other catering services wish to serve alcohol and do not have a liquor license, they must “picnic” a liquor license from a licensee who as part of the “picnic” process, must provide the liquor and service staff. As a result, the food caterer loses compete control of the event as control is split between the food caterer and the picnic license owner. When the Library Moveable Feast was formed, it consolidated all control with the Library Moveable Feast.
Furthermore, the applicant is planning on investing money into renovating the space as it makes little sense to provide a nice venue for events if their event center looks like a dump as it currently does. It is the applicants hope that their Nob Hill neighbors will utilize the space for their own events such as corporate events; anniversaries and similar celebrations.
Finally, if the owners can not book private events on Friday and Saturday nights, they have considered opening the event center on those nights only as an upscale lounge.
Attached is a call summary from APD for the 312 Central SW address. APD attached these remarks: Attached are the calls for service, year-to-date. Anything with a letter 'S' following the 10-code (such as 31S) or that says 'onsite' is officer initiated. Most of the 'fight in progress' calls occurred on the sidewalk or in the street in front of the Library and may or may not have been associated with the establishment. It was simply the nearest address.
At 6:30 pm on Sept. 16 NHNA’s board of directors will informally evaluate input received from the community. Neighbor input is crucial. When input is neutral or positive we generally don’t develop an association position. If input suggests strong concerns or directors have strong concerns we will hold a special board meeting to explore an association position. If that happens the special board meeting will be the following evening, Sept. 17 at 6:30 pm by zoom. We will notify the email list if this special meeting is set up and provide a zoom invitation.
At such a meeting the board generally considers the expected impact on community safety and quality of life and factors including but not limited to calls for police service at applicant's operations and security plans.
Hours of service and services offered are not generally part of the hearing officer’s consideration, but may affect the association’s position.
Locations near Residential Zone Districts (IDO 14-16-2-3) are problematic, particularly if affected neighbors oppose.
We will notify the email list, the liquor hearing officer, and the applicant of the association’s action coming out of such a special meeting.
All members of the community are welcome to provide written comments to the hearing officer or speak at the CABQ hearing in a personal capacity.
#VivaNobHill
Gary Eyster
President, Nob Hill Neighborhood Association
(505)991-1388