HomeMy WebLinkAbout12-10-16 Public Comment - S. Dennee - Bozeman TaproomFrom:Stephanie Dennee
To:Agenda
Subject:Bozeman Taproom CUP, 12/19 Meeting
Date:Saturday, December 10, 2016 10:07:24 PM
To the Bozeman City Commission,
My husband and I are both lifelong residents of Bozeman, successful products of the Bozeman school system,
and avid supporters of our world-class downtown. Superseding all of this, we are the concerned parents of a
Hawthorne student. I realize this letter is long, and I thank you in advance for taking the time to read it. This letter
is as long as this issue is complex.
I’m writing to you in regards to the Taproom’s request for a change to the CUP to allow for the serving of liquor. In
the past year, I have been aware that the Bozeman School District urged the City Commission to govern to the
letter of the law, which requires 600 feet of distance between a school and an establishment that serves alcohol. I
am aware that by a bending of the reading of this code, the Taproom was allowed to open. What I don’t think
many Hawthorne parents or Bozeman residents were fully aware of was that the Taproom would become the most
visible outdoor drinking location in the city of Bozeman, in direct line of sight to students in classrooms across the
street. Reading and writing groups that normally take place on the outside on the west lawn of Hawthorne had to
be moved this fall because of the noise and visibility of the Taproom rooftop. The learning environment of our
students has been compromised.
As a parent, I don’t think I should have to compromise on the well-being of my children. I am frustrated that I feel
as though I need to “lobby” for what should be the implicit protection of our city’s student body. Allowing visible
alcohol consumption 100 feet from a school is not normal. There is no benefit for our children in this. So, the
solution I urge you to take - to place Bozeman’s youth as a priority -, is this:
1. Do not allow for the change of the CUP to allow for the serving of liquor
2. Require that the Taproom take immediate steps to mitigate the visibility of their outdoor drinking spaces,
including but not limited to:
The addition of screening, mutually agreed upon by the City Commission and the Bozeman School District,
to their rooftop bar, to remove that space from the line of sight of the Hawthorne property.
Require that both the rooftop bar and the East-facing garage doors not be opened until after 5 pm during
the Hawthorne calendar year, as established by the Bozeman School District.
The Taproom will likely argue that a bottle of beer is the same as a glass of wine is the same as a shot of vodka.
I understand it is our duty to compel you to agree that there is a difference; that the addition of liquor will have a
negative impact. It is true that the body metabolizes all three forms of alcohol at the same rate, but common
sense tells us that they can create vastly different environments. Serving liquor creates much more business,
which is why the Taproom has invested a great deal of money into a liquor license. By this action alone, the
Taproom admits that there actually is a clear difference between beer/wine and liquor. Can the Commission
guarantee that clientele that currently frequents the Taproom, which admittedly leans more toward a tame and
professional crowd now, won’t shift into something more detrimental to the learning environment next door if liquor
is served? I recognize that no one here has a crystal ball. Yet, as our community’s elected officials, it is your
inherent duty to work through all of the “what ifs” your decisions entail.
As a realist, I know that compromise is sometimes a necessary path forward. My most prevalent concern centers
around the visibly of Taproom’s outdoor drinking spaces. This visibility seems the most critical factor in need of
addressing. If the Commission finds that they are unable to address it without changing the CUP to allow for
liquor, then I see this as an opportunity to compromise in the interest of Hawthorne students.
If this is the case, the action I urge you to take is this:
1. Publicly state that the Taproom’s liquor licensure will not be used as precedent in future decisions
regarding the sale of alcohol within the legally designated distances of Hawthorne Elementary or any other
Bozeman school in the future.
2. Require that the Taproom take immediate steps to mitigate the visibility of their outdoor drinking spaces,
including but not limited to:
The addition of screening, mutually agreed upon by the City Commission and the Bozeman School District,
to their rooftop bar, to remove that space from the line of sight of the Hawthorne property.
Require that both the rooftop bar and the East-facing garage doors not be opened until after 5 pm during
the Hawthorne calendar year, as established by the Bozeman School District.
Managing the exponential growth of a city is not an easy task. Thank you for leading that charge. I am sure,
beyond a doubt, that there is a way to foster business growth while keeping the interests of our youngest citizens
paramount. The Taproom owners have stated on numerous occasions that they are a family-friendly
establishment, so in that spirit, I’m sure they will agree on this point.
On behalf of my family, thank you again for taking the time to read this letter.
Stephanie Dennee
474 Quinn David Lane
Bozeman, MT 59715