On Tuesday, July 28 at 1:30 PM in City Council Chambers, the City Planning Commission (CPC) will consider the question of whether alcohol and live music in Maple Street restaurants will require a conditional use permit. Citizens may attend and speak at the meeting and may submit written comments at CPCinfo@nola.gov or by fax to (504) 658-7032 until 5 PM on Monday, July 20.
Under current law, live music is prohibited on Maple Street, and restaurants seeking to serve alcohol must go through the conditional use process, which allows for neighborhood participation, and allows the City to place conditions on the service of alcohol, such as limits on hours of operation and limiting service of alcohol to patrons who are dining.
However, under the new Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance, which is scheduled to take effect in August, all restaurants (City-wide) may serve alcohol by right, may have live music without a separate permit, and may stay open as late as 2 AM on weekends. Councilmember Guidry has proposed an overlay for Maple St. which will create an exception to the City-wide rule, making service of alcohol, late hours, and live music conditional uses on Maple Street, essentially returning restaurant operations on Maple Street to the status quo.
After the hearing, the CPC will make recommendations to the Council, which will then vote on the proposed overlay.
MARI urges area residents to submit written comments to the CPC and to speak in support of the overlay at the CPC meeting.