Any word on what’s happening at Inner City Blues on Jefferson? There’s been a lot of activity of late. The exterior is freshly painted and new glass doors were installed late last week. Neighbors are curious as to what’s going on with this new business.
The city’s Permits and Inspections site doesn’t show any recent permits for 2306 East Leigh Street. Anybody got the skinny?
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Apparently so! I asked the guys that were painting the place and they said a nightclub/cafe sort of deal was going to be opening up in a few weeks. Interesting!
Anyone have the scoop on the old club that was here and when/why it closed?
Nice McDonald’s color scheme.
The former place was a nip joint and a pretty notorious enforcement problem. The new place appears to be trying to be above board after a rocky start with the neighbors who remember the previous iteration.
I wish they would take the brick out of the old storefront windows and open up them up. The lack of windows gives me the inner city blues.
The Redskins are opening a satellite office in Church Hill!
We need more locally run businesses! I wish them the best.
So, do they need to get SUPs and go through all the rigamaroll that Kendra is having to go through to open up a new restaurant in the old Que Pasa?
I don’t understand how basically identical things are happening but this business (which had a very shady past) doesn’t have to jump through hoops while Kendra’s venture (which replaces one legit business with another) has to. Is it that the same owners are just re-opening the Blues Club as opposed to a change in ownership?
Confusing!
I couldn’t agree more Observer!
There hasn’t been an active (legal) club/restaurant/bar at this location since the early 1990’s. It closed when it lost it’s liquor license due to various ABC violations including illegal drug sales witnessed by undercover ABC officers.
Neighbors who lived in the E. Leigh/23rd/M/24th Street area during that time recall frequent gun fights in the alley adjacent to the property.
IMO, new business owner(s) have made no attempt to share with the community their current plans for the business.
Something doesn’t seem right here, then. Maybe the guys that told me they were opening in 3 weeks were wrong. I’m hoping that notices of some sort go out to the people in the area. A new paint job is great, but not if we are going to have a shady club operating in the building again!
@#8 Observer, I’m sure the new business owners would never think of their business as being “shady”.
The property is zoned for a nightclub/restaurant/lounge use, should the new business want to engage in that activity. However, there may be some question as to whether or not the 2nd floor can be used because of on-street parking limitations.
If an ABC license is desired, the business owners will have to post notice of that application and the community will have the opportunity to weigh-in on that license
Note to self: check w/ ABC board to see if an application has been made for this address/business.
As for whether the building meets code requirements for such a use, we dunno because there isn’t an open building permit for the recent improvements on the property.
Lastly (@ #2/ A Neighbor,) if windows are to be opened (some are boarded up, others are bricked-up) that would require a Certificate of Appropriateness from either CAR or the staff in the city Historic Preservation Office since this is property in in the Union Hill City Old & Historic District.
Capitalgal,
“I’m sure the new business owners would never think of their business as being “shady”.”
Perhaps the new owners would never think of their business as being “shady” however, most in the neighborhood would. Given the past that you wrote of above along with the fact that these folks haven’t engaged in conversation with the neighborhood on their plans (unlike Kendra over at the old Que Pasa)would lead us to wonder whether this would be a “shady” operation or not. Personally, I would be opposed to this unless the owners would be willing to come and address UHCA with their vision for the building.
@capitalgal – I know what they would need to do with CAR, I just wish they would do it. CAR loves it when property owners restore windows to original configurations based on physical/documented evidence. Restoring the first floor windows might also go a long way towards a little transparency on what is a pretty opaque operation on many levels.
Also, @SEW the owners of Inner City Blues did approach the local neighborhood associations about two years ago. They just have dropped off the radar for a while.