Restaurant Changes Top Florissant Council  Agenda

Cugino’s Plans Brewpub,  New Tasting Room For Narrow Gauge Brewing

By Carol Arnett

The Florissant City Council has a very busy agenda and held three public hearings at their first February meeting.    The first hearing was about a request by Florissant Brewing, doing business as Narrow Gauge Brewing, to open a Brewpub at N. Highway 67. Gabe McKee, the architect on the project, spoke to the council. The site was most recently a pool store, it was noted.

The business would include a brewery and tasting room, as well as offices for the business. The business currently operates out of Cugino’s restaurant. This will allow them to have their own space.

“All of their production will move into this building,” McKee said. There will also be a tasting room.

Heather Hardesty, one of the owners of Narrow Gauge, also spoke. The workers will be there from 8 a.m. -5 p.m., she said. The tasting room will be closed on Monday, and open from 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. on Tuesday through Thursday, 11 a.m. – 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. on Sunday.

“That’s subject to change,” she added, saying they wanted to see how business went without food. They will have a capacity of 221, including workers, McKee said. He said that would probably go down, as they determined how much space the brewing equipment would take.

Councilman Joseph Eagan asked if guests would be able to bring their own food. Hardesty said that they would allow it.

No one spoke in opposition to the plan and the council held a first reading on the bill that would approve it.

La Patisserie Plans Expansion

The second restaurant was about a request by Marikit Villlasis -Corbin, doing business as La Patisserie, for the operation of a sit-down and carry-out restaurant at Flower Valley Shopping Center. La Patisserie opened in 2016 in Surrey Plaza. About 80% of her business was from outside the area when they started, she said, but gradually more people from North County started coming and asked about a sit-down restaurant.

Villlasis –Corbin studied culinary arts in three countries, she said. She said she has found great customers in the area. The business makes pastries, breads, cakes, and macarons.

The new location will be slightly bigger, and will provide seating both inside and outside. They offer tours at their current location and will continue to offer tours in the new location.

Villlasis –Corbin will have five employees at the new space.

No one spoke in opposition to the plan and the council held a first reading on the bill that would approve it.

The third public hearing concerned a request for a special use permit to Avis Budget Car Rental, LLC, for the operation of a car rental facility at 730 N. Highway 67. Jeff Wagner spoke for Avis Budget at the meeting.

The proposed site is in the Florissant Meadows Shopping Center. It has been vacant for about five years. It was most recently a tire store.

“We will typically have ten cars on site,” Wagner said. He said they may have up to 15 at times. There are five auto bays at the building. Wagner said they would use the two bays in the back for cleaning and the three bays in the front for parking cars.

There will be no vehicle sales on site, Wagner said. He said they cater to business travelers during the week and leisure travelers on the weekend. Wagner said that he has been in contact with the owners of the shopping center about where renters will pick up and drop off the car, but he thinks they will have five spots in front for drop-off and pick-up.

No one spoke in opposition to the plan and the council held a first reading on the bill that would approve it.

Hwy 67 BBQ Changes Coming

In another matter concerning restaurants, the council o Postponed a request to transfer a special use permit from Hwy 67 BBQ to Shade Partners for Shade Restaurant at 1752-1754 N. Florissant Road. The council also approved a request for a full liquor by the drink license for Shade Partners.

Councilman Tommy Siam moved to suspend the rules to allow the owners, Gerald Rankin and Princeton Dew, to speak. Rankin said that Hwy 67 BBQ would remain the same, with a different name. Rankin manages comedy shows. “It’ll be the same exact menu,” he said. The food will be served on china plates and sauce on the side. The current owner, Chris Alexander, will still be the pit master, Rankin said. Rankin said they are going a little more upscale with the décor.

Siam said he had seen posts on social media indicating that the restaurant was turning into a bar and asked about it. Rankin said that they were changing “from a barbecue shack to and upscale barbecue shack.”

The issue was postponed after several council members questioned Rankin and Dew’s plans to hold comedy shows at the venue. City Attorney John Hessel said that restaurants cannot charge admission, so the business would need another classification.

The council postponed the matter and asked the city attorney and city staff for more information.

   In other action, the council:

• Passsed a bill that authorizes a special use permit for Latte Lounge to allow a coffee shop at 2190 N. Waterford.
• Passed a bill that will approve a final subdivision plat of Plaza de Seville at 13015 New Halls Ferry Road.
• Passed a bill that authorizes a special use permit to Dent KO for the operation of a paintless dent removal and windows tinting business at 507 Dunn Road.
• Passed a bill that authorizes the appropriation of $14, 676 for the repair of the Sunset Trail fence at Coldwater Creek.

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