ALLENTOWN
Council may vote on Stillwater patio
By Brian Meyer
NEWS STAFF REPORTER
Updated: 07/25/08 6:34 AM
A noisy controversy over plans by an Allentown nightclub to build a backyard patio could come to a head next week.
The Common Council has scheduled a special meeting at 2 p. m. Wednesday to tackle several lingering issues before its summer break. One matter involves plans by Stillwater Restaurant and Nightclub for a large patio in back of its property at 481 Delaware Ave.
Desperate to win City Hall’s support, Stillwater representatives claim they have dramatically altered the design to make the patio less intrusive to residents. The original plan for a 3,500-square-foot deck with no landscaping has become a 1,903-square-foot patio with a lush green area, said Richard Stanton, Stillwater attorney.
“We’ve listened to people,“ Stanton told Common Council members.
Some residents remain skeptical.
Ginger Schroder, who lives in an adjoining row house in the historic strip known as “The Midway,” has maintained that the proposal should be subjected to an environmental review that weighs its impact on noise, traffic and changes in the character of the community.
Schroder was quick to note that Buffalo’s Preservation Board has opposed Stillwater’s original plan, as has the Planning Board.
Some residents have long complained about disruptions caused by Stillwater patrons. At a meeting in May, Schroder told lawmakers she hadn’t had a good night’s sleep on a Thursday, Friday or Saturday in more than a year. Opponents worry a sprawling patio only will compound problems.
Stanton said Stillwater envisions the project as a “fine dining patio,” adding that the city could impose a restricted use clause that would force most of the outside area to be gated off at a reasonable hour. A smaller section would be set aside as a smoking area for patrons and could be used after the dining patio closes.
But some Council members have expressed reservations, and whether the plan has enough votes for approval remains unclear.
