By Austin Montgomery Staff Writer January 10, 2022 

 

BELOIT

A development proposal looks to transform the former Hollywood Video location on Prairie Avenue into a bar and nightclub in Beloit, according to City of Beloit Planning and Building Services records obtained by the Beloit Daily News.

Jessica Milan has filed an application for a conditional use permit (CUP) to allow alcohol sales for a nightclub and special event space in a neighborhood commercial district (C-2) for the former video store located at 1757 Prairie Avenue.

Multiple public hearings are set for the development proposal, first at a Beloit Plan Commission meeting on Jan. 19 and then at the Beloit City Council meeting on Feb. 21.

A letter sent to nearby residents shows the location would be used Monday through Thursday as a bar with a secondary use for Fridays and Saturdays being a nightclub for live or recorded entertainment, with “one or two temporary areas” set aside for dancing by patrons. On Sundays, the property could be used for hosting “a wide variety of events or activities,” the letter shows.

The explanation of the uses also includes how the property would have bouncers and security staff on hand.
 
It’s unclear how the plan will proceed as it has yet to be reviewed by the plan commission or city council, but comments made by residents on Facebook appear mostly against the idea citing issues with the location for a bar and nightclub or the possibility for potential public safety issues in the area.

Beloit City Clerk-Treasurer Marcy Granger told the Beloit Daily News that the city is currently at capacity for Class A and Class B liquor licenses.

“There is not a quota on Class A licenses, but there is a distance requirement,” Granger said.

The ordinance set limitations on how Class A licenses are governed in Beloit with no Class A license being issued to any premises located within 1,050 feet of another premises with a Class A license. A supermajority vote by the council, two-thirds of members present at the time of the vote, would be required to grant a new Class A license within the geographical requirement established by the ordinance.

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