RICHMOND, Va. (WTVR)–Whether or not Captain Buzzy’s Beanery can extend their hours and serve wine and beer is a discussion that has percolated in the Church Hill community for a while now, going back to June when the request was filed.
After an hour of intense discussion on both sides, and a long-winded vote of confidence from Cynthia Newbille, 7th District, City Council voted 5-4 to deny the coffeeshop a special use permit
Throughout summer and fall the ordinance was pushed back again and again, and the controversy surrounding the special use permit amplified. Just last week an attack ad began running on cable and neighborhood discussion heated up even more–we mean sparks were flying.
The coffee shop is located at 2623 E. Broad Street in a neighborhood, zoned as a single-family residential area. This requires shops to have a certain permit in order to sell food and drinks. Captain Buzzy’s has operated from this location since June 2003, according to their website.
The proposed changes would have extended the coffee shop hours by one hour, keeping the shop until 10 p.m. instead of 9 p.m.
A WTVR poll showed a vast majority in support of the measure.
If City Council had approved the one-year trial period, the planning commission would have then evaluated whether or not the community was directly affected by the zoning changes.
Bob Buffington, owner of Captain Buzzy’s, explained the ordinance would not be automatically extended if the business was ever sold, but that City Council would first review the ordinance.
Twitter was heavy with comments about all the pending measures before council Monday. There was no opposition to the SUP, not under the #rvacouncil hashtag.
