After a dozen neighbors turned out to voice opposition to a proposed outdoor patio at the The Clubhouse Bar near 18th St. and 53rd Ave., the Bettendorf Board of Adjustment last week (12/12) once again denied a special use permit that would have allowed the outdoor serving area.
More than a year ago, the bar with video golf equipment asked the board for a special use permit for a patio at the rear of the building. The business is adjacent to residential homes along Lindenwood Drive. That request was denied after many of the same neighbors described repeated calls to police complaining about the loud noise from the establishment.
This time around, the operators of the bar/video golf facility requested a special use permit for an outdoor patio in the front – rather than the rear – of the building. The permit consideration initially was scheduled for the board's meeting in September, but was delayed until the December meeting.
After an hour-long hearing, board members voted 3-1 against the permit for the same reasons as last year, expressing concerns about the outdoor serving area creating even more noise problems for neighbors.
Neighborhood residents questioned whether the facility should be permitted in the C-2 zoning district contending that more than half of its revenue is derived from alcohol sales and not food or the video entertainment.
Several residents also criticized police for not acted on neighbors' noise complaints and other problems at the facility. One woman said on one occasion an officer came into her home to check on noise level, upsetting her family.
