Byrne Letter obj Busted Lift exMay 2, 2002
Mr. Terry Duggan
Mayor, City of Dubuque
City Hall
50 W. 15th Street
Dubuque, Iowa 52001
Mr. Michael C. Van Milligen
City Manager
City Hall
50 W. 15th Street
Dubuque, Iowa 52001
Mr. Michael Koch
Public Works Director
City Hall
50 W. 13th Street
Dubuque, Iowa 52001
Dear Messrs. Duggan, Van Milligen, and Koch:
We are the owners of the Main Gallery, located two doors up Main Street from
The Busted Lift. We also live in the back of the building.
John Finn, owner of the Busted Lift, came in recently to request that we
approve a plan to build and maintain an outdoor patio behind his establishment.
Mr. Finn has, in the past, asked us to give permission for various events.
Sometimes we felt no fallout from his activities and didn't mind giving permis-
sion for one or two nights. However, the most recent St. Patrick's Day celebra-
tion was very loud and went on way beyond the time promised. We will think
carefully before giving our permission for future parties.
We definitely want to register our objections to Mr. Finn having a permanent
right to expand outside the Busted Lift. He claims there will be no music, but
the mess and noise from the drinkers and so on will destroy our ability to use
our outside deck, or (if music is as loud as St. Patrick's Day) even relax at
home. In addition, we have older tenants in our building who are very dis-
turbed by the general bedlam.
main st., dubuque, IA ~ZOO1, phone: 555-585'o~oz, -mall
the
Page Two
We believe Mr. Finn, despite promises to the contrary, does not always give proper consid-
eration to his neighbors. Judging by certain evidence we see on our sidewalks and the noise
at 2 a.m., we also believe the establishment may serve drinks to people who have possibly
had more than enough.
Further, the proposed outdoor patio would interfere with the private and commercial flow
of traffic in the alleyway, and possibly be a hazard to pedestrians loitering in the area.
Although we realize we don't live in a residential neighborhood, we believe the key to the
revitalization of lower Main lies in building residential space and trying to attract more peo-
ple to live downtown. We desire a diverse neighborhood of retail shops, restaurants, and
residences. Neighborhood bars might also fit in if they respect their surroundings. We have
many friends who have expressed a desire to live in the downtown area, should space
become available. However, they won't do so if the area is too noisy.
We hope that you will take our views into consideration before making a decision to allow
unrestricted outdoor bars in our area.
Thank you,
Robert Byrne
Cynthia Nelms-Byrne
cc: Captain Paula Gieseman
Dubuque Law Enforcement Center