Oregon District – OHDS Board Position Regarding Saturation [1]
The meeting went for 3 hours- and nothing was accomplished. If a vote had been taken- the people in favor of holding the license numbers to 17 would have been outnumbered- probably 4-1.
The scary thing was- no one was willing to discuss alternatives or implications- that keeping the limit increases the value of existing licenses to the point that change won’t happen.
The same people who fought Pacchia, Thai 9 and What You Eat- which became Blue Moon- all sat and made the same knee jerk negative assumption that more licenses will lead down the slippery slope to Strip clubs and biker bars.
No one was willing to admit that the problems of drunks in the street should be addressed by the police- not by limiting licenses. That littering, public urination and disturbing the peace- are all already crimes- that aren’t addressed- talk about beer googles- the tunnel vision expressed by the more “senior” members of this small group was amazing. All the recent rise in property value came from their sweat equity- not the proximity to fine dining establishments.
What’s worse- in Dayton, the squeeky wheel will get the oil- and the City Commission will kow tow to the vocal minority.
The real crime in the Oregon District is the vacant and under-utilized real estate- rotting away while the suburbs attract restaurants to their entertainment districts. Look to Miller Lane, 725, or N. Fairfield Road- and ask why hasn’t any national sit down chain located in the city? Is fast casual all we can expect? It’s this kind of NIMBY thinking that’s killing Dayton and it’s time for it to stop.
If this does come to the City Commission- it’s time to stage a rally of epic proportions – offering to buy out the whiners- and let the wine flow.
What do you think…?