The City of Mount Vernon will add outdoor dining space onto First Street West.
The city council approved turning four parking spaces in front of Lincoln Wine Bar and Chameleon’s into an outdoor dining space that can be used by customers of both establishments.
The new outdoor seating option is an expansion of an outdoor seating pilot that has been in operation east of First Street. That pilot program was launched in the summer of 2020 and is in front of and maintained by Skillet Café and Fuel, which are side-by-side.
The contiguous parking spaces being utilized by Chameleon’s and Lincoln Wine Bar will impact Mount Vernon Creates as well, as that business is between both restaurant establishments.
Denise Murphy, owner of Mount Vernon Creates, said she was worried about the aesthetic impact that the outdoor dining might create for her business, which is a retail space, gallery, meeting place and events center. Murphy noted she has evening hours on Thursdays through Saturdays and her business could be impacted by the visuals of the concrete barriers and by the loss of parking.
“I struggle with the visual of what this is going to look like,” Murphy said. “We have people coming to many formal events at our events center in the evenings of Thursdays through Saturdays from 5 to 10 p.m., and I worry how this might impact the visual aesthetics of the space they rented.”
Murphy noted some of the events are less formal, but wedding receptions and rehearsal dinners where people might be adorned in more formal wear are some of the events at the event center, and this is a change from when people booked the center previously.
One of the reasons it has taken longer to develop the spaces on the west side is because the businesses Chameleon’s and Lincoln Wine Bar both offer alcohol. The outdoor dining committee consulted with the Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division for some guidelines.
Alcohol consumption in the outdoor spaces needs to conclude at 9 p.m. Additionally, businesses cannot share a space where alcohol is consumed; each must have its own designated area separated by a rope or a chain.
Both Chameleon’s and Lincoln Wine Bar have liquor licenses and proper insurance coverage for a “patio” or “outdoor serving area.”
While smoking is not prohibited outdoors in public spaces in Mount Vernon, the CDG committee is asking businesses to ask customers not to smoke in the outdoor seating area.
Mount Vernon City Council member Stephanie West said she was in support of this project, noting that Rich Herrmann and his committee have done ample work to try and make this work for businesses who wanted to participate.
Nosbisch did note that the project could impact the visual aesthetic of the street in front of Mount Vernon Creates, and creating a two-space option for each business was investigated.
Mount Vernon City Council member Scott Rose asked if it was possible to look at a six-week test instead of from July to October, as a compromise with Mount Vernon Creates.
Chameleon’s owner Jean Hunter said that six weeks would not give Chameleon’s enough time for the big expense involved in establishing outdoor seating in front of the building.
The outdoor seating pilots should be shut down in October of this year, after the Chili Cook-Off, which is Saturday, Oct. 2.
Mount Vernon City Council member Tom Wieseler said he was supportive of this idea, as the risk for the city is just concrete barriers surrounding the outdoor seating, and it might benefit businesses in the community.
West noted her vote was in support of the work of the CDG committee and her strong belief that a rising tide floats all boats, and that Murphy and Mount Vernon Creates will see a benefit from this pilot program as well.