A building housing a new Quixotes Bar and Grill and an event center just got one step closer to materializing.
The Auburn City Council approved SR&F Architect’s application for conditional use of the planned downtown building owned by Oak Tree Corner LLC, on Magnolia Avenue with a 7-2 vote at its regular meeting Tuesday.
The proposed building will be located between Pieology and Toomer's Place, both of which are owned by Chris Godbold of Oak Tree Corner.
The 8,827-square-foot bottom level of the building, where Quixotes will be located, will have a capacity of 1,100 people, said Sean Foote of SR&F. The interior of the upstairs event center, where the owner plans on offering services to weddings and other events, will have a capacity of 300, and the center’s outdoor balcony will have a capacity of 200.
Within 45 days of the building's opening, Quixotes' existing location will close.
Foote said he doubts all floors would ever be used simultaneously, due to nature of the businesses.
At the council meeting, attendees, including neighboring business owners, raised concerns about parking, safety and trash collection.
The architecture firm hasn't completed a parking plan yet, which worried some attendees and council members concerned about a congested downtown short on parking.
However, the firm must present the city with a plan for parking and other before the council votes on the development agreement, the next step in the process.
Kevin Cowper, Auburn assistant city manager, estimated it could be as long as two months before the development agreement will be ready for the council to vote on.
The alleyways between the proposed building and existing buildings range from six to 20-feet wide. The narrowness, combined with the possibility of poor lighting and visibility led some, including Council Member Tommy Dawson to raise potential security issues.
“The safety issues in what we’re looking at here is what scares me,” Dawson, former Auburn police chief, said. “I’m very much [in favor of] property rights, but I worked down there for 26 years and have seen a lot things.”
Nearby business owners also expressed their concerns that the introduction of a large building containing a bar in the alleyway could complicate the logistics of downtown trash collection.
The current plans include a possible trash compactor on-site.
As the development and planning continues, Cowper said a meeting between the surrounding business owners and the developers would be a “great idea.”
“I think that’s what is needed,” said Council Member Clemon Byrd of a potential meeting. “Communication hasn’t been good.”
While not required, Council Member Beth Witten suggested another public hearing be held before the council votes on the agreement due to the concerns of business owners and nearby residents.
Council Member Lynda Tremaine agreed.
“We just need to be considerate of these businesses in place,” she said. “They’ve worked so hard to be successful in downtown Auburn, and make downtown Auburn what it is.”
In addition to the Magnolia Ave. building, the city council voted unanimously to approve the use of Wittel Dorm as a boutique hotel.
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
