Emily Longaker, left, shares a laugh with her friend Kaylan Powers on Tuesday, June 7, 2016, at the Bearden Beer Market. Operators of the Bearden Beer Market are circulating a petition against the proposed Bearden Village Opportunities Plan, which is going before MPC in August. They are concerned the plan will force earlier closing times and put them out of compliance. (CAITIE MCMEKIN/NEWS SENTINEL)

SHARE Hunter Thomas signs a petition against the proposed Bearden Village Opportunities Plan on Tuesday, June 7, 2016, at Bearden Beer Market. Operators of Bearden Beer Market are concerned the plan will force earlier closing times and put them out of compliance. (CAITIE MCMEKIN/NEWS SENTINEL) Allison Miller plays a game of Jenga at Bearden Beer Market, off Kingston Pike, on Tuesday. (CAITIE MCMEKIN/NEWS SENTINEL) A sign marking Bearden Beer Market stands outside the establishment, located off Kingston Pike, on Tuesday, June 7, 2016. Operators of the Bearden Beer Market are circulating a petition against the proposed Bearden Village Opportunities Plan, which is going before MPC in August. They are concerned the plan will force earlier closing times and put them out of compliance. (CAITIE MCMEKIN/NEWS SENTINEL) Related Coverage Bearden Beer Market owner: I support mixed-use plan

By Ed Marcum of the Knoxville News Sentinel

Some merchants are worried a proposed mixed-use district for Bearden will hurt business, and the Bearden Beer Market has collected nearly 200 names on a petition opposing the plan.

Angie Ervin, Bearden Beer Market manager, said a section of the proposed zoning regulations dealing with eating establishments and brew pubs would require such businesses to operate only within the hours of 6 a.m. and 11 p.m. The Bearden Beer Market currently closes at midnight.

"It's going to hurt because we actually do a lot of business between 11 and 12," she said. "And then people leave and go to Stillhouse (Tavern), and they are staying open until 3, but they are going to have to close at 11 o'clock also."

Ervin estimated closing an hour early could cost the Bearden Beer Market $2,000 to $3,000 on a busy Friday night.

"And you multiply that 52 times a year. That adds up," she said.

The proposed mixed-use district is meant to transform the 2001 Bearden Village Opportunities Plan into a reality. At a May 3 public meeting, Metropolitan Planning Commission Executive Director Gerald Green described the plan's vision as turning Bearden into a more pedestrian-friendly area.

"A pleasant place to walk, where someone could actually live, work, shop all on that corridor — and could do it in the same building," he said.

The area that would be within the mixed-use district runs along both sides of Kingston Pike from Northshore Drive east to just past Western Plaza shopping center. It also includes areas off Old Kingston Pike and on the north side of Sutherland Avenue from Lebanon Street to Washburn Road.

Mike Reynolds, the MPC planner in charge of the mixed-use plan, said he does not think the 11 p.m. closing requirement would apply to places such as Bearden Beer Market — located in a heavily commercial area. The requirement is meant for establishments closer to residences.

Reynolds, however, acknowledged there is confusion about some requirements in the proposal and said it will be necessary to hold some public meetings before the document, which is in draft form now, will be ready for a vote by MPC commissioners.

"We will definitely have more meetings," he said. "I'm planning one, probably for the end of June, and we will have a better feel for where we are after that."

The proposal is slated to be on the agenda for the Aug. 11 MPC meeting, but Reynolds said it could be postponed if more work is needed. Even if approved by MPC, the mixed-use district proposal would still need approval from Knoxville City Council before taking effect.

Carl Jones Jr., who owns commercial property in the area involved, said he is eager to meet with MPC. Jones owns a section of Sutherland Avenue that includes Holy Land Market & Deli and other businesses.

"It is an excellent concept that they want to do — it is a great plan — but they have put so many restrictions in it that are going to hurt a lot of businesses," he said.

Jones contacted Bearden Beer Market about the proposal and said he will be getting in touch with other businesses. Ervin said the market decided to start the petition after talking with Jones earlier in the week. The petition had nearly 200 names after two days.

The mixed-use district proposal appears to put a lot of restrictions on businesses, Jones said, pointing to a section on retail sales that would require a retail establishment to be within or attached to a multi-tenant building and not in a stand-alone building. Ervin said she assumes the Bearden Beer Market would be grandfathered, but wondered how this would affect new businesses.

Jones said he hopes MPC will not act hastily. He said he'd like several meetings between MPC and business owners.

"We want to see it delayed for a long time so we can actually work with them and get this thing right," he said.