Scottsdale leaders approved a 15-year license for Rockbar's patio

Some complained Rockbar doesn't fit with the area's galleries and restaurants

The mayor said the city doesn't regulate businesses based on personal preference

Scottsdale residents and business owners have clashed for years over a bar they say mars an artsy area of Old Town with loud music and excessive smoke.

Rockbar, located on Craftsman Court south of Fifth Avenue, opened in 2011 and has an outdoor smoking patio in a busy pedestrian alley.

The street is known for upscale art galleries and restaurants. Rockbar, some residents say, sticks out like a sore thumb.

The debate came to a head this week as the city approved a new 15-year dining license for the patio at Rockbar, despite protest.

"I don’t think it’s a healthy business environment to have obnoxious bars along with high-end retail," resident Sandra Schenkat told The Arizona Republic.

Several patrons spoke in defense of the bar, saying it's a welcome gathering place in Old Town for fans of sports and local music.

Alex Mundy, the owner of Rockbar, said the misinformation spread by some residents about his bar has been draining, but he was relieved at the council's decision to renew the license.

"We're not going anywhere, and we're going to be a big part of that street's economy," Mundy said.

But the clash between neighbors on Craftsman Court highlights diverging visions for Old Town.

Patios in Old Town

Steve Johnson, who owns the Atelier showroom across the street from Rockbar, reminded the council about the original plan for dining patios in the area.

Johnson said business owners presented a rosy picture of European-style café patios with umbrellas and people dining outside.

Bars such as Dos Gringos, Upper Deck and Rockbar never made that picture a reality, he said.

"It was never the image that was submitted to the city as this European feel of a street," Johnson said. "It does nothing to add to the value of our adjacent properties."

Council members David Smith and Kathy Littlefield voiced similar opinions.

"All of us had a vision what outdoor dining would be like," Smith said. "This is not the image of outdoor dining that we want to create and impress visitors with."

Mayor Jim Lane said it would be wrong to punish a business that was abiding by the city’s rules and regulations based on personal preferences.

“They just don’t want the Rockbar,” Councilwoman Suzanne Klapp said of the residents who were opposed. “We as councilmen are here to regulate businesses, not to dictate to businesses. Everything from fine dining to sports bars need to be provided. We cannot dictate what people eat.”

Court Rich, Mundy's attorney, presented a petition to the council signed by 18 business owners near Craftsman Court who were supportive of Rockbar's patio use. Rich also called attention to 25 locations in Scottsdale that are currently zoned for patio use.

“There is no reason to single out Rockbar for any unique or different treatment in this case,” Rich said.

Influencing a vote?

Schenkat accused council members of lacking impartiality because they had accepted campaign donations from the building's owner, and demanded that they recuse themselves from the vote.

People with interests in a city, from business owners to developers, commonly donate to candidate campaigns in local elections. Campaign finance experts have said such donations likely helps donors gain access, but not necessarily votes.

“It appears to me that every vote for a bar or developer who have donated to council campaigns is technically a city ethical violation as a conflict of interest,” Schenkat said.

John Eby, who owns the building that houses Rockbar, has donated to various city council campaigns over the years:

$500 to Linda Milhaven in 2018.

$2,000 to Lane in 2016.

$1,000 to Klapp in 2016.

$1,000 to Virginia Korte in 2016.

Mundy also made a $300 campaign contribution to Lane in 2016 and a $400 in-kind contribution to Milhaven in 2018.

The vote was 5-2, with Smith and Littlefield dissenting.

Rockbar's future

Rockbar will pay the city $7.41 per square foot, or $3,105 per year, for the patio license, more than double the amount being paid for its current license.

The patio license is for 15 years, although the city can revoke the license at any time with 30 days notice.

Under the new license, the city requires that Rockbar operate as a restaurant and meet the following criteria:

Offer a full-service kitchen preparing (not just heating or warming) entrees for customers.

Offer at least 10 entrees when the kitchen is open.

Keep the kitchen open when the business is open, except for one hour before closing.

Residents have complained about the limited menu and lack of a full-service kitchen in the past, but the city showed that the bar installed a full-service kitchen in 2016.

Mundy says the bar lacked a kitchen for the first few years of his ownership due to growing pains and the lengthy process of ripping out the old kitchen.

Now, the menu features meatball sandwiches, wings, pizzas and flatbreads.

The city also noted the bar has had no code-enforcement violations, but Johnson says that's only because he has not wanted to be a nuisance.

"I don’t want it to be my full-time job reporting these people," Johnson said. "The city basically puts the neighbors at odds with each other because they don’t enforce their regulations."

Mundy says that despite the struggle with neighbors, he will remain open to fine-tuning the bar based on recommendations from neighbors and the city.

"If there are concerns and they're addressed with me directly, I'm always willing to listen," Mundy said.

Reach the reporter at Lorraine.Longhi@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter: @lolonghi.

READ MORE: