Amy Bartner

IndyStar

A group of Fountain Square residents hopes to block the opening of a restaurant and bar for fear it could dramatically change the feel of the neighborhood.

Real estate agent Tad Aschliman created a Change.org petition April 19 that urges the Indiana Alcohol and Tobacco Commission to deny its liquor license transfer to Fountain Tap. The restaurant is slated to open mid-summer at 1044 Virginia Ave. in a space left vacant more than a year ago by Indianapolis Downtown Antique Mall.

Dan Forestal: Keep Fountain Tap Out of Fountain Square

"We're not just being a bunch of prudish fuddy duddies who don't want a bar," Aschliman said. "I'm the furthest thing from a prude. My wife and I go out way too often. We love nightlife."

It's specifically what kind of nightlife Aschliman fears Fountain Tap owner Ryan Greb will bring to the neighborhood that pushed him to create the petition. Greb owns Downtown clubs Taps and Dolls and 247 Skybar, both at 247 S. Meridian St., and Aschliman is concerned this new business would have the same party-club vibe.

"I think it would devolve very fast into the things that people hate about Broad Ripple now," he said.

Aschliman, who is also a co-founder of the Fountain Square Music Festival, offered four points in the petition:

The owner's reputation in the community. Greb also owned a Downtown club and operated another on the city's southeast side that both were shut down for failure to pay taxes. Greb told IndyStar he was not culpable but was left "holding the bag."

If there's a need for the business."We have plenty of bars already," Aschliman wrote in the petition. "We don’t need or want more just for the sake of having more."

Whether the community wants the business. "I just love my neighborhood, and quite frankly I love what I love about it, and to get steamrolled from someone outside whose only interest is to make a few bucks isn't what I want."

What negative impact Fountain Tap could have on Fountain Square. "Who wants to live next to that?" Aschliman asked. "I live 300 feet away from the front door of Fountain Tap. I don’t want to be picking up beer cans and vomit. People don’t want a bro bar in Fountain Square."

The petition now has nearly 1,500 signatures. In July Greb was granted a liquor license transfer. Aschliman appealed the decision on April 20, and the ATC is expected to rule on the appeal within the next three months.

"The issue of this permit is currently under review and pending action from the Alcohol and Tobacco Commission," ATC spokeswoman Cpl. Heather Lynch said. "Once decided upon, we will be happy to answer questions pertaining to this matter."

Greb attributed much of the opposition to misunderstandings about what he plans to open.

"It's not focused on a bar; it's focused on a restaurant," Greb said.

A menu wasn't ready to release to the public, and Greb couldn't remember the name of the restaurant's chef. But he said he and the chef will hold a contest for the public to choose menu items.

A lot of the resistance came over the hours, Greb said. Opponents believed he intended to open Fountain Tap at 6 p.m. daily and keep it open until 3 a.m., which isn't the case. The restaurant will be open from 11 a.m. to midnight weekdays and 2 a.m. on weekends. After 9 p.m., it will be 21 and older.

"It's just a few guys in the community. They just want the community to remain wholesome," he said. "Fountain Square, yes, is a great place to be, but it's got a long way to go. The one I'm taking is a dilapidated building."

And when he's finished remodeling it, it won't be a dance club, he said.

"There's no bottle service, no dance floor, no DJ," Greb said. "We have enough of that Downtown. We don’t need this in that community."

In fact, he intends for it to be the opposite: A 300-person capacity, two-story family-friendly pub with locally sourced food and 20 taps lines for local craft beer. There will be a jukebox and arcade games for kids, and the menu will range from a $6.99 burger to a steak for $10.99. And there will be a kid's menu.

"I believe in free trade. I like businesses coming in," he said. "It's just a matter of getting more jobs for people. We'll hire 50 to 60 people from the community."

Parking, too, was a concern of residents. But a 67-space lot behind the Fountain Tap location will be available for not just the restaurant parking, but anyone in Fountain Square.

Craig Sanders, owner of nearby Wildwood Market, 1015 Virginia Ave., said the dispute was one he was staying out of.

"The community will ultimately decide whether they want it or not," he said.

Across the street, Rhonda Matthews of Matthews and Son Appliances is taking a similar neutral approach.

"I will not remonstrate against him, and I will not stand behind him," she said. "We've got bigger problems than Fountain Tap."

The rapidly changing Fountain Square is leaving older members of the community behind, Matthews said, and Fountain Tap is just a symptom of that gentrification.

"Visually, I love what's happened. But I want more focus on the people who have lived here this long," she said. "These buildings? They're just boards and beams. Fountains Square coming back is great. I love that. But what has to happen to make that happen? There's just so many dynamics of the politics. I don't dig it.

"We just want to continue what we've been doing for the last 45 years."

Call IndyStar reporter Amy Bartner at (317) 444-6752. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.