Stiff Drinks
Risen from the grave? Funeral home bars get liquor license, still lack parking
Photo by Caroline Gallay
The bars going into the old Settegast Kopf funeral home at 3320 Kirby have gotten their liquor license — for the most part.
Despite an ongoing lawsuit with the homeowner's association of the subdivision the development is located in, three of the bars in the complex (R Oak, Twist and Hendrick's Pub) have secured a license from the TABC. OTC Patio bar, the bar supposedly taking over the abandoned bank drive-thru at 3312 Kirby, has no license on file. It still claims via signage and Facebook to be "Coming Soon!"
While construction plugs along for the other three establishments and the court system determines whether the homeowner's association can enforce an old deed restriction that prohibits alcohol, another hurdle for the development is on the horizon.
The municipal code requires eight off-street parking spaces for every 1,000 square feet of a restaurant space (including patio and deck areas) and 10 parking spaces for every 1,000 square feet of bar space. Given the very limited parking surrounding 3320 and 3312 Kirby, we hear that the owners have been reaching out to nearby Upper Kirby businesses for additional parking, and have not been met with favorable terms.
Neighbors are largely opposed to the addition of the project's "Vegas-style clubs," and the businesses those neighbors patronize are not eager to speed opening along. Stay tuned.
Roka Akor has closed.
Courtesy photo
