Iowa City officials deny one liquor license renewal, approve another

Iowa City could soon lose another bar.

The city council voted 6-0 Tuesday to deny a liquor license renewal for Piano Lounge, located at 217 Iowa Ave. Council member Terry Dickens was absent.

City officials put off a decision to deny Piano Lounge's license renewal two weeks ago so city staff could make contact with the bar's owners. At Tuesday's meeting, city officials said they still haven't been able to make contact with bar owners and nobody from Piano Lounge came to represent the bar at the hearing.

Police Chief Sam Hargadine recommended the council deny the liquor license renewal. He said one of Piano Lounge's owners, Chad Freeman, doesn't meet the state's "good moral character" requirement for selling alcohol because Freeman recently plead guilty to fourth degree theft and Freeman Construction, another business he operates, owes the city more than $40,000 in overdue fees.

City Attorney Eleanor Dilkes said Piano Lounge's owners might be in the process of selling the bar. Whether the establishment changes hands or not, the bar's owners can appeal the city's decision to deny liquor license renewal. If the owners do appeal, they can keep selling alcohol until the Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division makes a final decision.

A handful of other Iowa City drinking establishments have shut down operations in recent months, some of them citing a slowdown following the 21-and-older age requirement imposed by the city last year. Iowa City voters upheld that ordinance by a slim margin this past November.

The council also voted at Tuesday's meeting to approve a liquor license renewal for another downtown bar, Slippery Pete's, located at 118 South Dubuque St. City staff originally recommended that bar's renewal be denied because the fire sprinklers weren't up to code, but the recommendation was reversed before Tuesday's meeting because the establishment recently installed sufficient sprinklers, City Clerk Marian Karr said after the meeting.