Bangor city councilors on Monday voted 5 to 4 to deny a local nightclub a patio permit after neighbors complained about noise.
The owners of Half Acre Nightclub on Harlow Street had filed for a permit for an outdoor patio space where guests could bring their drinks. The permit would have allowed the club’s guests to bring their drinks outside until midnight, as long as the club cleaned up their trash and there was an employee monitoring the space while people were there.
While councilors informally approved the permit in a committee meeting two weeks ago, changes to the club’s plan and public concerns expressed at Monday’s meeting led to the negative vote.
David Case, a downtown Bangor resident for the past 20 years and current president of Franklin Place Associates, said he wants to see downtown businesses thrive. “But,” he continued, “do they have to thrive by depriving residents of their sleep?”
Half Acre Vice President Patrick Brann said he and his brother, Half Acre President Matthew Brann, understood their neighbors’ complaints, but pointed out that the parking lot is used by many area businesses, and that some of the nighttime noise was out of their control.
“Well after we close, people are still hanging out,” Brann said. He added that once guests leave their nightclub, the staff has no say over their actions.
It was not immediately clear whether the nightclub’s owners plan to reapply.