Case 14-26 bar/lounge rezoning

Speaking for applicant Denisha Veal, he said the site sits next to a vacant lot and corner store and couldn't understand why the rezoning was even contested.

Reading a statement for the applicant (stuck in Jamaica), she pledged a safe, well-managed lounge with trained staff and security that would create jobs and be a good neighbor.

A neighborhood resident, he said he sees drug and alcohol abuse daily and called bars and lounges 'empty calories' the community cannot afford.

A 57-year resident, he described growing up with an alcoholic stepfather, counted six alcohol sellers within walking distance, and said the yellow notification sign had disappeared with a letter missing from the address.

A former council member and lifelong area resident, she cited nine liquor outlets within five miles, a past alcohol-outlet moratorium effort, violence tied to area bars, and begged the commission to deny the request.