BELOIT—A plan to redevelop a former video store on Prairie Avenue in Beloit into a bar and nightclub has been withdrawn ahead of the issue being discussed by the Beloit Plan Commission and Beloit City Council, the Beloit Daily News has learned.
An application for a conditional use permit (CUP) had previously been filed with the City of Beloit to allow alcohol sales at a proposed nightclub and special event space in a neighborhood commercial district (C-2) for the former Hollywood Video store located at 1757 Prairie Ave.
On Thursday, the Beloit Daily News confirmed that property owner Harry Samra withdrew the application on Thursday, and the issue will not be discussed by the plan commission. The issue was set to be discussed by the Beloit Plan Commission Jan. 19 and then at the Beloit City Council meeting on Feb. 21.
The withdrawn application appears to stall the bar/nightclub proposal, which was initially applied for by Jessica Milan.
In a letter sent to nearby property owners as part of the required public process, the application sought to use the location as a bar from Monday through Thursday with a secondary use for Fridays and Saturdays being a nightclub for live or recorded entertainment, with “one or two temporary areas” set aside for dancing by patrons. On Sundays, the property could be used for hosting “a wide variety of events or activities,” the letter stated.
The proposal caused controversy on social media with Beloiters weighing in mostly negatively about the idea, claiming issues related to public safety could come up if the development came to fruition.