Tiptop editorial in the Standard-Examiner this morning, embracing most of the arguments we've mustered over the past several weeks on Weber County Forum in favor of the granting to Paris Cafe owner Earnie McKown the zoning amendment redefinitions and conditional use permit he's been slaving to squeeze out of Ogden City bureaucrats since at least October of 2012. The Standard scores an editorial bull's-eye concerning the extended bureaucratic "drama" to which Mr. McKown has been subjected in his efforts to add live music to his east Ogden business repertoire, and strongly urges our Ogden City Council to get moving on action which ought to have been completed months ago. Here's the brief and straight-to-the-point lead paragraph excerpt:
The Ogden City Council needs to end a several-months-long drama and allow live music and dancing at an Ogden cafe. The city’s planning commission has already OK’d a proposal that would allow the Paris Cafe, located in the Harrison Plaza shopping center, 3155 Harrison Blvd., to be classified as a social hall with live music.Check out the Standard's entire and spot-on editorial via this link:
On Tuesday, the council tabled a vote on the approval until March 26. At that time, it is the responsibility of Ogden’s council to approve a conditional use permit allowing live music at the cafe, as well as to apply several conditions, which include determining exactly what time the business will close and making sure a ban on alcohol is in place.
Frankly, this should have been done some time ago. In January, the planning commission approved changes that would allow the Paris Cafe to have live music. Any further delays beyond March 26 are inexcusable, in our opinion. [Link added].
As an added bonus, and for an eye-opening glimpse of a City Council tediously and unnecessarily laboring over an issue which should have been resolved with a quick up/down vote, feast your eyes on the below-embedded 3/12/13 council video, where you'll see a prime example of true self-absorbed, hand-wringing, business-unfriendly bureaucracy in action, as some folks on our esteemed Ogden City Council essentially ignore not only the entirely positive "testimony" of the parade of lumpencitizens who spoke in favor of Mr. McKown's requested code amendments, but also the carefully crafted recommendations of Ogden City's own planning commission. The most-illuminating Paris Cafe discussion "kicks in" at 8:17, folks:
The solution to this unnecessarily complicated issue is what we'd call a no-brainer, folks. Instead of "inexcusably" obsessing over available code enforcement mechanisms and "exactly what time Mr. McKown business will close," the Council should simply adopt the planning commission's recommendation, and do so without further delay, as the Standard-Examiner editorial board strongly urges. If Ogden City wishes to portray itself as an up-and-coming business friendly town, we need a level-headed City Council who will "act the part," and not a preening troupe of "zoning code drama queens," or so it seems to us.
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