Prince Frederick, MD – The owner of a popular new venue for music in the Town of North Beach found himself in the spotlight Thursday evening, Aug. 25 when the Calvert County Liquor Board held its monthly meeting.
James Warren opened the 7th Street Market at North Beach in September 2015 and was granted a Class D liquor license for “on sale” of beer, wine and liquor last March. During the March liquor board meeting Warren told the panel he intended to sell local craft beer and wine as well as book live entertainment for small performances in an adjacent yard.
Apparently it is the latter component that has roiled some of the residents living near Warren’s business. There was a bigger issue with the liquor board. When Warren presented the plan to the board earlier this year, he indicated he had all of his permits. However, Rick Crump, the town’s code enforcement officer, confirmed that Warren does not have site plan approval from the municipality.
“You don’t really have all your permits,” said liquor board chairman Robert Arscott. Warren explained that he did submit plans to refurbish an apartment on the premises, the indoor market and the yard.
The component that changed Warren’s original plan is 12-foot-by-12-foot stage used by performers. Warren contended that since the structure is less than 150 square feet he “doesn’t need a building permit. All the innuendo that I was a renegade doing whatever I wanted was not true,” he stated. When town officials pointed out the stage was not part of the site plan, Warren submitted one that was characterized by town engineer John Hofmann as being very rudimentary and lacking in detail. Hofmann said the stage “needs to be shown in its proper location.”
“We’ve had complaints from people about noise,” Arscott told Warren, reminding him that he was granted the liquor license with the understanding he would obey all laws.
Three days prior to the liquor board meeting, the 7th Street Market Facebook page included a “help needed” requesting “Yardees” to show up for support. The Yardees almost packed the Courthouse Square meeting room.
One of the Yardees described the music the performers play as “quiet” and described The Yard as a “family-oriented” venue. The largely acoustical performances are normally over before 11 p.m., the time Warren vowed to have them end when he went before the board in March.
At least two locals disputed the claim about the music’s mellow texture. Resident Paul Boehmler said the market and yard have become “a full-fledged bar and concert venue” that intrudes on the peace and quiet of his nearby home. “The music is pumped up through the walls,” he stated. “We’ve been dealing with this for four-and-a-half months.” Boehmler stated that most of the performances were so loud they were “illegal, whether he [Warren] wants to admit it or not.” While the music might stop at 10 p.m., Boehmler affirmed that “the noise does not stop.”
Arscott proposed that Warren “come back at the next meeting” and have the planning and zoning issues with the town cleared up, otherwise the board would consider suspending his liquor license.
Warren vowed to do just that. His latest site plan for The Yard gets a hearing before the town’s zoning authority next week.
In other action
The board approved a change in officer for Applebee’s (Potomac of Calvert LLC), as a change to an existing Class B license; a change in stockholders for Ranch Liquors of Town Square Drive in Lusby, as a change to an existing Class A license; and a new application for Ship and Oars Spirits LLC of North Beach, applying for a Class D license.
Contact Marty Madden at marty.madden@thebaynet.com
