Nearly two years after Greenwood’s riverfront district was approved by state lawmakers, the fruits of the city’s labor is starting to come to fruition.
A Caribbean restaurant and cigar bar are among the first to apply to be a part of it.
Greenwood established the riverfront district in fall 2018, opening the door for more restaurants to obtain liquor licenses, which are capped at a certain number that’s determined by a municipality’s population.
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The city previously had 34 liquor licenses available to restaurants, all of which were being used, making it virtually impossible for new restaurateurs who wanted to sell alcohol at their establishments to set up shop in the city.
Officials saw this as an obstacle in attracting new businesses to Greenwood, so for years, they sought an alternative method to obtain more liquor licenses.
In a riverfront district, there is no limit on the number of licenses that can be provided as long as the business is located within 1,500 feet of a body of water. The city has three bodies of water that run through its most developed areas — Pleasant Creek, Pleasant Run Creek and Jolly Brook. The creeks, although not much larger than a drainage ditch in some areas, qualified Greenwood to establish a riverfront district.
City officials have said they have no intentions of bringing more bars or a casino to Greenwood, which were concerns that were raised. They are looking for classy sit-down restaurants, such as steakhouses, that would serve beer, wine and liquor.
In May, Revery, a local restaurant and bar located on Main Street in downtown Greenwood, was the first to join the riverfront district after the city’s redevelopment commission approved it. The restaurant had plans to open a new building in the back of its parking lot, and wanted an additional liquor license for it, chef and owner Mark Henrichs said. But due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, that project has since been put on hold, and Henrichs has declined to release any additional details about it.
Now, two new ventures — a Caribbean restaurant and cigar bar — have applied to be part of it.
Both fit with the type of businesses the city was hoping to attract, Greenwood Mayor Mark Myers said. Specifically, residents have been asking for a cigar lounge, he said.
“If managed right, those can be very popular places to go, and people enjoy them. Not having the permits previously always kept it away,” Myers said.
Boundaries for the riverfront district are County Line Road to the north; Smith Valley Road to the south; Emerson Avenue to the east; and extends just west of State Road 135. However, it does not include all areas within those boundaries.
The Caribbean restaurant, dubbed the Caribana Grill, will serve traditional upscale Caribbean and Jamaican food, along with some Cajun dishes, owner Terry Johnson told the redevelopment commission Tuesday.
The restaurant will also include patio seating where a live band will play once a month, Johnson said. He owns a similar restaurant in Indianapolis, and he’s excited to expand to Greenwood, he said.
“I’ve been trying to get into Greenwood for a long time. I really just want be granted the opportunity to bring my product to Greenwood,” Johnson said.
The restaurant is planned to be located at 1259 N. State Road 135, on the far west end of the riverfront district, near Rise n’ Roll Bakery. The commission unanimously approved its permit application.
The commission also approved a riverfront district application for the The Smoke Pit, a cigar lounge set to open soon on Main Street, near Revery. The business will sell premium cigars and alcohol, owner Reid Storvick said Tuesday.
“The alcoholic beverage permit is a huge part of the cigar culture. People like to have a small glass of bourbon or a small glass of whiskey with their cigar,” Storvick said.
He plans to import cigars from several places, from as close as Martinsville to as far as Texas, he said.
J. David Hopper, president of the redevelopment commission, abstained from voting for The Smoke Pit’s riverfront request because he is against smoking, and has a history of attempting to ban smoking entirely in the city, he said.
“As most people know, I’ve tried to ban smoking completely in Greenwood … it went not terribly, but not as well as I would want it to,” Hopper said. “I’m going to abstain from this one, just so I can remain consistent. But I don’t want to keep you from getting your permit.”
Each new liquor license will also have to be approved by the city’s Board of Public Works and the state’s Indiana Alcohol and Tobacco Commission. Each license is $1,000 paid to the state, and will need to be renewed annually.
Myers said the main reason for the delay in applications is the negative financial impact the coronavirus pandemic has had on local small businesses.
He remains hopeful the city will attract a high-end steakhouse, he said. He’s been in discussions with a few restaurateurs about potentially opening one, but they’re waiting to see how the city develops, he said.
“A high-end steakhouse, that is what we need,” Myers said. “That is something I will continue to work on until I get it.”