Brix 25 restaurant’s new location under false scrutiny by neighbors

This is in rebuttal to the story, “Millville District, Council discusses closing times,” in the Jan. 25 issue of the Gateway.

In the article, resident Jackie Olivier made a plea to the City Council to do something about restaurants in, or near the Millville District in downtown Gig Harbor. During public comments, she expressed worries that area residents have about Brix 25 restaurant moving into the Bayview building across the street from her home on Harborview Drive, and other restaurants in the area who serve liquor are causing problems for her neighborhood. She went on say when the hearing examiner ruled in favor of Brix 25’s move to the Millville District two years ago, the ruling did not require a specific closing time.

Olivier also said residents are worried about nearby businesses serving liquor and have seen issues with people coming from the local Mexican restaurant. She is also concerned about people “coming and going at all times of night.” If there was a problem, it sounds like a law enforcement or code violation issue. I wonder if Olivier has tried contacting the Gig Harbor Police Department?

Title 17.48: Waterfront Millville (WM), of the Gig Harbor Municipal Code, regarding Restaurant 3 businesses in the Millville District reads: “All restaurant uses on properties adjacent to or southeast of Dorotich Street shall not open before 7 a.m. and shall seat the last customer no later than 9:30 p.m., daily. … The bar area may not exceed more than 40 percent of the total customer seating area.”

Brix 25’s new location at 3315 Harborview Drive is southwest of Dorotich Street with the planned, last seating at 9:30 and the bar area is about 20 percent of its total seating area. The municipal code is online at codepublishing.com/WA/GigHarbor/.

All of Olivier’s concerns were adjudicated by the hearing examiner two years ago. Brix 25 has not yet opened its doors in the Millville District. But, rather than take a wait-and-see approach and be pleasantly surprised, Olivier is using unsubstantiated information to stir up fear in the neighborhood. It didn’t work during the original campaign to quash the project and it won’t work now. I think Millville residents will love that the new restaurant is within walking distance from their homes.

One of our new council members, Jeni Woock — as a private citizen fought against changing the zoning laws in Millville — stated she is interested in discussing a mandatory closing time, such as 10 p.m. This smacks of political bias. How many other zoning laws will this new council seek to undo in its quest to return the downtown to the 1950s when it was largely an industrial waterfront?

Brix 25 restaurant has a history as an upscale, five-star restaurant. Its usual closing time is about 10 p.m. Occasionally, guests will come in around 9 or 9:30 p.m. seeking a gourmet meal or a glass of wine. Brix 25 is not a bar, nor a tavern. Residents don’t frequent Brix 25 as a hangout or a place to over imbibe. Brix 25 is the epitome of a sleepy, small-town restaurant. I urge those with concerns to drive by Brix’s current location on Pioneer Way any night and check them out.

According to Police Chief Kelly Busey, who looked back at five years of reports, “there were not a lot of public disturbance calls in the downtown area.” There is no history of intoxicated guests or DUIs at Brix under the ownership, according to Thad Lyman and Katie Doherty.

The new Brix 25 will be the most exquisite, upscale fine-dining restaurant in Gig Harbor. We hope to open in a couple of weeks, following a massive overhaul of the building.

This story was originally published February 1, 2018 at 8:00 AM with the headline "Brix 25 restaurant’s new location under false scrutiny by neighbors."