One of 12 bars on the 600 block of University Avenue will be expanding to better accommodate its patrons after approval Tuesday night by the City Council.
Church Key, 626 University Ave., received the unanimous vote to increase its capacity to 190 patrons, provided it meets certain conditions.
Tom Harris, manager at the Church Key, said he is excited about the expansion.
\I think this is going to be a great thing for the building,"" he said.
Included in the plans for the Church Key expansion are more space and more amenities, according to Harris.
""There will still be a convenience store on the first floor, but a bigger bar on the first floor as well,"" he said. ""Then we are just going to move the bar a little bit upstairs and offer some more services like serving food at 11 o'clock in the morning. We're also going to put in a couple more big screens, some more games, things like that.""
Harris also said Church Key plans to fill in the space that separates it from The Varsity with a glass structure for safety and aesthetic appeal.
According to Ald. Austin King, District 8, the Madison Police Department had density concerns on University Avenue and wanted Church Key bargoers to exit the bar through the tavern's back door on Lake Street to avoid overcrowding on University Avenue.
However, the owner of The Varsity, the new apartment structure on the corner of University Avenue and Lake Street at 515 Lake St., expressed displeasure over this idea because he did not want the tavern's customers exiting onto his property. King said the two parties came to an agreement that required the Church Key to have its customers exit on University Avenue.
In addition to the exiting requirement, Church Key must also provide sufficient soundproofing of its establishment and install lighting that points downward so it will not shine into the windows of The Varsity.
Although the vote was unanimous, some alders were reluctant to cast their votes in favor of the Church Key.
Ald. Judy Olson, District 6, considered voting against the Church Key expansion because it is located in the 600 block of University Avenue where there are already 12 bars.
""My concern is that at some point we need to address the density issue in the downtown area,"" she said. ""We need to take the long view and look at density in that context.""
Olsen added she is concerned that some alders were persuaded to vote in favor of Church Key because it was a ""good track record,"" but that the expansion is permanent and future managers and owners may not be capable of sufficiently handling the larger area.
