The Bassett Neighborhood Association met on the second floor of the Echo Tap and Grill Thursday to discuss the tavern’s newest proposals for expansion.
Its blueprints propped up between two dartboards, the proposal presented to residents Thursday involves adding roughly 500 square feet to Echo Tap’s patio, extending patio usage hours and erecting an outdoor “tent” for smoking patrons in the winter.
Last year’s plans included two-story addition to the 65-year-old bar at North Bedford and West Main Streets. However, the discovery of an adjacent building’s faulty foundation prevented that plan. Echo Tap instead adjusted its request and built a patio.
The bar’s owners hope to extend its patio usage by one hour a day. Currently, the bar is only allowed to serve alcohol on the patio until 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
Residents expressed the most concern with the additional noise that increasing the patio’s operational hours could cause, despite assurances from Echo Tap co-owner Susan Bulgrin that unruliness and noise could be controlled.
“Its absurd to think that you can tell a bunch of adults with alcohol to quiet down,” Madison resident Nina Emerson said. “No matter how well you police that…it’s just a fact.”
None of the proposed changes would increase the bar’s overall capacity.
Additionally, Echo Tap must secure city approval for exterior remodeling that was different from the proposals that were initially submitted.
After taking neighborhood feedback into account, Echo Tap’s owners must submit applications to the Madison Plan Commission and Alcohol License Review Committee.
Patrons requesting to use the dartboard, as well as shouting from the “Trivia Night” held on the first floor, briefly disrupted the meeting.
