Residents of Liberty Wells moved closer toward having a new watering hole along the Milk Block and 9-Line Trail.
In a vote Wednesday evening, the Salt Lake City Planning Commission unanimously approved a conditional use permit for the Neighbors Bar, which would be located at 416 E. 900 South as part of an ongoing project that includes the Wasatch Cooperative Market, a shareholder-owned grocery store opening its first location.
Neighbors would be not only a bar, but would feature a food menu of “American / Taiwanese fusion of flavors,” according to a document from the bar’s owners attached to a city staff report. The bar would have 12-15 menu items that would include vegan and vegetarian options.
“We will have a large draft program that will include draft beer, draft cider, draft wine, kombucha, nitro coffee and non alcoholic mocktails,” the bar owners wrote. “We will have a house cocktail menu that features both alcoholic and non alcoholic cocktails that will cater to all types of pallets.”
The document also says one operating partner on the project will be Chase Worthen, who owns The Pearl in the heart of Central 9th.
Plans submitted to the city show the Neighbors Bar would be on the ground floor of a building to the east of the co-op market. The bar would feature around 1,080 square feet of gross floor area, as well as a 220 square foot patio in the northwest corner of the building, according to the staff report. Previous plans submitted to the city included a slightly larger patio.
Included in the staff report are a number of comments submitted by Liberty Wells residents, which are a mix for and against the bar — though more comments are in favor of the tavern. Those opposed to the bar worried about noise, a lack of parking and increased congestion in the area. Those in favor of the bar said they want to have an additional meeting place and nearby restaurant, with others saying the bar could create a neighborhood hub.
One Salt Laker who wrote in support of the bar was Ty Burrell, the star of ABC’s Modern Family and a local restauranteur who owns a number of favorites like Salt Lake City’s Beer Bar, Bar X and the Cotton Bottom in Cottonwood Heights. Burrell wrote in support of Worthen, saying Worthen, “came out of the family tree, so to speak, of our businesses…”
“From what I’ve heard, his idea for Neighbors is very much about bringing the 9th South community together and I have no doubt that he can and will execute it, given the chance,” Burrell wrote.
Construction on the building has been ongoing for months, but the Planning Commission approval moves the bar closer toward opening its doors in Liberty Wells.
The bar and market would be some of the new amenities planned by developer Kathia Dang as part of the development, which is a mix of adaptive reuse and new construction. According to the city staff report, the Milk Block would also include a Xao Bao Bao location and a flower shop, as the latter would be located next door to the proposed bar. Once open, Neighbors Bar would join a growing number of businesses along 900 South accessible via the 9 Line Trail.
With its conditional use permit approved, the project will be able to move forward and vie for a bar license with the Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Services.
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