Recap of Community Development Activities Meeting on Liquor License Application at 4609 Butler St (to be Lawrence Hall)

LH Hospitality Co. has applied for a liquor license at 4609 Butler St. The site is set to be named Lawrence Hall. As part of LU & LC’s community process, a Community Development Activities Meeting (CDAM) was held for LH Hospitality Co. to present their plans to the community on Thursday, 5/25 at 5:30 PM at the CLP Lawrenceville (279 Fisk St). Virtual attendance was available via LU’s Facebook page. There were 7 in person attendees, and 23 virtual attendees throughout the meeting.

Prior to the start of the 4609 Butler St presentation, Natalie Jellison, Volunteer & Community Outreach Coordinator with BikePGH, spoke about the next OpenStreetsPGH event that will be Sunday, June 25th. The route will include the North Side, Strip District and Lawrenceville. This year, the route will go up to 39th and Butler in Lawrenceville, but not past Lower Lawrenceville.

Following Natalie’s presentation, Abi Gildea (Business District & Communications Manager, Lawrenceville Corporation) and Dave Breingan (Executive Director, Lawrenceville United) began the main portion of the meeting with expectation setting and general overview of the community process. Dave added that this is the fourth community meeting around this space, while the first one took place almost 5 years ago. Throughout the past 5 years, the same owners have stayed committed to their vision for this space, and have worked to address community concerns.

Brett Minarik and Adam Harvey of LH Hospitality Co. (2 of the 3 owners of 4609 Butler St) then went through the history of the space, shared their design and construction plans, shared operational details, and closed by addressing how they have accounted for community concerns. An overview of what was shared is below:

• 4609 Butler St will be named Lawrence Hall which will include a bar called “Dear James,” in reference to Naval Commander Capitan James Lawrence, who Lawrenceville is named after. Although they will “have a bar, [they will] not be “a bar””, as the space is to be a family-friendly neighborhood food hall. As of now, they plan to open to the public in early 2024.
  • Hours of Operation:
    • Sunday-Thursday: 10 AM-10 PM
    • Friday-Saturday: 10 AM-12AM
  • There will be 4 restaurant/kitchen spots (The owners are currently accepting vendor applications)
  • There will be an ice cream scoop shop with a cafe window facing the Butler St side for curb service
  • Dear James will feature PA brewed beers, wine, and cocktails
  • There will 51-55 tables, to seat between 150-170 people
  • There will be 2 TVs at the bar, that will mainly be off unless the Steelers, Pirates, or Penguins are playing
• Transportation
  • Meeting all of the City of Pittsburgh’s requirements for parking with an offsite parking lot for cars and bikes
  • Bike parking on site and there will be a “Gears for Beers” discount for cyclists
  • Creating 3-4 more on street parking spots on Butler by eliminating existing curb cuts
  • Will provide bonuses to employees who walk, bike, or take public transit to work, while also participating in BikePGH Business programs and Port Authority Job Perks
• Noise and Trash
  • Operating within a fully enclosed space
  • Built-in sound system installed with help from sound engineers
  • Will have trash, recycling, and compost and that will be kept inside in the basement and off of Eden Way

Following the presentation, the question and answer period was open to those present in person and virtually. Community members mostly provided comments that they were looking forward to the space opening. There were some follow up questions around the owners’ backgrounds and vendor applications. As head of the operations, Adam Harvey, shared that they are planning to have vendors commit to medium-long term leases and will not operate as an incubator. The team also has an upcoming meeting with the Boys and Girls Club on Butler St to plan for workforce development programming opportunities. Adam also mentioned that if any outstanding questions remain or come up, he can be reached at adam@lawrencehallpgh.com.

Once all questions and comments were addressed, the LH Hospitality Co. team were thanked for their time. Dave and Abi then shared upcoming meetings and events to close the meeting. If you have any outstanding questions or concerns, please reach out at 412-802-7220 or info@lunited.org.

Below you can review the presentations, project sheet, view the meeting, and provide feedback:

• Full Presentation (LU, LC, LH Hospitality Co.’s slides are all in this presentation)
• Project Sheet from LH Hospitality Co.
• Feedback Form
• Facebook Live of Meeting
• Zoom Recording of Meeting