Recap of Community Development Activities Meeting on Liquor License Transfer at 4839 Butler St (to be Solera Wine Co)

Tyler Borne and Aaron Gottesman of MES Hospitality LLC are in the process of a liquor license transfer for at 4839 Butler St. The site is set to be named Solera Wine Co. As part of LU & LC’s community process, a Community Development Activities Meeting (CDAM) was held for MES Hospitality LLC to present their plans to the community on Tuesday, October 10th at 6:30 PM at the Healthy Active Living Center – Lawrenceville (4600 Butler St). Virtual attendance was available via LU’s Facebook page. There were 16 in person attendees, and 20 virtual attendees throughout the meeting.

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. Abi then provided a brief overview of what MES Hospitality LLC plans to bring to Lawrenceville — Solera Wine Co.

Tyler Borne and Aaron Gottesman of MES Hospitality LLC then presented their plans for Solera Wine Co. before taking questions from attendees. Tyler and Aaron have most recently worked together at Meat & Potatoes downtown, Tyler as General Manager and Aaron as Executive Chef. An overview of what was shared is below:

• Solera Wine Co. will be a boutique wine shop and cafe with a mission to create a welcoming space where the neighborhood can conveniently pick up a bottle of wine, enjoy good company in their garden, have an intimate date in the tasting room, or participate in community wine tastings and classes. They want to make this space accessible to families.
• They will offer a wide variety of wines from different regions and varietals, accompanied by a menu of small plates and snacks designed to enhance the wine experience.
  • The drinks provided will be between $10-$15. Wine bottles will start at $20.
  • Foods offered will include vegetarian, vegan, and gluten free options.
• There will be an additional focus on wine education and community engagement.
• They plan to have 30 seats inside and 10-12 bar seats. Outside they will have close to 60 seats.

Following the presentation, the question and answer period was open to those present in person and virtually. Community members comments and questions were primarily focused on noise, hours of operation, and parking. The MES Hospitality team that they will be open 12-9 PM and shared that they will not be putting an amplification system on the patio area and will keep the back patio enclosed. They only plan to be open until 9 PM and do not envision that changing, but if they were to stay open later, they would let neighbors know. They emphasized their wish to be good neighbors. In terms of parking, they are not required by zoning to provide it, and although they understand and empathize with residents concerns, they do envision most customers will park along Butler Street or find them by walking/cycling by.

Once all questions and comments were addressed, the MES Hospitality LLC team were thanked for their time and a “closed” community discussion was opened up. The focus of questions was mostly around parking and the upcoming Mobility Enhancement District ordinance vote. 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, Solera Wine Co.’s slides are all in this presentation)
• Project Sheet from Solera Wine Co. (Business listed under MES Hospitality LLC)
• Feedback Form
• Recording of the Meeting