City denies outdoor entertainment, expansion permit for The Hill Bar & Grill

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — The Hill Bar & Grill ‘s plan to expand and use televisions and speakers outside has been denied for now.

The city council voted against the permit 4-3 during Tuesday’s meeting, but because of a petition by neighbors, a supermajority was required.

Some who live in the College Hill , Crown Heights and Crown Heights South neighborhoods were concerned about the noise it may bring.

Bill Ryan lives in Crown Heights, and he worries that outdoor speakers and TVs could draw unwanted crowds and noise complaints may not be enforced. He says it’s asking too much of their neighborhood.

“You don’t put a bar in a residential area and leave it there and keep asking more, and more, and more,” Ryan said.

As this was a zoning case, the public was not allowed to speak on this agenda item.

“I just want that to be noted that we are listening and we are hearing the feedback,” Mayor Lily Wu said.

The sports bar resides in council member Brandon Johnson’s district. He voted in favor of letting The Hill Bar & Grill expand because his advisory board already approved outdoor speakers for the restaurant, and TVs are not much different.

“You have similar situations across the street and there’s another restaurant across Oliver that has similar things going on. I’ve not received any complaints about those except for a parking complaint,” Johnson said.

KSN reached out to The Hill Bar & Grill. Management says they are disappointed by the decision and are a community-run business that understands community concerns. They assure residents that they plan on fully complying with city noise ordinance.

After failing to secure a supermajority vote, the permit will be sent back to the Metropolitan Area Planning Commission. They will have the opportunity to rework it before presenting it to the city council again.

Click here to read the agenda report.

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