Foxglove Bar & Hideaway and The Yard at Vintrey on Public
Potential new business and gathering place
Images from the Lafayette Urban Renewal Authority (LURA) agenda packet for July 9, 2024
According to the agenda for this week’s LURA meeting, big plans are in the works for 105-107 S Public Rd. The owners of Vintrey Honest Goods purchased the open lot north of their building. They have plans for that lot and the apartment in the back of their retail store.
Foxglove Bar and Hideaway
Vintrey owner Jordan Lewis and his business partner intend to demolish the apartment’s interior and renovate it to become a craft cocktail lounge and garden bar. The staff memo for the LURA meeting calls it “a modern take on a speakeasy”. The concept is to create a community gathering place in an inclusive and welcoming environment.
The Yard at Vintrey (working title)
The adjacent property is also slated to be a community gathering place with a pergola, deck, seating and tables, an outside bar area, and a nature play area. Plans include an Airstream for small businesses to serve food and beverages between May and October.
The staff report on the project states “While privately owned, the intent of the yard is to create a welcoming space for connections with community members and allow for collaborations with small businesses. Lewis hopes the space will feel like a programmed space, open to anyone from the public to enjoy.”
An event coordinator is part of the plans and will organize free or low-cost events such as movie or music nights. Options for private events will also be offered.
WHERE ARE THEY IN THE PROCESS?
A potential Economic Development Agreement (EDA) with LURA is under consideration. LURA is being asked to contribute some funding for the project. The amount is not public at this time but we can expect to see something on a future agenda should the authority indicate to the EDA.
Following the presentation LURA will have an executive session to learn the outcome of a gap analysis. This is basically a “Hey we have a project and it costs this much but we only have a portion of the money, can you help us close the gap” process that LURA has been a party to with other businesses in the urban renewal district.
Want to offer more support? Awesome!
Much obliged for these reports. We have lived in Lafayette for only 16 years (before that, in Boulder since 1984), and have watched with sadness as S. Public's emptiness grows and businesses move to Erie. We're not going anywhere, and hope that downtown spruces up while keeping its small town character. No more boxy rectangles, please! I like Vintry's ideas - gathering place, green space, neighborly attitude.
Yes, it all depends on how much the "gap🤑" is!