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Restaurant looks at LeClaire site

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By Mary Louise Speer | Friday, May 9, 2008 2:05 AM CDT | () comments

LeCLAIRE, Iowa — Dieter Rebitzer hopes to tell patrons sometime soon that construction is under way on the town’s own Bierstube Bar and Grill.

LeClaire Planning and Zoning Commission reviewed a site plan for Lot 2, 2nd addition of the River Run development, Thursday, at a public hearing. The plan includes a mixed use commercial building with three retail suites and a restaurant, parking and landscaping.

Rebitzer is frustrated with waiting to break ground for the restaurant. He currently operates two Bierstube locations in Moline and the Village of East Davenport.

“All we’re trying to do is bring something good to the city. I hoped that we were going on it already. It’s just ridiculous what it (the delay) costs us in money,” he said after the meeting.

Commissioners voted unanimously to recommend the application for the site plan review to the LeClaire City Council.

The River Run commercial project has met with a mix of praise and protests through a long process that began unwinding in 2005. The development is located near the intersection of Canal Shore Road and U.S. 67.

Bierstube will add a German flavor to the culinary offerings in LeClaire and offer patrons a selection of imported beers and wines. Rebitzer anticipates having a small outdoor seating area with maybe 10 seats in addition to indoor seating for between

84 to 90 patrons.

The site plan includes about 205 parking spaces for lots 1 and 2 and addresses concerns for individuals with physical challenges.

But some neighbors are still concerned about having more commercial development on Canal Shore. “I oppose this project. They’ve got multiple businesses on Lot 2. The planned development district has not been approved,” Thomas Kamp, a Canal Shore resident, said.

Also, the site plan does not indicate how many seats the restaurant will have outdoors. The number of parking stalls needs to be consistent with that number, Kamp said.

If you go

LeClaire City Council will hold a public hearing on the site plan for Lot 2, 2nd addition of the River Run development, at 7 p.m., Monday.

The matter is tentatively scheduled for a vote on both the planned development district and site plan approvals May 19, City Administrator Edwin Choate said. When approved, developer Ted Rebitzer, son of Bierstube Bar and Grill owner Dieter Rebitzer, can go ahead and apply for a building permit.

LeClaire City Council Chambers are located at

325 Wisconsin St.

The city desk can be contacted at

(563) 383-2450 or newsroom@qctimes.com.

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