The Valparaiso City Council revoked a liquor license Monday for the owner of Radius restaurant, who had hoped to move to the old Chase Bank building at the corner of Lincolnway and Franklin Street.
The license was issued to My Mother’s Daughter Inc., d/b/a Radius, on Oct. 27 on the condition that written commitments be signed for moving Radius from 15 Lincolnway, its current location, to the bank building.
Council President Ellen Kapitan, D-At-large, asked if Radius owner Chris Pavlou had requested the license be revoked.
City Attorney Joseph Svetanoff said the license was being revoked because Pavlou changed his mind about 101 Lincolnway.
Svetanoff tried to contact Pavlou on Jan. 13, Feb. 27 and last Friday – when his email included a copy of the proposed resolution – but didn’t get a response. “We exhausted communication efforts,” he said.
“It’s really important that we followed up with all of this,” Kapitan said, to make sure things like this don’t fall through the cracks.
Svetanoff said he would set up systems to follow up on issues like this.
Kapitan asked whether Avgo, which planned to move into the former city hall at 16-18 Indiana Avenue, is showing any traction. Avgo was issued a downtown liquor license for that location.
Director of Development George Douglas told the council that the building owner, Bruce Boyer of Highland-based Boyer Properties, has been working on permits to remodel the building. A sticking point has been working with First Source Bank on the rear access to the building, which enters the bank lobby, to make sure no one from Avgo can enter the bank after hours.
“They’re close. We have no doubt the project will move forward,” Douglas said.
In 2024, the council granted the license for Avgo after hearing details of the planned $2 million, 8,000-square-foot restaurant.
Resident Kenard Taylor reminded the council that the Pikk’s Tavern liquor license is presumably going to be up for grabs in a few months now that the restaurant has closed. Anyone who acquires the license would have to go to the council for permission to do so, unlike the state-controlled permits that can be bought and sold, Taylor said.
The resolution revoking the permit for the Chase Bank building location was approved unanimously, 5-0, with council members Peter Anderson and Barbara Domer absent.
The council also reviewed the Redevelopment Commission’s annual report, which covers the city’s seven tax increment financing districts.
The lengthy report by Cender Dalton Municipal Advisors covers debt service, the history of the TIF districts and even each parcel included within a TIF district.
Bonds begin to fall off in 2031. Normally, the bonds issued for things like infrastructure needs are repaid with revenue from within the TIF district, but there are exceptions. The parking garage is repaid with revenue from the Linc TIF, and if the Journeyman Distillery TIF doesn’t generate enough revenue to repay the bonds, the RDC can use some of the revenue from the older consolidated TIF district. That takes into account the city’s use of part of the Journeyman site – the old ANCO factory – for the city’s transit center.
Douglas and Mayor Jon Costas spoke to the value of having the Redevelopment Commission and TIF districts.
“The goal is to incentivize, to encourage private sector funding that you would not normally have,” Costas said.
Douglas said it’s like watching “It’s a Wonderful Life” and seeing what the town would be like without George Bailey’s influence. In Valparaiso’s case, it wouldn’t have the downtown Central Park, some $800,000 in sidewalks over the last few years, and roundabouts to improve traffic flow.
“I challenge you to look. Where in the budget would you have found for these things to occur since 1984?”
“The benefits are pretty amazing,” he said.
Doug Ross is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
