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Approving the Legislative Hearing Officer's recommendation for the application submitted by Leela Nightclub LLC (License ID# 20250000797), d/b/a Leela Thai Restaurant, for Liquor On Sale - 101-180 seats, Liquor On Sale - Sunday, and Entertainment (A) licenses, located at 945 Rice Street, Suite A.
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WHEREAS, Leela Nightclub LLC (License ID# 20250000797), d/b/a Leela Thai Restaurant, located at 945 Rice Street, Suite A, has applied for Class N licenses for Liquor On Sale - 101-180 seats, Liquor On Sale - Sunday, and Entertainment (A) licenses; and
WHEREAS, the applicant notified the North End Neighborhood Organization prior to submitting their application; and
WHEREAS, a notification regarding the license application was sent from the Department of Safety and Inspections to the affected neighborhood for the period of June 16, 2025, to July 1, 2025; and
WHEREAS, during the notification period, an objection was received which triggered the hearing and a hearing was held on July 10, 2025; and
WHEREAS, the objection was related to parking, noise, trash, and nuisance activity; and
WHEREAS, in response to the concerns raised, the licensee has agreed to work with the city to comply with the necessary requirements to minimize nuisance activities that would disturb the surrounding residential neighborhood; and
WHEREAS, after conducting the hearing and considering the testimonies and evidence, the Legislative Hearing Officer recommends approval of the application submitted by Leela Nightclub LLC (License ID# 20250000797), d/b/a Leela Thai Restaurant, located at 945 Rice Street, Suite A, with no additional conditions imposed, subject only to the following conditions:
1. Licensee agrees to operate the establishment in compliance with Section 409.02 of the City of Saint Paul Legislative Code as a "Restaurant".
2. Licensee agrees to close the establishment at 12:00 a.m. midnight. All patron/customers shall vacate the premises by 12:30 a.m. each day of the week as per Section 409.02 of the City of Saint Paul Legislative Code.
3. Per City of Saint Paul Legislative Code 411.02, the definition of Entertainment A is, "Amplified or nonamplified music and/or singing by performers without limitation as to number, and group singing participated in by patrons of the establishment." (includes karaoke). Entertainment A license does not allow for patron and/or performance dances.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Council of the City of Saint Paul hereby approves this license application with the aforementioned agreed-upon conditions and finds that the license conditions are reasonable, and the application is in order and there are no grounds to deny the approval of the licenses.
The conditions affidavit was signed on July 2, 2025, and submitted on July 7, 2025.